Daanika Gordon, an associate professor of sociology and of race, colonialism and diaspora from Tufts University, will discuss her recently published book, “Policing the Racial Divide: Urban Grown Politics and the Remaking of Segregation,” at the Wednesday, Nov. 13, Conversations on Race and Policing.

Free and open to the public, it can be accessed from a PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android at https://tinyurl.com/csusb-race-policing beginning at 1 p.m.

Gordon’s book chronicles when she shadowed police officers for 13 months in two districts in River City, a segregated rust-belt city. According to the publisher’s website, “She found that officers in predominantly white neighborhoods provided responsive service and engaged in community problem-solving, while officers in predominantly Black communities reproduced long-standing patterns of over-policing and under-protection. Such differences have marked U.S. policing throughout its history, but policies that were supposed to alleviate racial tensions in River City actually widened the racial divides. ‘Policing the Racial Divide’ tells story of how race, despite the best intentions, often dominates the way policing unfolds in cities across America. … Gordon paints a sobering picture of modern-day segregation, and how the police enforce its racial borders, showing us two separate, unequal sides of the same city: one where rich, white neighborhoods are protected, and another where poor, Black neighborhoods are punished.”

The Conversations on Race and Policing program began after the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and its aftermath. Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer, triggering extensive protests, demands for systemic reform in policing, and profound dialogues on race and racism. This also led to the inception of Cal State San Bernardino’s Conversations on Race and Policing, abbreviated as CoRP.

In subsequent court cases, three other former Minneapolis police officers implicated in Floyd’s death were given prison sentences.

The series has featured scholars, journalists, law enforcement officers, lawyers, activists, artists, educators, administrators and others from throughout the nation who shared their experience and expertise on issues related to race and policing.

More than 110 forums have taken place since, and video recordings of the sessions are posted online on the Conversations on Race and Policing Lecture Series Archive. 

The next program, at 1 p.m. on Nov. 20, will feature Michael German, Brennan Center Fellow, former FBI special agent, member of the CoRP organizing group and author of “Policing White Supremacy: The Enemy Within.”

The series organizers currently include CSUSB faculty, staff, alumni, and community members, as well as collaborators from other institutions: Amber Broaden (CSUSB and CSU Dominguez Hills, psychology), Stan Futch (president, Westside Action Group), German (Brennan Center for Justice), Robie Madrigal (Pfau Library), Jeremy Murray (CSUSB History), Matt Patino (Crafton Hills College adjunct faculty and CSUSB alumnus), and Mary Texeira (CSUSB sociology).

For more information, contact Madrigal at rmadriga@csusb.edu or Murray at jmurray@csusb.edu.

Also visit the Conversations on Race and Policing webpage.