“Hands up!”: Police stop-and-frisk, racism and structural violence among black youth from three capitals in the Brazilian Northeast

Abstract

The intersection between race, social class, territorial belonging and age profile has been decisive in producing the criteria of suspicion employed by Brazilian police. Young blacks who are poor and inhabit favelas are a prime target for police control actions such as the stop-and-frisk. This article presents the results of a study exploring the experiences and perceptions of police approach as voiced by young blacks from neighborhoods that are socially vulnerable and/or have high levels of violence. The study was carried out in the cities of Salvador, Recife and Fortaleza. The research was guided by the following questions: how do young blacks experience and (re)signify their relationship with the police and, more specifically, the police approach? To what extent do social belonging markers, such as racial profile, class and territory, influence the stop-and-frisk process? A qualitative study was carried out by means of focus groups, conversation circles and semi-structured interviews with black youths aged 15 to 29 living in peripheral neighborhoods of the three aforementioned capitals. The data revealed that racial segregation and racism present in the structure and relational dynamics of Brazilian society – as well as its denial and/or naturalization – influence the police’s “decision-making” and way of dealing with black youth in the three investigated capitals.