The Vigilant Citizen: Everyday Policing and Insecurity in Miami

Vigilant citizenship is when regular people take on the duty of protecting themselves and work with the police to reduce crime. This phenomenon is seen in the US, where signs warn trespassers that the community is an active participant in its own policing efforts. Thijs Jeursen's book "The Vigilant Citizen" extends the analysis of police brutality beyond police encounters, focusing on the blurred boundaries between policing actors and policed citizens and highlighting the ways in which policing produces and perpetuates inequality and injustice.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 10 January 2023
Publisher: New York University Press

The concept of "vigilant citizenship" is explored in Thijs Jeursen's book, The Vigilant Citizen. This phenomenon involves individuals taking on the responsibility of defending themselves and sharing with the police the duty to mitigate everyday insecurity. Jeursen conducted fieldwork in Miami for eleven months, interviewing police officers, private security guards, neighborhood watch groups, civil society organizations, and residents and activists. Through the lens of vigilant citizenship, Jeursen extends the analysis of police brutality beyond police encounters, focusing on the blurred boundaries between policing actors and policed citizens and highlighting the ways in which policing produces and perpetuates inequality and injustice.

One of the key findings of the book is that vigilant citizenship frames racist and violent policing as matters of personal blame and individual guilt, downplaying the realities of how systemically race operates in policing and US society more broadly. This approach legitimizes existing inequalities and perpetuates them, making it difficult to address institutionalized racism in politics and the justice system.

The book also highlights the ways in which policing produces and perpetuates inequality and injustice. For example, Jeursen notes that the criminal justice system disproportionately punishes Black and Latinx communities, leading to higher incarceration rates and greater social and economic marginalization. Policing also contributes to the surveillance and control of marginalized communities, perpetuating a sense of fear and insecurity.

Furthermore, vigilant citizenship reinforces existing power structures and perpetuates institutional racism. Jeursen argues that the focus on individualized responsibility for security exacerbates and legitimizes existing inequalities, as it reinforces the idea that certain groups are more vulnerable to crime and require more policing. This approach also downplays the role of systemic factors, such as poverty, discrimination, and lack of access to resources, in perpetuating crime and inequality.

To address these issues, Jeursen suggests that we need to move beyond the concept of vigilant citizenship and focus on systemic reforms to end institutionalized racism in politics and the justice system. This includes investing in community-based programs that address the root causes of crime and inequality, such as education, job training, and healthcare. It also involves challenging the power structures that perpetuate institutional racism, such as police brutality and mass incarceration.

In conclusion, The Vigilant Citizen provides a powerful analysis of the ways in which vigilant citizenship contributes to the perpetuation of police brutality and institutional racism. By highlighting the blurred boundaries between policing actors and policed citizens and the ways in which policing produces and perpetuates inequality and injustice, the book offers a critical perspective on the current state of policing and justice in the US. To address these issues, we need to move beyond the concept of vigilant citizenship and focus on systemic reforms to end institutionalized racism in politics and the justice system.

Weight: 316g
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781479816545