Synopses & Reviews
and#147;
Race, Place, and Suburban Policing is a timely and important book. Set in a suburb not far from Ferguson, MO, it is a must-read for those who seek a deeper understanding of the social and historical forces that led to the killing of Michael Brown and the protests that took hold of Ferguson in the months following his death.and#8221;and#151;Nikki Jones, author of
Between Good and Ghetto: African American Girls and Inner-City Violence and#147;This book is a powerful and prescient investigation of policeand#150;African American community relations in suburban St. Louis. What makes Boylesand#8217; work so compelling is her insistence that contemporary racialized policing be understood through a socio-historical lens. She balances a broad view, including the roots of American policing in slave codes and sundown towns, with the rich and careful analysis of the history of place to offer a groundbreaking contribution.and#8221;and#151;Jody Miller, author of Getting Played: African American Girls, Urban Inequality, and Gendered Violence and One of the Guys: Girls, Gangs, and Gender
Synopsis
While considerable attention has been given to encounters between black citizens and police in urban communities, there have been limited analyses of such encounters in suburban settings. Race, Place, and Suburban Policing tells the full story of social injustice, racialized policing, nationally profiled shootings, and the ambiguousness of black life in a suburban context. Through compelling interviews, participant observation, and field notes from a marginalized black enclave located in a predominately white suburb, Andrea S. Boyles examines a fraught police-citizen interface, where blacks are segregated and yet forced to negotiate overlapping spaces with their more affluent white counterparts.
About the Author
Andrea S. Boyles is Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Lindenwood University-Belleville. She has also taught inmates and correctional officers within the Missouri prison system.