{"id":{"repo_id":"sask","oai_identifier":"oai:harvest.usask.ca:10388/17801"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/sask/oai:harvest.usask.ca:10388/17801","repository":{"repo_id":"sask","name":"University of Saskatchewan","base_url":"https://harvest.usask.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Race and Contact at Play: Understanding Blacks’ Experiences and Perceptions with Law Enforcement","abstract":"Over decades, the relationship between law enforcement and Black individuals in Canada has remained strained, raising concerns about police legitimacy, fairness and trustworthiness. A long-standing history of systemic racial discrimination, marked by police brutality and racial profiling, has disproportionately targeted Black communities, leaving deep social scars that continue to fuel mistrust and skepticism toward law enforcement institutions. This study investigates the experiences and perceptions of Black Immigrants and Black Canadians in Saskatoon and focuses on their interactions with the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS). Using qualitative methodology and drawing on interviews with 34 participants, the research is framed by critical race theory, symbolic interactionism, and police legitimacy theory. The findings indicate that Black immigrants internalize police brutality and aggression in portrayed media reports as symbolic cues that generate fear, anxiety, and a strategic avoidance of police contact. In contrast, Black Canadians’ negative perceptions of SPS are influenced by intergenerational knowledge and familial narratives. These shared accounts carry important symbolic weight such that positive interactions with SPS failed to rebuild trust and restore confidence. The study concludes that dual perception of justice coupled with police shadowing, a pretextual form of surveillance and targeting of Black individuals under the guise of neutral routine enforcement, contributes to racial and ethnic bias policing dynamics in the city.","abstract_html":"Over decades, the relationship between law enforcement and Black individuals in Canada has remained strained, raising concerns about police legitimacy, fairness and trustworthiness. A long-standing history of systemic racial discrimination, marked by police brutality and racial profiling, has disproportionately targeted Black communities, leaving deep social scars that continue to fuel mistrust and skepticism toward law enforcement institutions. This study investigates the experiences and perceptions of Black Immigrants and Black Canadians in Saskatoon and focuses on their interactions with the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS). Using qualitative methodology and drawing on interviews with 34 participants, the research is framed by critical race theory, symbolic interactionism, and police legitimacy theory. The findings indicate that Black immigrants internalize police brutality and aggression in portrayed media reports as symbolic cues that generate fear, anxiety, and a strategic avoidance of police contact. In contrast, Black Canadians’ negative perceptions of SPS are influenced by intergenerational knowledge and familial narratives. These shared accounts carry important symbolic weight such that positive interactions with SPS failed to rebuild trust and restore confidence. The study concludes that dual perception of justice coupled with police shadowing, a pretextual form of surveillance and targeting of Black individuals under the guise of neutral routine enforcement, contributes to racial and ethnic bias policing dynamics in the city.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Barnes, Ebenezer"],"institution":"University of Saskatchewan","degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)","degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":"Sociology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Kang, Timothy"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":["Cheng, Hongming","Jewel, Lisa","Adorjan, Michael"],"year":2026,"date_issued":"2026-01-20","date_published":"2026-01-20","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:26:49Z","subjects":["Race, Policing, Immigration and Legitimacy"],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10388/17801","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Kang, Timothy"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Cheng, Hongming","Jewel, Lisa","Adorjan, Michael"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Barnes, Ebenezer"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2026-01-20T17:27:33Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2026-01-20"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Sociology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Saskatchewan"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Race, Policing, Immigration and Legitimacy"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10388/17801"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Over decades, the relationship between law enforcement and Black individuals in Canada has remained strained, raising concerns about police legitimacy, fairness and trustworthiness. A long-standing history of systemic racial discrimination, marked by police brutality and racial profiling, has disproportionately targeted Black communities, leaving deep social scars that continue to fuel mistrust and skepticism toward law enforcement institutions. This study investigates the experiences and perceptions of Black Immigrants and Black Canadians in Saskatoon and focuses on their interactions with the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS). Using qualitative methodology and drawing on interviews with 34 participants, the research is framed by critical race theory, symbolic interactionism, and police legitimacy theory. The findings indicate that Black immigrants internalize police brutality and aggression in portrayed media reports as symbolic cues that generate fear, anxiety, and a strategic avoidance of police contact. In contrast, Black Canadians’ negative perceptions of SPS are influenced by intergenerational knowledge and familial narratives. These shared accounts carry important symbolic weight such that positive interactions with SPS failed to rebuild trust and restore confidence. The study concludes that dual perception of justice coupled with police shadowing, a pretextual form of surveillance and targeting of Black individuals under the guise of neutral routine enforcement, contributes to racial and ethnic bias policing dynamics in the city."]},{"key":"dc:format.mimetype","label":"Dc Format Mimetype","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Race and Contact at Play: Understanding Blacks’ Experiences and Perceptions with Law Enforcement"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Kang, Timothy"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Cheng, Hongming","Jewel, Lisa","Adorjan, Michael"],"dc:creator":["Barnes, Ebenezer"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2026-01-20T17:27:33Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2026-01-20"],"dc:description.abstract":["Over decades, the relationship between law enforcement and Black individuals in Canada has remained strained, raising concerns about police legitimacy, fairness and trustworthiness. A long-standing history of systemic racial discrimination, marked by police brutality and racial profiling, has disproportionately targeted Black communities, leaving deep social scars that continue to fuel mistrust and skepticism toward law enforcement institutions. This study investigates the experiences and perceptions of Black Immigrants and Black Canadians in Saskatoon and focuses on their interactions with the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS). Using qualitative methodology and drawing on interviews with 34 participants, the research is framed by critical race theory, symbolic interactionism, and police legitimacy theory. The findings indicate that Black immigrants internalize police brutality and aggression in portrayed media reports as symbolic cues that generate fear, anxiety, and a strategic avoidance of police contact. In contrast, Black Canadians’ negative perceptions of SPS are influenced by intergenerational knowledge and familial narratives. These shared accounts carry important symbolic weight such that positive interactions with SPS failed to rebuild trust and restore confidence. The study concludes that dual perception of justice coupled with police shadowing, a pretextual form of surveillance and targeting of Black individuals under the guise of neutral routine enforcement, contributes to racial and ethnic bias policing dynamics in the city."],"dc:format.mimetype":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/10388/17801"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:subject":["Race, Policing, Immigration and Legitimacy"],"dc:title":["Race and Contact at Play: Understanding Blacks’ Experiences and Perceptions with Law Enforcement"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Sociology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Doctoral"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)"],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Saskatchewan"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:26:49Z"}