Summary
This study, the first to examine the effects of September 11 on law enforcement agencies and communities with high concentrations of Arab American residents, seeks to understand and document promising outreach practices involving local police and Arab American communities. It also provides an opportunity to better understand current relations between Arab Americans and local and federal law enforcement, as well as the challenges that each of these stakeholders faces in responding to pressures that are increasingly global in nature. Our inquiries indicate that September 11 had a substantial impact on Arab American communities. In every one of the sites, Arab Americans described heightened levels of public suspicion exacerbated by increased media attention and targeted government policies (such as special registration requirements, racial profiling by law enforcement, and the detention and deportation of community members). Their accounts were largely supported by local and federallaw enforcement participants. While community members in most sites also reported increases in hate victimization, they expressed greater concerns about being victimized by federal policies and practices.
Contents
1. Introduction. --2. Law enforcement policies and practices: trends before and after September 11, 2001. --3. Arab American communities before and after September 11, 2001. --4. Research design. --5.The impact of September 11, 2001, on Arab American communities.