Making racial demands
Tracing the struggle over public safety in Minneapolis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3394992 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michelle S Phelps (0000-0002-4798-1542, University of Minnesota), Daniel Cueto-Villalobos (0009-0005-4177-4269, University of Minnesota) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-23 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Problems (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0037-7791 • E-ISSN: 1533-8533 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/socpro/spaf046 |
| OpenAlex | W4414450859 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 42 |
In May 2020, the world erupted in protest after officers with the Minneapolis Police Department murdered George Floyd. In response, abolitionist activists pushed forward a ballot initiative that would "end" the police department by creating a new Department of Public Safety. This proposal sparked fierce debate. While both sides staked their claims on what would make Black residents feel safe, their understandings of safety diverged, with charter supporters arguing for a move away from the "police-only model" and opponents arguing for "real" police reform. Bridging racial formation theory and work on social movements, we argue that the charter debate in Minneapolis illustrates how social movement organizations work to construct public perceptions of what is in minoritized groups' interests, a process we conceptualize as making racial demands. Analyzing campaign flyers, debates, and op-eds, we trace three steps in this process: (1) supporters and opponents positioned their side as the authentic representatives of the community; (2) each side deployed diagnostic, prognostic, and motivational frames to support their conceptualization of safety; and (3) both campaigns envisioned a speculative future constrained by the boundaries of racial redress. The results demonstrate the importance of considering movement, racialization, and policy development processes in tandem
Ballot · Charter · Citizenship · Conceptualization · Construct (python library) · Grassroots · Police brutality · Racism · Homelessness and Social Issues · Migration, Refugees, and Integration · Race, History, and American Society
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| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |