State Violence, Street Violence & Reimagining Public Safety

• In Event: Policing through the Lens of American Political Development

Abstract

I examine community-based interventions in Chicago neighborhoods exposed to state violence/ abandonment and street violence in post-World War II decades. Preliminary evidence drawn from archival records and content analysis of Black-owned media suggests that grassroots organizations reimagined public safety as encompassing not only the absence of crime and violence, but also sustained commitments to the wellbeing of community members. Concerned citizens, activists, churches and academics formed alliances to implement community-based interventions in spaces exposed to state violence/ abandonment and endemic street violence, including hiring non-traditional leaders (e.g., formerly incarcerated people and previous gang members) who live in the community to mediate conflicts and employ intervention and prevention strategies. These groups view law enforcement as only one aspect in a larger ecosystem of public safety, and they prioritize local investments in the health, safety and welfare of community members.

Author

• Rebecca U. Thorpe, University of Washington