neighborhood watch Although racism has plagued the American justice system since the nation’s colonial beginnings, private White Americans are taking matters into their own hands. From racist 911 calls and hoaxes to grassroots voter suppression and vigilante “self-defense,” concertedeffortsaremadeeverydaybyprivatecitizenstoexcludeBlackAmericansfrom schools, neighborhoods, and positions of power. Neighborhood Watch examines the specific ways people police America’s color line to protect “White spaces.” The book charts how these actions too often result in harassment, arrest, injury, or death, yet typicallygounchecked.Instead,theseactionsarepromotedandencouragedbylegisla- tureslookingtoexpandraciallydiscriminatorylaws,apolicesystemdesignedtorespond with force to any frivolous report of Black “mischief,” and a Supreme Court that has abdicated its role in rejecting police abuse. To combat these realities, Neighborhood Watchofferspreliminaryrecommendationsforreform,includingchangestothe“max- imum policing” state, increased accountability for civilians who abuse emergency responsesystems,andproposalstodemilitarizethecolorline. Shawn E. Fields is a legal scholar, civil rights attorney, and criminal justice reform advocate. He has represented dozens of clients challenging unconstitutional criminal detentions,andcurrentlyteachesCriminalProcedureandCriminalLawatCampbell UniversitySchoolofLaw.HepreviouslyopenedthefirstrefugeerightslawofficeinEast Africa,representingover500refugeesinstatusdeterminationhearings.Shawnlivesin Raleigh,NorthCarolina,withhiswifeandtheirtwochildren. Published online by Cambridge University Press Published online by Cambridge University Press Neighborhood Watch policing white spaces in america SHAWN E. FIELDS CampbellUniversitySchoolofLaw Published online by Cambridge University Press UniversityPrintingHouse,Cambridgecb28bs,UnitedKingdom OneLibertyPlaza,20thFloor,NewYork,ny10006,USA 477WilliamstownRoad,PortMelbourne,vic3207,Australia 314–321,3rdFloor,Plot3,SplendorForum,JasolaDistrictCentre, NewDelhi–110025,India 103PenangRoad,#05–06/07,VisioncrestCommercial,Singapore238467 CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge. ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof education,learning,andresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence. www.cambridge.org Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781108840064 doi:10.1017/9781108878661 ©ShawnE.Fields2022 Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements, noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress. Firstpublished2022 AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary. isbn978-1-108-84006-4Hardback isbn978-1-108-79350-6Paperback CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyof URLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain, accurateorappropriate. Published online by Cambridge University Press ForNoe¨l Theloveofmylife Published online by Cambridge University Press Published online by Cambridge University Press Contents Acknowledgments pageviii ANoteonLanguage ix Introduction:APersonalProtectionAgency 1 1 CyclesofRacialFear 11 2 WhiteCallerCrime 31 3 JustaHunch 61 4 DefendingWhiteSpace 85 5 UnqualifiedImmunity 104 6 PermanentFear 125 7 RethinkingMaximumPolicing 134 8 Resistinga“ShootFirst,ThinkLater”Culture 161 Epilogue:“SendHerBack” 181 Index 194 vii Published online by Cambridge University Press Acknowledgments Thisbookhasbeenalaboroflovemanyyearsinthemaking,anditsimplywouldnot exist without the support and encouragement of countless individuals and institu- tions.Therearetoomanyselfless,wonderfulpeopleinmylifetothankformaking this book a reality, but a few deserve special mention here. My research assistant, MaryAnneHamilton,whoworkedtirelesslyonthisprojectandproddedmegently tothefinish line.Myeditor,MattGallaway, aman withclarityofvisionandwho appearstoneversleep.InstitutionalsupportfromCampbellLawSchool,andfrom Deans Rich Leonard and Sarah Ludington, who gave this junior faculty member roomtorun.ProfessorRogerManus,whosedecadesofworkonbehalfofcivilrights and racial justice continue to inspire me. The dozens and dozens of people who have offered wisdom and guidance along the way, including Tuneen Chisolm, BobbiJoBoyd,TonyGhiotto,MarcusGadson,LucasOsborn,ArleenMyers,Sara Acosta, Tracey Maclin, Ken Simons, Don Dripps, Jordan Barry, Dov Fox, Mila Sohoni, Joseph Blocher, and participants in the SEALS New Scholar Panels, including Mitch Crusto, Missy Lonegrass, Cynthia Alkon, Pat Metze, and Raff Donelson. My wife, coparent, partner, and confidante, Noe¨l Harlow, whose patience, love, and support made this book possible. My children, Jordan and Sage, who inspire me to be my best self. My parents, Roger and Brenda Fields, whohavealwaysbelievedinme,nomatterwhat. viii Published online by Cambridge University Press A Note on Language Any discussion on race is fraught with questions about labels, language,andword choice.Commondiscussionsinnewsroomsacrossthecountryinthewakeof2020’s “SummerofRacialReckoning”centeredaroundwhethertocapitalize“black”and “white”asracialdesignations,whenandwhethertousetheterms“peopleofcolor” or “African Americans” in lieu of another designation, and what objectives are promoted or frustrated in doing so. For purposes of this book, I have chosen to capitalizeboth“Black”and“White”and,withrareexceptionasdictatedbycontext, to use the terms “Black” and “White” rather than “person of color,” “African American,” “Caucasian American,” or any other label. Several considerations drivethesedecisions. First,capitalizing“Black”and“White”recognizesaformofcollectiveownership of these artificially created groupings. Race is a social construct, and the terms “black” and “white” to refer to skin color obviously refer not to facts of color or characteristicsofbiology,buttohistoricallysignificantandhighlyartificialsorting. In other words, “racial identities were not discovered but created, and the capital 1 letterconferredtothesedesignations”helpstohighlight“theartificialityofrace.” In one sense, then, the capital letter forces society to “take responsibility” for these artificial,dangerous,andabsurddesignations–todootherwisewouldallow“black” 2 and“white”to“disguisethemselvesascommonnounsandadjectives.” Anotherreason,andperhapstheonemostimportanttothisbook,isthat“Black” and“White”peopleareperceivedassuchbyothers,mustrespondtothosepercep- tionsandreactionsaccordingly,andthushavesomecollectivesharedexperiencenot justasapersonbutasa“Black”or“White”person.Here,itmakessensetodealwith each designation separately. As New York University Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah observes, “a good reason to capitalize the racial designation ‘black’ispreciselythatblackisnotanaturalcategory,butasocialone–acollective 1 SallyHaslanger,ASocialConstructionistAnalysisofRace,inREVISITINGRACEINAGENOMICAGE56–57 (2008). 2 KwameAnthonyAppiah,TheCaseforCapitalizingthe BinBlack,TheAtlantic(June18,2020), https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/time-to-capitalize-blackand-white/613159/. ix Published online by Cambridge University Press