Available From UC Press

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.

Andrea S. Boyles is Associate Professor of Sociology and Africana Studies at Tulane University. She is a feminist, race scholar, and author of You Can't Stop the Revolution: Community Disorder and Social Ties in Post-Ferguson America.

"Contributes to the dialogue surrounding race, place, and policing as it challenges status quo assumptions by giving voice to black citizens and putting their experiences with police at the forefront of the narrative."—Amy Lubitow and Emma Deppa, Teaching Sociology

"The contribution this text makes lies in its devotion to capturing the stories of the people involved. Although the narratives are principally those of Meacham Park’s residents, the author does include pertinent stories from former Kirkwood leaders. This research required 2 years to complete. Few researchers would devote this much time to a study, preferring instead to merely collect quantitative data and produce statistical reports. Boyles’ attention to detail is impressive. Moreover, it is clear from her writing that she values the contributions made by each of the people she interviews."—Brian Withrow, Criminal Justice Review

“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.”—Nikki Jones, author of Between Good and Ghetto: African American Girls and Inner-City Violence

“This book is a powerful and prescient investigation of police–African American community relations in suburban St. Louis. What makes Boyles’ 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.”—Jody Miller, author of Getting Played: African American Girls, Urban Inequality, and Gendered Violence and One of the Guys: Girls, Gangs, and Gender