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#JusticeNerds Speaker Series – Spring 2017
Presented by the Center for Policing Equity

Nikki Jones
Associate Professor of African American Studies
University of California, Berkeley 

How Things Fall Apart: Race, gender and suspicion in police-civilian encounters
Over the last several years, the nation’s attention has been drawn repeatedly to the too-often troubled relationship between Black communities and the police. There are video recordings of encounters that begin over seemingly minor infractions – like jaywalking – and end with force, including, at times, lethal force. How do these encounters go so badly, so quickly? What role does race, gender or bias play in these encounters? In this talk, Professor Jones draws on years of field research among Black residents in urban neighborhoods, along with interviews with police officers and findings from the analysis of video recordings of police-civilian encounters to illustrate how race, gender and suspicion shape the earliest moments of police-civilian encounters. Professor Jones will share findings from her ongoing collaborative research in this area which highlights the ways that officers can manage encounters without relying on physical or lethal force.