WASHINGTON — A survey of diverse and predominately Hispanic neighborhoods throughout the D.C. area has uncovered a substantial fear of police among black people and Hispanics.
“More than half of blacks and Latinos who live in these neighborhoods had a fear that they themselves or a loved one would be questioned or arrested by police and that affected their daily lives at least a little bit,” said Michael Bader, American University assistant professor of sociology and the principal investigator behind the survey.
The survey, which was released Monday, found that blacks were six to seven times more likely than whites to say their daily lives are affected by the fear that they or their loved ones would be arrested or questioned by police. Hispanics living in predominantly-Hispanic neighborhoods reported a strong fear of crime and deportation.
AU researchers received more than 1,200 responses to their surveys sent to either neighborhoods in which no racial group made up a majority of residents or neighborhoods in which Hispanics made up at least 25 percent of residents.
The neighborhoods surveyed are in D.C.; Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland; Arlington and Fairfax counties as well as Alexandria, Fairfax City and Falls Church in Virginia.
While expressing a fearfulness of police, a majority of blacks and Hispanics also reported that they think police officers are keeping them safe in their neighborhoods.
Most residents in the diverse areas also say they are very satisfied living in their multiethnic neighborhoods.
The survey was fielded from March 9 to May 2, 2016 and included a cover letter written in English and Spanish. The margin of error on the overall sample is ±4.04 percent.
