Acknowledgments

This book has been almost twenty years in the making and has benefitted from the influence, insight, and support of so many people that it is not possible to name them all. Foremost are the many people of North St. Louis County who prompted me to begin asking questions in the first place and who generously shared their stories over the years, always challenging me to “get it right.” Determinations of whether or not I have succeeded in getting it right will, I am sure, vary across readers, and I could have spent several more years in the attempt. Nevertheless, the rudder that set the course for this work was always steered by the people and voices of this place. Additionally, the individuals who told their stories from the perspective of Ferguson resistance and entrusted them to this book were constantly on my mind as I wrote the final draft. It is my sincere hope that I’ve honored those stories.

There are a few specific people whom I want to thank up front, who greatly and explicitly contributed to this research. Angel Carter’s work, her ability as an interviewer, and her insight into the issues facing Black people in this region, and particularly Black women, were unequivocally essential to this book. Without her help it would be so much less than it is. The assistance of Brandice Carpenter, Anuradha Samarajiva, Daniel Sachs, and Adrian Smith was also critical, and I am deeply indebted to them.

At Cornell University Press, the backing and encouragement of Jim Lance and the meticulous attention to detail by the editorial staff made the publishing process remarkably easy. I greatly appreciate their persistent belief in the book and commitment to making it the best that it could be. I cannot say enough about the efforts of the coeditors of the Police/Worlds series, Kevin Karpiak, Sameena Mulla, William Garriott, and Ilana Feldman. Their hard work and support were absolutely essential. Sameena Mulla, in particular, went above and beyond the call of duty with her tireless reading and rereading of chapters and with her dependably productive comments and suggestions—I am grateful for her dedication.

I began the research for this book while on the faculty of architecture and urban design at Washington University, and many colleagues influenced and supported this work. The geneses of my “undisciplining” approach to research occurred when Tom Thomson, upon retirement, entrusted me with the cross-disciplinary, cross-institutional course he had helped to develop over many years, and I am grateful for his faith in me. Several people involved in that course, including John Ammann, Peter Salsich, and Mary Domahidy, all of St. Louis University, shared their extensive experience of working with, rather than in, communities, and it was through the Urban Issues Symposium that I began working with residents of North St. Louis County. I could not have carried out the early phases of this project without the support of the two deans of architecture and urban design I worked under during my time at Washington University. Cynthia Weese allowed me the flexibility to explore emergent issues through my courses, and Bruce Lindsey enthusiastically supported and expanded the scope and reach of the work upon his arrival at the school. My colleague and friend Bob Hansman exemplifies what it means to teach, and live, the change one desires, and his mentorship profoundly impacted my approach to teaching and research. I am additionally thankful to Carl Safe, Gay Lorberbaum, Lindsey Stouffer, Stephen Leet, Zeuler Lima, Paula Lupkin, Peter MacKeith, Barbara Levine, Carmon Colangelo, Sandy Cooper, the late Sandy Brennan, Patty Heyda, Don Koster, Derek Hoeferlin, Ian Fraser, and Heather Woofter, who supported me in various ways during those years. I am, however, most indebted to the many students who taught me so much and greatly contributed to this work through their insights in class and participation with communities.

This book was significantly informed by the research carried out by the team of faculty, students, and community members for the health impact assessment in Pagedale, of which I was part. The assessment was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Washington University’s Institute for Public Health and Center for Social Development, and the Missouri Foundation for Health, and revealed many of the issues taken up by this book. I am particularly thankful for my collaboration with Christine Hoehner, whose high bar regarding the integrity of research became the test I would employ in my subsequent work. I am also grateful to Faye Millett and to Chris Krehmeyer for sharing so much of their knowledge with me and for their dedication to this area.

Many people read early drafts and chapters and their critical insights improved this book greatly. My consistent engagements with Stephen Small and Ula Taylor, who supported and encouraged me toward pushing the limits of my methodological approach, were absolutely critical to the conceptual development of the book. I could not have written part II without the help of Nadia Ellis, whose laser-sharp critiques brought clarity and depth to my analyses. Likewise, there are several chapters in part I that were significantly advanced with the focused reading of Michelle Wilde Anderson. I am deeply grateful for the countless hours Donald Moore spent in conversation with me and his unrelenting insistence on clarifying and fine-tuning the fundamental concepts that undergird the overall work. George Lipsitz, whose shared interest in the St. Louis region made him an early mentor and interlocutor, never turned down a request to read chapters. His unwavering belief in me and the importance of this project made a huge difference when the road appeared very long. Kim Hester Williams enthusiastically read the entire manuscript at several stages, and her willingness to hold me accountable when needed was so appreciated.

Many more people lent support by graciously reading chapters, talking through conceptual roadblocks, affirming and challenging ideas, or simply sharing their wisdom. My heartfelt appreciation goes out to each of them. Listed in terms of space and time, these include Carolyn Finney, Loïc Wacquant, Paul Rabinow, James Holston, Margaret Crawford, Paul Groth, Michael Johns, Jill Stoner, Rosemary Joyce, the late Maggie Garb, Milton Reynolds, Manolo Callahan, Sunny Lim, Yoel Haile, Bruce Haynes, Jesus Hernandez, Christen Lee, Rosa Linda Fregoso, Juan Herrera, Marcia McNally, Tarecq Amer, Ines Schaber, Mathias Heyden, Tony Platt, John Archer, Colin Gordon, Thomas Harvey, Angela Harris, Walter Johnson, Arturo Escobar, Vicki Swyers, Joan Solomon, Terry Jones, Lee Smith, Tayé Foster Bradshaw, DeAndrea Nichols, and the late Bassem Masri. I am also thankful to the anonymous readers for Cornell University Press, who thoroughly engaged the work, calling attention to the weak links while affirming that which must not be lost in revisions.

I cannot adequately express what this book and I myself owe to Michael Rios. Beyond the intellectual insight and critical discussions that directly impact almost every page, his everyday encouragement and practical support were unmeasurable in terms of simply completing this project. Our children, who collectively make up the quilt we call family, do not remember a time when I was not doing this work, and my presence was often sacrificed for its sake. Thank you to Sam, Maria, Zach, Olivia, Mateo, and Julia for that sacrifice and for inspiring me each day to try to live up to the claims that I make.

Chapter 3 was published, in a different form, in “Racial States of Municipal Governance: Policing Bodies and Space for Revenue in North St. Louis County, MO,” Law and Inequality: A Journal of Theory and Practice 37, no. 2 (2019): 235–308. Some material found in chapters 4 and 5 was published in “Everyday Racialization: Contesting Space and Identity in Suburban St. Louis,” in Making Suburbia: New Histories of Everyday America, edited by John Archer, Paul J. P. Sandul, and Kate Solomonson (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2015), 185–207. I first explored a few of the themes presented in chapters 6 and 7 in “Flesh in the Street,” Kalfou: Journal of Comparative and Relational Ethnic Studies 3, no. 1 (2016): 63–78.