“Risk Mitigation: Preparation for Police Interaction”

Abstract

Literatures on parenting strategies examine social and cultural reproduction. However, a growing literature also documents the unique concerns of parents from marginalized communities. Of particular concern for these parents is the racialized surveillance of their children. This is especially true in Muslim communities. Racialized surveillance influences Muslim parents’ childrearing practices and erodes trust in law enforcement. Due to this distrust, parents have a “talk” to prepare their children for the realities of discrimination and causes them to develop risk mitigation strategies for police interaction. These precautions are similar to the ones issued by non-Muslim racialized parents. Using qualitative data from a survey of Muslim parents (N = 90), this paper explores how a diverse group of Muslim parents create safety plans for police interaction. I argue that Muslim parents’ childrearing strategies include a form of risk management that provides their children with necessary cultural repertoires to safely navigate police interactions. Body and emotion management are key components of these strategies. The directives issued by the Muslim parents I surveyed focus on mitigating the vulnerability their children experience as racialized beings – whether this is due to their Muslim identity, being read as Muslim, or their racial and/or ethnic identity.