Predatory Policing, Intersectional Subjection, and the Experiences of LGBTQ People of Color in New Orleans

Abstract

Much of the disparate outcomes experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other identities along the spectrum (LGBTQ+) people of color are directly linked to the practices of public actors and through institutional policies. This is perhaps no truer than for LGBTQ+ individuals of color in their interactions with police. This article argues that intersectional subjection fosters an environment prime for predatory policing and uses it as a framework to examine perceptions of predatory policing practices and its role in the exploitation of LGBTQ+ people of color in New Orleans. Research findings suggest that participants perceive predatory policing as part of the everyday practices of the New Orleans Police Department, where modes of power and social control tactics are regularly used to maintain systems of oppression. Ultimately, the goal of this project is to use the lived experience to explore the presence of predatory policing to understand how it has contributed to the marginalization of LGBTQ+ identifying individuals of color.