L’évolution des stratégies de contrôle des risques urbains aux États-Unis

• Published in: Bulletin de l’Association de Géographes Français
• Main Author: Sophie Body‑Gendrot
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Association AGF 2014-06-01
• Subjects: Urban fear; Politicization of insecurity; Police; Financial crisis; De‑incarceration; Co‑production of security
• Online Access: https://journals.openedition.org/bagf/1870
• ISSN: 0004-5322; 2275-5195

The repressive image of the United States comes from brutal policing towards racial minorities, massive incarceration rates, death penalty. The importance of fear and of moral panics in American culture calls for protective measures that demagogue authorities meet in politicizing the security issue. If American cities no longer burn, it may be explained by the exile of middle classes to gated communities and to suburbs, the shift of racial minorities into consuming middle classes and the depopulation of ghettos but nonetheless, these trends do not contribute to a safer city as a whole. If security as a political technology has been reinforced after 9/11, important mutations in quite a lot of States have come from their excessive debts and from justice decisions: policing approaches respecting rights, des-incarceration of non-violent inmates and moratoriums on death penalty. Co-producing security requires new forms of governance including citizens.