IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jscscx/v10y2021i1p16-d478142.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Stonewalling in the Brick City: Perceptions of and Experiences with Seeking Police Assistance among LGBTQ Citizens

Author

Listed:
  • Danielle M. Shields

    (School of Criminal Justice, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, NJ 07102, USA)

Abstract

Extant research has documented police interactions between racial and ethnic minority populations, including negative perceptions of and experiences with the police; police corruption and misconduct; and the deleterious effects of negative relationships with the police, such as reduced legitimacy and mistrust. Comparatively, exchanges between lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) populations and the police have received limited attention. This is despite work suggesting that LGBTQ citizens face an elevated risk of victimization, and a possible reticence in reporting their victimization, resulting from negative perceptions of police, fear of mistreatment, or even experiences of harassment and abuse by police. To extend the research in this area, I analyze 12 focus groups with LGBTQ participants ( N = 98) in an urban setting to examine the circumstances in which LGBTQ people would seek assistance from the police, when they would avoid doing so, and their justifications for avoiding or contacting the police. I also considered intersectionality in shaping police–citizen interactions between sexual and/or gender minority citizens of color, as the sample was almost exclusively LGBTQ persons of color. I conclude by discussing implications for policing practices and policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Danielle M. Shields, 2021. "Stonewalling in the Brick City: Perceptions of and Experiences with Seeking Police Assistance among LGBTQ Citizens," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-27, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:10:y:2021:i:1:p:16-:d:478142
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/10/1/16/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/10/1/16/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Steven D. Levitt, 2002. "Using Electoral Cycles in Police Hiring to Estimate the Effects of Police on Crime: Reply," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(4), pages 1244-1250, September.
    2. Huebner, D.M. & Rebchook, G.M. & Kegeles, S.M., 2004. "Experiences of harassment, discrimination, and physical violence among young gay and bisexual men," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 94(7), pages 1200-1203.
    3. Meyer, I.H. & Flores, A.R. & Stemple, L. & Romero, A.P. & Wilson, B.D.M. & Herman, J.L., 2017. "Incarceration rates and traits of sexual minorities in the United States: National inmate survey, 2011-2012," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 107(2), pages 267-273.
    4. Kyle Peyton & Michael Sierra-Arévalo & David G. Rand, 2019. "A field experiment on community policing and police legitimacy," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 116(40), pages 19894-19898, October.
    5. repec:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2016.303576_0 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. James E. Larsen & John P. Blair, 2009. "The Importance of Police Performance as a Determinant of Satisfaction with Police," American Journal of Economics and Business Administration, Science Publications, vol. 1(1), pages 1-10, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tom Kirchmaier & Stephen Machin & Matteo Sandi & Robert Witt, 2020. "Prices, Policing and Policy: The Dynamics of Crime Booms and Busts," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 18(2), pages 1040-1077.
    2. Montolio, Daniel & Planells-Struse, Simón, 2015. "When police patrols matter. The effect of police proximity on citizens’ crime risk perception," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 73-93.
    3. Haroon Bhorat & Ravi Kanbur & Natasha Mayet, 2012. "Estimating the Causal Effect of Enforcement on Minimum Wage Compliance: The Case of S outh A frica," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(4), pages 608-623, November.
    4. William S. Reece, 2010. "Casinos, Hotels, And Crime," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 28(2), pages 145-161, April.
    5. Vollaard, Ben & Koning, Pierre, 2009. "The effect of police on crime, disorder and victim precaution. Evidence from a Dutch victimization survey," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 336-348, December.
    6. Manea, Roxana Elena & Piraino, Patrizio & Viarengo, Martina, 2023. "Crime, inequality and subsidized housing: Evidence from South Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    7. Stephen Machin & Olivier Marie, 2011. "Crime And Police Resources: The Street Crime Initiative," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 9(4), pages 678-701, August.
    8. Daniela Jauk-Ajamie & Robert L. Peralta & Courtney Michael, 2024. "“Chickens in the Slaughterhouse” Police-Inflicted Trauma and Mental Health Consequences for an Urban African American LGBTQI+ Community," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-20, September.
    9. Wolfgang Maennig & Viktoria C. E. Schumann, 2022. "Prevention Effect of News Shocks in Anti-Doping Policies," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 23(4), pages 431-459, May.
    10. Evelyn Skoy, 2021. "Black Lives Matter Protests, Fatal Police Interactions, And Crime," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 39(2), pages 280-291, April.
    11. Gerlinde Fellner & Rupert Sausgruber & Christian Traxler, 2013. "Testing Enforcement Strategies In The Field: Threat, Moral Appeal And Social Information," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 11(3), pages 634-660, June.
    12. Philip A. Curry & Anindya Sen & George Orlov, 2016. "Crime, apprehension and clearance rates: Panel data evidence from Canadian provinces," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 49(2), pages 481-514, May.
    13. Paolo Buonanno & Giovanni Mastrobuoni, 2012. "Police and Crime: Evidence from Dictated Delays in Centralized Police Hiring," Carlo Alberto Notebooks 244, Collegio Carlo Alberto.
    14. Steven D. Levitt, 2004. "Understanding Why Crime Fell in the 1990s: Four Factors that Explain the Decline and Six that Do Not," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 18(1), pages 163-190, Winter.
    15. Klick, Jonathan & Tabarrok, Alexander, 2005. "Using Terror Alert Levels to Estimate the Effect of Police on Crime," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 48(1), pages 267-279, April.
    16. Reyes, Luis Carlos, 2014. "Estimating the Causal Effect of Forced Eradication on Coca Cultivation in Colombian Municipalities," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 70-84.
    17. Tyler D. Harvey & Ijeoma Opara & Emily A. Wang, 2022. "Role of the Intersections of Gender, Race and Sexual Orientation in the Association between Substance Use Behaviors and Sexually Transmitted Infections in a National Sample of Adults with Recent Crimi," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-14, March.
    18. Salmon, Timothy C. & Shniderman, Adam, 2019. "Ambiguity in criminal punishment," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 361-376.
    19. Koslicki, Wendy M. & Lytle, Daniel J. & Willits, Dale W. & Brooks, Rachael, 2021. "‘Rhetoric without reality’ or effective policing strategy? An analysis of the relationship between community policing and police fatal force," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    20. Jens Ludwig & Jeffrey R. Kling, 2007. "Is Crime Contagious?," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 50(3), pages 491-518.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:10:y:2021:i:1:p:16-:d:478142. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.