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City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 6-2020 Living in a World of “Stop, Question and Frisk” and “Trespass Enforcement”: Black and Latinx Youth Engaging in Police Reform in New York City Jeanene Lee Barrett The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3780 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] LIVING IN A WORLD OF STOP, QUESTION AND FRISK AND TRESPASS ENFORCEMENT: BLACK AND LATINX YOUTH ENGAGING IN POLICE REFORM IN NEW YORK CITY by JEANENE LEE BARRETT A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Criminal Justice in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2020 © 2020 JEANENE LEE BARRETT All Rights Reserved ii Living in a WorlD of “Stop, Question anD Frisk” anD “Trespass Enforcement”: Black anD Latinx Youth Engaging in Police Reform in New York City by Jeanene Lee Barrett This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Criminal Justice in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ____________________ _____________________________________ Date Dr. Valerie West Chair of Examining Committee ____________________ _____________________________________ Date Dr. Deborah Koetzle Executive Officer Supervisory Committee: Dr. Candace McCoy Dr. Delores Jones-Brown Dr. Carmen Solis THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii ABSTRACT Living in a World of “Stop, Question and Frisk” and “Trespass Enforcement”: Black and Latinx Youth Engaging in Police Reform in New York City by Jeanene Lee Barrett Advisor: Valerie West Although much has been written about youths’ experiences with police encounters in general, little qualitative research has been conducted into the SQF and housing trespass enforcement experiences of Black and Latinx youth in NYC. Additionally, there is little research that uses the voice of Black and Latinx youth to envision interactions with NYPD that could improve police- community relations. The present study, using a purposively sampled sub-set of 20 transcripts from a larger focus group process, examined the lived experience of Black and Latinx youth between the ages of 13 – 25, with a focus on stop-question-frisk (SQF) and housing trespass enforcement within New York City Housing Authority developments. There were two goals of this study, the first was to extend the conversation of youth police encounters within the SQF literature, and to provide insight into trespass encounters in and around NYCHA developments. The second was the creation of a grounded framework of police engagement, also known as the TRACE model using the “expert” voice of youth. Some very important findings centered around participants expressed concerns about their interactions with officers, citing the lack of respect as a primary issue, frequent harassment, feeling overpowered, fear, and an overall experience of being dehumanized during encounters. These concerns were the most pronounced amongst the Black iv and Latinx youth who lived in and frequented NYCHA developments. These youth shared details of daily and frequent encounters with police officers and their resulting feelings of fearfulness, helplessness, and hopelessness, and as a way to avoid these encounters, youth would engage in avoidance behaviors like running from the police. v PREFACE I remember being struck by his small frame, toddler-like smile, and childish yet innocent behavior. I was immediately drawn to him at the start of the focus group. He was small in stature, barely reaching five feet and despite his child-like appearance he was smart, articulate, verbally mature beyond his physical presence, and thoughtful in his response to the questions. His interactions in comparison to those of his peers were engaging, exhibiting a youthful innocence – a “black boy joy” type of innocence that appeared only free to present itself behind the four walls of the youth center that he frequented every day after school. Outside of those walls, down the 23 steps, and beyond the doors of the center was a different reality, a reality frequently stripping away the innocence of his youth, placing him within the constant sight of the NYPD. At the age of 13 he experienced his first stop by the NYPD and his consequent additional seven stops by the age of 14. Outside of those walls is where he was unable to be a young Black boy, full of wonder and charisma, able to freely explore the world, wear his hair how he desired, dress how he wanted, and run or play for no particular reason. Instead, his daily existence and entrance into adolescence were sprinkled with regular and frequent stops by NYPD – decreasing extensively, only when his mom cut his hair. This 14-year-old is one of 187 participants of 20 purposively selected focus groups from a larger set of 64 conducted during the New York City Joint Remedial Process (JRP). The JRP was a community engagement effort birthed from the ruling in Floyd v. the City of New York. In 2013, Federal Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled in Floyd et al. v. the City of New York et al. that the NYPD engaged in a widespread practice of unconstitutional and racially discriminatory stops and frisks (Floyd v. City of N.Y. , 2013). She ordered the JRP, a comprehensive community input remedy. Ordering the JRP as part of the Remedies Opinion and Order, Judge Scheindlin vi placed at the center of her decision the importance of community voice. In the opinion she stressed that community voices mattered, not just those of NYPD, individual officers, unions, and lawmakers, but particularly those of communities most impacted by NYPD’s use of stop- question-frisk (SQF) in the preceding years. A case study that examines the history of policing litigation in NYC, placing the JRP at its center is timely and relevant. That type of study would be a great extension of this work, and complementary to the study conducted by Amber Thorne Hamilton on the Cincinnati Collaborative Agreement Process (Thorne-Hamilton , 2017). Instead, this is a study that examines the SQF and housing trespass enforcement experiences of Black and Latinx youth in New York City and not a case study examining the history of NYC policing litigation. This study places their voice and related experiences at the center of the discussion providing a deeper understanding of their lived experiences with street stops and housing trespass enforcement. Using their “expert knowledge” to inform a framework of engagement that could improve police-community relations, this project demonstrates the value of community participation in reform processes that ultimately create change to policy and practice that directly impact community members. In 2015, I was hired to work as the project manager for the JRP. As the project manager I was tasked with conceptualizing the process, implementing and managing the concept, and analyzing all data gathered as a result. In this role, I worked under the leadership of the federally appointed facilitator, Retired Judge Ariel Belen, alongside a deputy facilitator, assistant project manager, and project assistant and in collaboration with the parties. As the project manager, I had the privilege of facilitating 64 focus groups, assisting with organizing and conceptualizing 28 community forums, and participating in 19 leadership meetings. All of this work culminated vii in a final report with 14 recommendations and 12 areas for policy consideration. This was no ordinary process; it was crafted especially for the city of New York and for communities most impacted by the use of the SQF policy, mirroring a similar process used more than a decade earlier in Cincinnati, Ohio that also addressed systemic abuse and biased policing practices. Extending the work of the JRP, this dissertation underscores the importance of community engagement in policy development and change, more importantly it provides a deeper understanding of the impact of stop-question-frisk and housing trespass enforcement on Black and Latinx youth. The human impact of these types of policies are often underestimated and easily ignored when individuals are unaffected by these practices. This dissertation explores the human impact, giving voice to those with both direct and vicarious street and housing encounters with NYPD officers. Taking a qualitative approach, I share the experiences of Black and Latinx youth, from their mouths to this paper. Using a purposively selected sample of data gathered during the eight-month focus group phase of the JRP, this study seeks to better understand the stop-question-frisk and housing trespass experiences of Black and Latinx youth. The study uses the constructivist grounded theory approach, resulting in a deep analysis of these data, bringing to form the impact of frequent and normalized policing encounter experiences of Black and Latinx youth. Using reform recommendations gathered during these focus groups, suggestions for policies and practices are provided to improve the way the police department generally, and officers more specifically engage with Black and Latinx youth throughout New York City. viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS #justakidfromthewestsideofthechi I’m just a kid from the Westside of Chicago who lived a “hard knock life” but made the best of it. On occasion when describing myself, I say that “God made me good,” and for that I am beyond grateful. My gratitude extends to all of those people near and far who have helped make this huge endeavor possible and have assisted in making me better. First, I would like to thank my Chair, Dr. Valerie West. You have been sunshine on rainy days. I knew you would be just what I needed when I wrote you into my personal statement back in 2010.

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