<p> The African American community’s relationship with the police has historically been strained for more than a century. How that tumultuous relationship affects African American mother’s perceptions of police and confidence in the ability for police to interact safely with their sons has not been explored thus far. It is the intention of this study to explore and offer insight into the experience of African American mothers with sons and potential police interactions. This qualitative study utilized a focus group setting to gather information. Within two weeks of the focus group 6 participants withdrew, the focus group ultimately included 6 participants. Participants voiced their need to educate their sons about police, Blackness being a risk factor, the emotional burdens of ensuring safety, strategies used to promote safety in potential police interactions, and possible solutions to strained community police relations. Participants developed strategies to increase safety by asking their sons to be compliant, stay under the radar, utilize family support, recreational and community resources. While there was a lack of confidence and mistrust of the police, participants maintained hope that with training and positive community interactions there can be improvement in safety during police interactions.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:10263757 |
| Date | 26 May 2017 |
| Creators | Harris, Abril N. |
| Publisher | California State University, Long Beach |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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