Stonewalling in the Brick City: Perceptions of and Experiences with Seeking Police Assistance among LGBTQ Citizens

Extant research has documented police interactions between racial and ethnic minority populations, including negative perceptions of experiences with the police; corruption misconduct; deleterious effects relationships police, such as reduced legitimacy mistrust. Comparatively, exchanges lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer (LGBTQ) populations have received limited attention. This is despite work suggesting that LGBTQ citizens face an elevated risk victimization, a possible reticence in reporting their resulting from fear mistreatment, or even harassment abuse by police. To extend this area, I analyze 12 focus groups participants (N = 98) urban setting to examine circumstances which people would seek assistance when they avoid doing so, justifications for avoiding contacting also considered intersectionality shaping police–citizen sexual and/or gender color, sample was almost exclusively persons color. conclude discussing implications policing practices policies.