Timothy Bledsoe

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.

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.

The Partisan Consequences ofNonpartisan Elections and the Changing Nature of Urban Politics

Research in the early 1960s found that Republican candidates benefited from the presence of legally nonpartisan ballots in municipal elections. Using a nationwide sample of almost 1,000 city council members, this thesis is reexamined in the context of the urban environment of the 1980s. Probit analysis is used to test the effect of partisan ballots on the partisan identification of council members. The partisan biases of nonpartisanship remain under some circumstances, but the changing nature of urban politics and the growth of new political forces appear to have substantially mitigated these biases.

Patterns of Political Party Activity among U.S. Cities

Urban political parties have enormous potential for affecting local politics, as was demonstrated in the era of the party machine. But we have little systematic knowledge of where and under what circumstances parties remain as viable forces in our cities. Using a measure of local party activity obtained from a survey of elected municipal officials in 186 American cities, this study attempts to identify the conditions that accompany active urban parties. The prevailing level of party activity is found in part to be a function of community education level, region, and city size, but the overriding influence is found to be the presence of legally nonpartisan elections. Further, a connection is found between the level of party activity in a city and voter turnout in city elections.

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.