Women of Color Being Policed

Women of Color Being Policed

Between 2017 and 2018, we conducted 49 interviews with young Black and Latina women in the San Francisco Bay Area about their perceptions and experiences of the police. This study came on the heels of nationwide outrage about countless police killings of Black men, including Philando Castile and Alton Sterling in 2016, as well as one woman, Sandra Bland, whose life was also stricken by the same violence in 2015. Now, sparked by the killing of George Floyd only a few years later, this outrage is reignited. 

To continue our #POCbeingPoliced series and further highlight the long-standing issue of racist police violence directed at women, we present the following video: “Women of Color Being Policed,” which highlights Black women’s voices, specifically.  We humbly thank the women who participated in this study, many of whom courageously shared their experiences with the sole intention of making a difference by amplifying the attention paid to women of color’s experiences with police violence. 

Findings from this study can be found here.

For more research on police violence and police use of force, see our public access bibliography.

For more information about Black women and police violence, see work from the African American Policy Forum’s #SayHerName campaign.

Voices on Police Violence

Voices on Police Violence

In recognition of the fortitude of those on the front lines; in honor of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Tony McDade, and so many others whose lives have been cut short by police violence: Over the next few days the Center for Critical Public Health will highlight direct quotes from participants in our studies.

Since 2007, we’ve conducted interviews with people of color whose stories have included countless experiences with racial profiling, unjust stop and search, and police brutality. Though the studies they come from are not all focused on policing nor directly on violence, these quotes highlight how pervasive racist violence is. These participants and their experiences are unique, but the connecting thread of police violence is not.

Neither this violence nor the outrage it justifies are new. Immense gratitude to all of the participants who have generously shared their experiences with us. These voices, past and present, must be heard.

To follow this series, please join us on our Twitter or Facebook feeds. Since this material can be traumatic, we will use the hashtag #POCbeingPoliced consistently throughout the series so you can choose to mute it any time.

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Update: Threaded quotes below
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