"Ferguson in Context": A Talk by Richard Rosenfeld, Founders Professor at University of Missouri-St. Louis

January 29, 2015

12:00PM - 1:30PM

Frank W. Hale Black Culural Center, MLK Conference Room (Room 132), 154 W. 12th Avenue on the OSU Campus

Add to Calendar 2015-01-29 13:00:00 2015-01-29 14:30:00 "Ferguson in Context": A Talk by Richard Rosenfeld, Founders Professor at University of Missouri-St. Louis Event information:Public parking for this event is available at the Ohio Union South garage. It is a pay garage and is located at 1759 N. High Street (http://www.campusparc.com/osu/garages/ohio-union-south). Once you have parked, exit the garage through the College Road entrance. Turn left on College, then right onto 12th Avenue. Head west on 12th avenue. The Frank W. Hale Black Cultural Center will be the first building on your right.AbstractThe killing of Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, could not have been predicted. Police shootings of unarmed suspects are rare events. But neither was Michael Brown’s killing a random occurrence. With the benefit of hindsight it is clear that conditions in Ferguson – and in thousands of other similar communities across the country – were ripe for an encounter between a police officer and a citizen to turn deadly. And given the fragmented and exploitative structure of governance in St. Louis County, which disproportionately harms disadvantaged African-Americans, the community upheaval following Michael Brown’s killing is not surprising. In recent years, the violent crime rate has dropped to near record lows. At the same time, there has been an explosion in the number of private citizens who obtain a license to carry a concealed firearm in public. There are now nearly eight million people with concealed carry permits nation-wide, and yet little is known about how they think about crime, threat, and self-defense. An analysis of in-depth interviews with 36 concealed handgun license holders in Texas suggests that while concealed-carry instructors explain threat in ostensibly race-neutral, colorblind language, license holders themselves utilize racialized and classed understandings of crime as they navigate public spaces. As this research makes clear, the way that license holders think about crime and victimization, including differences in how men and women explain threat, is a critical component in understanding the social implications of an armed citizenry. LecturerRichard Rosenfeld is Founders Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri – St. Louis. His research focuses on crime trends and crime control policy. Dr. Rosenfeld is a Fellow and past President of the American Society of Criminology. He serves on the Science Advisory Board of the Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice, and he is the principal investigator of the St. Louis Public Safety Partnership.Areas of SpecializationSocial sources of violent crimeCrime control policyCrime trends Frank W. Hale Black Culural Center, MLK Conference Room (Room 132), 154 W. 12th Avenue on the OSU Campus OSU ASC Drupal 8 ascwebservices@osu.edu America/New_York public

Add to Calendar 2015-01-29 12:00:00 2015-01-29 13:30:00 "Ferguson in Context": A Talk by Richard Rosenfeld, Founders Professor at University of Missouri-St. Louis Event information:Public parking for this event is available at the Ohio Union South garage. It is a pay garage and is located at 1759 N. High Street (http://www.campusparc.com/osu/garages/ohio-union-south). Once you have parked, exit the garage through the College Road entrance. Turn left on College, then right onto 12th Avenue. Head west on 12th avenue. The Frank W. Hale Black Cultural Center will be the first building on your right.AbstractThe killing of Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, could not have been predicted. Police shootings of unarmed suspects are rare events. But neither was Michael Brown’s killing a random occurrence. With the benefit of hindsight it is clear that conditions in Ferguson – and in thousands of other similar communities across the country – were ripe for an encounter between a police officer and a citizen to turn deadly. And given the fragmented and exploitative structure of governance in St. Louis County, which disproportionately harms disadvantaged African-Americans, the community upheaval following Michael Brown’s killing is not surprising. In recent years, the violent crime rate has dropped to near record lows. At the same time, there has been an explosion in the number of private citizens who obtain a license to carry a concealed firearm in public. There are now nearly eight million people with concealed carry permits nation-wide, and yet little is known about how they think about crime, threat, and self-defense. An analysis of in-depth interviews with 36 concealed handgun license holders in Texas suggests that while concealed-carry instructors explain threat in ostensibly race-neutral, colorblind language, license holders themselves utilize racialized and classed understandings of crime as they navigate public spaces. As this research makes clear, the way that license holders think about crime and victimization, including differences in how men and women explain threat, is a critical component in understanding the social implications of an armed citizenry.  LecturerRichard Rosenfeld is Founders Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri – St. Louis. His research focuses on crime trends and crime control policy. Dr. Rosenfeld is a Fellow and past President of the American Society of Criminology. He serves on the Science Advisory Board of the Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice, and he is the principal investigator of the St. Louis Public Safety Partnership.Areas of SpecializationSocial sources of violent crimeCrime control policyCrime trends   Frank W. Hale Black Culural Center, MLK Conference Room (Room 132), 154 W. 12th Avenue on the OSU Campus Criminal Justice Research Center cjrc@osu.edu America/New_York public

Event information:

Public parking for this event is available at the Ohio Union South garage. It is a pay garage and is located at 1759 N. High Street (http://www.campusparc.com/osu/garages/ohio-union-south). Once you have parked, exit the garage through the College Road entrance. Turn left on College, then right onto 12th Avenue. Head west on 12th avenue. The Frank W. Hale Black Cultural Center will be the first building on your right.

Abstract

The killing of Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, could not have been predicted. Police shootings of unarmed suspects are rare events. But neither was Michael Brown’s killing a random occurrence. With the benefit of hindsight it is clear that conditions in Ferguson – and in thousands of other similar communities across the country – were ripe for an encounter between a police officer and a citizen to turn deadly. And given the fragmented and exploitative structure of governance in St. Louis County, which disproportionately harms disadvantaged African-Americans, the community upheaval following Michael Brown’s killing is not surprising.

In recent years, the violent crime rate has dropped to near record lows. At the same time, there has been an explosion in the number of private citizens who obtain a license to carry a concealed firearm in public. There are now nearly eight million people with concealed carry permits nation-wide, and yet little is known about how they think about crime, threat, and self-defense. An analysis of in-depth interviews with 36 concealed handgun license holders in Texas suggests that while concealed-carry instructors explain threat in ostensibly race-neutral, colorblind language, license holders themselves utilize racialized and classed understandings of crime as they navigate public spaces. As this research makes clear, the way that license holders think about crime and victimization, including differences in how men and women explain threat, is a critical component in understanding the social implications of an armed citizenry.

Lecturer

Richard Rosenfeld is Founders Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri – St. Louis. His research focuses on crime trends and crime control policy. Dr. Rosenfeld is a Fellow and past President of the American Society of Criminology. He serves on the Science Advisory Board of the Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice, and he is the principal investigator of the St. Louis Public Safety Partnership.

Areas of Specialization
Social sources of violent crime
Crime control policy
Crime trends