Black Men Stereotypes

It is apparent that public spaces can be frightening for women, as they face fears of sexual harassment and attack by men. In fact, research on fear of crime and public space usually examine the experiences given by women. Though there are many accounts exploring and emphasizing women’s vulnerability and fears, there are few which take into consideration the apprehension that males have about public spaces. In particular, anxieties that Black men are plagued with. In North America, black men have historically been depicted as aggressive, hypersexual and violent – to be controlled, exploited and tamed (Hackman, “‘It’s like we’re seen as animals’: black men on their vulnerability and resilience”). Essentially, they have been stereotyped as animals.

Using several examples, my intention is to first bring attention to the fact that black men are feared in public spaces and then demonstrate how the United States government uses fear as a form of social control of black males. Through the use of unjust laws and policies – namely the government’s role in the creation of poor black neighborhoods and their targeting black men during the war on drugs – the U.S. has been implementing racial inequality and creating stereotypes. As stereotypes about black men are created and perpetuated, innocent men are viewed as a threat and treated as

One way in which this fear is implemented is by increasing the inequality between races. Urban planning, in particular, has played a large role in this as it has historically advantaged some people while putting others at a disadvantage. From gentrification and racial disparities in law enforcement to practices such as blockbusting and redlining, it is apparent that policies and decisions made by city planners were not designed to benefit everyone equally. Particularly the Housing Act of 1949 and the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. Both of these policies displaced residents through the use of eminent domain and condemnation laws (Budds, “How Urban Design Perpetuates Racial Inequality – And What We Can Do About It”). For example, the Housing Act made homeownership accessible to white people by guaranteeing them loans, however, the FDH refused to back loans to black people or even to other people who lived near black people. Between 1940 and 1960, the percent of Americans owning cars grew by 20 percent. A growing number of cars lead to an increase in traffic, hence the demand for highways and the eventual creation of the Federal-Aid Highway Act. By the 1950s, highways were praised as “the greatest single element in the sure of city ills”, according to Joseph DiMento, a professor who has studied highway construction during that era (Samuels, “The Role of Highways in American