Black Immigrant Experiences of U.S. Police Violence: It's about Culture, Not Race

Background and Purpose: Police violence involving racial minorities in the U.S. is a growing problem. People of color, particularly Black people, tend to be central characters in narratives about police violence yet their view on the matter is often overlooked in the literature. While race has proven to be an important predictor of satisfaction with police, the understanding of racial identity has been sparse. Black is not monolithic so while the perspectives of Black immigrants on police violence may vary greatly from African Americans, studies exploring these views are almost non-existent. Differences in culture, language, immigration status, and country of origin could contribute to a differences in experiences with and thoughts about police violence. This study sought to capture and understand the views of Black immigrants and their U.S. born children about police violence.

Methods: The study was designed as an interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith, Flowers, Larkin, 2009), a systematic method that insists on a small (n less than 10 is acceptable), homogenous sample. Participants were purposively recruited through word of mouth. Recruitment continued until saturation was achieved. Six in-depth, open-ended interviews were conducted. Three participants were 18 to 39 years (1 male and 2 females) and were born in the U.S. (whose parents were born in an African or Afro-Caribbean country) or have been U.S. citizens with at least 10 years of residency in the U.S. and 3 participants over 40 years old (2 males and 1 female) born in an African or Afro-Caribbean country. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded thematically using atlas.ti software. Peer-debriefing, triangulation of analysts, and negative case analysis strengthened the rigor of this study.

Findings: Analysis revealed 5 themes and subthemes. The themes identified were: policing; otherness, intergenerational dialogue, response to police violence, systemic problems. Theme 1, policing, included the following 3 subthemes: police attitudes and behaviors; police in the U.S. vs. police in country of origin; police training and accountability. Theme 2, otherness, included the following 2 subthemes: self-perception; racialized experiences. Theme 3, intergenerational dialogue, included the subtheme young people are “woke”. Theme 4, response to police violence, included the following 2 subthemes:  emotional reaction; engagement. Theme 5, systemic problems included the following 3 subthemes: flawed criminal justice system; disproportionate incarceration of people of color; historical and racial implications.

Conclusion and Implications: This research expands the literature about experiences of police violence among Black people in the U.S. We argue that Black immigrant experience with and perceptions of the police may be markedly differently than African Americans, or other U.S. citizens. While each participant was fully aware of police misconduct and discriminatory practices, particularly towards people of color, they did not necessarily see themselves impacted by such policing. The hybrid identity particularly described by participants proved to be influential, insulating or protecting them from a racialized identity, and determining their levels of engagement in protests or counter efforts. Implications for micro and macro social work practice will be discussed.