Racially biased policing and neighborhood characteristics: A Case Study in Toronto, Canada

• Published in: Cybergeo no. 665; pp. 1 - 19
• Main Author: Meng, Yunliang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Paris UMR 8504 Géographie-cités 01.01.2014; CNRS; Unité Mixte de Recherche 8504 Géographie-cités
• Subjects: America; Bgi / Prodig; Canada; neighborhood/neighbourhood; Ontorio; police stops; race-and-place profiling; Toronto; Canada; Ontario; Toronto; Drug; Socio-economic system; Social control; Urban settlement; Neighbourhood; Urban area; Blacks; Spatial differentiation; Ethnic community; Police
• ISSN: 1278-3366; 1278-3366
• DOI: 10.4000/cybergeo.26165

This study investigated race-and-place profiling in Toronto within a neighborhood context. It explored the spatial association between race-specific drug-related stops and neighborhood racial and socio-economic characteristics. The findings of this study suggest that Blacks are subject to disproportionately more stops for drug-related reasons in neighborhoods where more Whites reside and are less socio-economically disadvantaged, therefore confirming race-and-place profiling of Blacks in Toronto. However, race concentration and socio-economic disadvantage arguments fail to explain the spatial variations in drug-related stops of Whites. This result could be caused by the diverse ethnic origins and socio-economic backgrounds of White Torontonians. This article argues for the importance of a contextualized examination of racial profiling within the spatial context of neighborhoods and calls for democratic policing in Toronto. It also discusses the negative impacts of race-and-place profiling on Blacks in Toronto.