UC Berkeley

Police violence refers broadly to state-sanctioned violence by officers of diverse law enforcement agencies, and includes neglect as well as physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. Police violence is a public health problem that affects Black women in the US disproportionately, and in ways that involve the multiplicative effects of race and gender as well as other systems of oppression. However, Black women are underrepresented as a population of interest in the literature on police violence. This research aims to help fill the gaps in the literature using an intersectional lens and the approaches of critical race theory and Black feminist thought to 1) review the literature on police violence affecting Black women, 2) investigate the mental health implications of police violence exposure for Black women, and 3) explore Black women’s views of policing and the implications for health and community life in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco.

The resulting dissertation comprises three papers. Paper 1 is a narrative literature review of peer- reviewed articles published between January 2000 and June 2021 that address the issue of police violence in the United States as it affects Black women. This paper reviews both qualitative and quantitative literature and the theoretical lenses applied to the subject. I concur with other scholars that applying the theoretical frameworks of Black feminist thought, critical race theory and its derivatives, especially intersectionality, a framework that considers multiple, simultaneous systems of oppression, can help generate effective, relevant solutions for systemic problems such as police violence.

Paper 2 presents quantitative data analysis from The Justice Study survey of experiences of police violence. The survey included two validated instruments for measuring psychological distress and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, as well as questions on experiences of police violence. Statistical analysis of the cross-sectional survey data found that Black women’s levels of exposure to police violence in the form of having known one or more persons killed by police and levels of psychological distress and PTSD symptomatology were significantly higher when compared to those among White women in the sample. Using logistic regression, I found no association between the exposure to police violence and the mental health measures examined. I suggest that the limitations of the small (n=91), non-random sample warranted further study to determine whether there is a relationship between the exposure and outcomes.

Paper 3 presents qualitative data derived by semi-structured one-on-one interviews with Black women in a historically racially residentially segregated neighborhood. Using thematic analysis of the transcripts, I address the following exploratory research questions: 1) What are Black women’s experiences and perceptions of policing? 2) What are the implications of policing for health and community life?; and 3) What do Black women think are the solutions to the public health problem of police violence? Participants shared positive or neutral experiences related to traffic stops or a call for help. They also related negative experiences of being profiled, being assaulted and ‘mothering while Black,’ as well as vicarious experiences of police violence. Despite neutral or positive experiences, and approval of recent developments such as increased outreach and bicycle patrols, participants held generally negative views of policing, which they considered racist in origin and practice and harmful to health and community life. Using the counterfactual and accounts of policing in the neighborhood, participants described racism at multiple levels and described policing as a threat community members manage by avoiding encounters with the police. Participants offered solutions to the problem of police violence that ranged from improved law enforcement training to diverting funding to social services.

The findings from this exploration of the uniquely racialized and gendered experiences of Black women affected by police violence call for further research that takes an intersectional approach. Further quantitative research is needed using large health surveys that oversample populations with the highest levels of exposure to violent policing. Further qualitative research is needed to bring to the center the narratives of those whose communities have been subjected to intersecting systems of oppression.