Police Harassment, Public Parks, and People of Color: A Research Update and Reconceptualization

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to revisit the Ethnicity and Public Recreation Participation Model to include a policing variable given a call by researchers to look at the role of policing people of color and its effect on recreation participation (operationalized as public park use). We found a statistically significant and negative relationship between perceived police harassment and public park use by this racially marginalized group. Recommendations were made regarding future operationalization of the policing variable and removal of the acculturation construct for non-Latino/nonimmigrant communities, given its strong reliance on linguistic/language items. Lastly, we suggest that (a) future studies should incorporate critical race theory or consider specific measures/scales used to assess policing/police harassment to better contextualize the negative relationship between policing of racially marginalized individuals and recreation participation, and (b) further analysis be conducted along generational, age, and gender to explore possible demographic differences.

Department(s)

School of Earth, Environment and Sustainability

Document Type

Article

DOI

10.1080/01490400.2025.2505611

Keywords

discrimination, police harassment, policing, recreation benefits, recreation/park participation

Publication Date

1-1-2025

Journal Title

Leisure Sciences

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