Gendered Experiences of Police Violence: A Case Study of Rochester, New York

Black women killed by police are often underreported by the media and underrepresented in the historical record. This paper addresses the case study of police killings in Rochester, NY of Black women by white officers since 1975. Organizers and activists emphasized the gendered roles of “wife,” “mother” and “girlfriend” to rally support for victims and highlight the failure of the city to protect women in a time of need—a privilege typically afforded to white women. In calling for protection of these victims as women organizers and activists refuse racist tropes that police circulated about the victims—of Black women as violent—and asserted instead that Black women’s gendered experiences of police violence warranted special outrage and attention because of the dual denial of their humanity—as Black people, and as women.