By Andrea McDaniels, Center for Health Journalism, July 23, 2021
In communities of color across the country, aggressive overpolicing is eroding the health of residents who live in a constant state of fear. Some worry about a possible bad encounter with law enforcement, while others live with the traumatic memories of already having experienced one.
This kind of policing environment, often targeted at people who have done nothing illegal, is leading to chronic stress that puts wear and tear on the body over time, said Hedwig Lee, co-director of the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Equity at Washington University in St. Louis, during a presentation to journalists taking part in the Center for Health Journalism’s 2021 National Fellowship via Zoom this week.
To deal with it all, residents often become hypervigilant and adopt coping mechanisms that may further endanger their health, such as driving the short distance to the corner store rather than walking to avoid a run-in with police, or overeating or drinking. Mothers worry constantly about their sons, afraid they may lose their lives at the hands of those meant to protect them.
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