Michael Combs

Making Contact? Black-White Social Interaction in an Urban Setting

Although numerous studies have examined the consequences of social contact between black and white Americans, relatively little is known about the determinants of such contact. Drawing on a survey of residents of the Detroit area, this article probes to what extent and in what manner interracial contact (a) has changed over the past quarter century and (b) is shaped by propinquity and personal characteristics. Interracial contact is more common than it was during the late 1960s, specially for whites, but still consists primarily of brief, superficial encounters. For whites, the quantity and quality of contact with blacks are determined primarily by propinquity. For blacks, pace of residence matters less, and early childhood experiences matter more.

Do Black Judges Make a Difference

Previous examinations of the sentencing behavior of black and white trial judges failed to take into account the prior record of the defendant; did not examine the decision to incarcerate, perhaps the most important decision in sentencing a felony defendant; and omitted controls for other salient characteristics of the judge. Analysis of the decisions to incarcerate made by black and white trial judges in a large northeastern community reveal that black judges are more evenhanded in their treatment of black and white defendants than are white judges, who tend to treat white defendants somewhat more leniently. In overall sentence severity, where little racial discrimination has been found, white judges treat black and white defendants equally severely, while black judges treat black defendants somewhat more leniently than white defendants. While the impact of black judges is, therefore, somewhat mixed, in the crucial decision to incarcerate, having more black judges increases equality of treatment.

Police brutality and public perceptions of racial discrimination: A tale of two beatings

This study uses data from a national and a local opinion survey that were underway when highly publicized police beatings of African Ameri can citizens occurred in two American cities-the beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles and the killing of Malice Green in Detroit-to probe the impact of these dramatic events on public perceptions of racial discrimi nation. The incidents appear to have had their greatest effect on specific perceptions of the way local police treat blacks, and markedly less effect on broader perceptions of the extent of discrimination against them.

Trends in Racial Attitudes in Detroit, 1968-1992:

Using survey data from the 1960s and 1990s, the authors examine trends in racial attitudes in Detroit in the post-civil rights era. They investigate the degree to which African-Americans and whites see themselves as victims of their racial circumstances and how each group has changed its perceptions of the other group. Whereas whites seem more accepting of residential integration than they were earlier, they are more likely to see themselves as victims of discrimination and less likely to see African-Americans as victims. The authors find no indication of improving racial perspectives among African-Americans but do uncover signs of heightened tensions.