Place, Race and Politics : The Anatomy of a Law and Order Crisis

Place, Race and Politics presents an integrated analysis of the social and political processes that combined to construct a media-driven 'crisis' concerning African youth crime in the city of Melbourne, Australia. Combining original research and analysis alongside published sources, the authors carefully dissect the anatomy of a racialized and politicized public discourse and delve into the profound impact of this on African-Australian communities in Melbourne. Drawing on political and media analysis and community-based research, the authors investigate how South Sudanese Australians in Melbourne came to be identified, supposedly, as a unique threat to community safety, the role played by the media, state and federal politics, the policing and perceptions of race in this process, and the physical and emotional impacts on affected communities of the law and order crisis concerning 'African crime'. While deeply rooted in local conditions, the book resonates with similar examples of the criminalization and othering of racialized communities, the surveillance and exclusion of 'crimmigrants', and with popular punitivism and the rise of far-right politics globally in response to deeply felt anxieties about rapid social, economic and cultural change. Cover Place, Race and Politics Endorsements Place, Race and Politics: The Anatomy of a Law and Order Crisis Copyright Table of Contents List of Acronyms About the Authors Acknowledgements 1. Introduction: The Foundations of a Law and Order Crisis Understanding Law and Order Crises Theorising Risk, Security and Othering Understanding the Moomba ‘Riot’ The South Sudanese Diaspora in Melbourne Contextualising Moomba and the ‘African Gangs Crisis’ About this Book 2. From ‘Apex’ to ‘#AfricanGangs’ Penal Populism and ‘Law and Order Auctions’ A Political ‘Blueprint’ Governing through Race, Crime and Youth Otherness as a Category of Menace ‘Victoria under Labor’ ‘...Profound Investments in a Safer and Stronger Victoria’ ‘Making Victoria Safe Again’ ‘Lawlessness in Victoria’ #AfricanGangs Conclusion 3. The Racialisation of Crime: ‘African Gangs’ and the Media, with Chloe Keel, Greg Koumouris and Claire Moran Introduction Newsworthiness, Race and Crime Sensationalising Moomba in the Media: The Lead-up to the 2018 Victorian State Election The Emergence of the ‘Law and Order Crisis’ Blackness and Criminality A Failure to Settle Well Concluding Thoughts 4. ‘No-one Thinks You Are Innocent’: Policing the ‘Crimmigrant Other’ Victoria Police and the ‘African Crime’ Crisis Securitising Race and Place Young People as Risk Cleanskins and Criminals Gangs, Groups and Risky Places The Production of Racialised Policing Individual Racism Systemic Racism ‘Hardwiring’ Racism Policing and Belonging The Politics of Belonging Policing, Community and Media The Differential Distribution of Security ‘Now We Don't Have Any Security’ Securing Citizenship Conclusion: Policing the ‘African Crime’ Crisis 5. Impact on the South Sudanese and Wider Australian Communities Stigma, Labelling and Profiling Family Relationships and Conflict between Generations Impacts on Belonging and Identity Reactions from the Broader Community Conclusion 6. Conclusion: The Anatomy of a Law and Order Crisis Appendix 1: Refinement of Media Search Strategy References Index