The infiltration and criminalization of black spaces

#socialmedia

The criminalization of social Black spaces refers to the systemic policing practices and societal perceptions that target spaces predominantly inhabited by Black individuals, often leading to their marginalization and criminalization.

Law enforcement agencies have increasingly turned to social media to infiltrate Black communities, often employing tactics like creating fake accounts to monitor activists and collect intelligence. source

The phrase "systemic infiltration of Black spaces" refers to the ways in which systemic racism, or the structures and policies that perpetuate racial inequality, impacts and undermines the spaces and opportunities that are important for Black communities to thrive. source

These are physical, social, and cultural spaces that are historically and currently important for Black identity, community building, and cultural expression. Examples include Black-owned businesses, historically Black neighborhoods, Black churches, and cultural organizations.

The criminalization of Black spaces in America is not new. From the constant monitoring of enslaved Black people to the surveillance of the Black Lives Matter movement, starting with the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, law enforcement agencies have long monitored Black people in activist and social spaces under the guise of maintaining order. But history has shown that these infiltrations often do more than just monitor — they amount to racial profiling and can lead to wrongful arrests and convictions. source

In the years since, police and federal agencies have deployed undercover officers, social media monitoring, and geofencing technology to similarly intimidate or criminalize Black community members and activists, particularly after protests following the police killing of Michael Brown, the murder of George Floyd, and countless others. source

In 2023, the Minneapolis NAACP sued the city of Minneapolis accusing police officers of using undercover social media accounts to monitor Black community leaders without cause. The organization cited a 2017 incident in which a police officer, using a fake identity and posing as a community member, accepted a Facebook invitation to a birthday celebration and mayoral campaign event for civil rights attorney and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, a police accountability advocate. Several uniformed officers later showed up at the event and sat near her group. source

“I felt that they were there intentionally, that they were there to intimidate, and their presence definitely had an impact on my guests and the event that I was holding at the time,” Ms. Levy Armstrong told MPR News in 2023. 

The infiltration of Black cultural spaces by law enforcement has been a topic of concern, particularly in discussions about racialized policing and surveillance. Some scholars argue that police not only criminalize Black individuals but also the spaces they occupy, reinforcing systemic discrimination. source

This highlights the historical struggle for Black communities to maintain autonomy over their environments.

Read also: Undercover Policing in the Age of Social Media — The Policing Project "Ghetto Informant Program"