AJ 58 – Community and Human Relations Chapter 3 – The Changing Meaning of Community

Foot Patrol What does this term mean? – Police Officers got out of their patrol cars into daily face-to-face contact with community Link to past practices – Modern Community Policing is a throwback to early days of police-community interaction

History of “Community” Definition has evolved to account for changes in structure and character Concrete meaning – A geographical area of common culture, interests, etc., i.e. a neighborhood Abstract meaning – A group of people drawn together by common interests, i.e. “business community”, “religious community”, etc. Sense of Community – A feeling of connection within a group as opposed to a geographical area

Ferdinand Tönnies (1887) German sociologist who made distinction between… – Local community & Larger society Also recognized differences between community relationships – Intimate, durable kin relationships – Rational, contractual, merit-based

Historical Overview Early 1900’s – Largely agrarian society – Natural sense of community due to common needs and interests – Even after cities grew due to industrialization, smaller “communities” developed within 1920’s – Identification of “central locators” (businesses, churches, schools) that were central to community – People within a community adopt local identity as natural part of living there

Historical Overview (continued) 1930’s – Focus on legally-distinct geographical boundaries, as well as economic and political makeup of community 1950’s – Multiple definitions of “community” (94) with commonly recurring theme… Social interaction within geographic area – “Community” and “Neighborhood” began to be synonymous – Sense of tradition, identity, and continuity

Historical Overview (continued) Community Boundaries – Both physical and symbolic Streets, parks, rail lines, etc. – “The wrong side of the tracks” Communities also defined by who/what excluded! 1970’s – More interest in unification – “Community” – “Common” – “Communication”

Common Elements of Community Geographical – Living together in a specific area Social – Network of interaction among/between people Emotional – “Sense of community”, “community spirit”

Elements of Community Community Geography Shared Culture Values Social Character Shared Sentiments Inclusion Exclusion Social Network Legal Entity

Changing Sense of Community “Back-in-the-good-old-days” mentality Influence of European Immigration on U.S. Migration from South ( ’s) – 5,000,000 African Americans from South to cities in North and West Oil prices (70’s), Recession (80’s), Globalization (90’s) – Loss of high-paying industrial jobs

Effects of Economic Changes Growing negativity towards government Loss of optimism/hope for future Increased number of underclass – ~25% of population live in poverty

Impacts of Technology Advances in transportation, communication, commerce have eroded traditional sense of “community” People becoming more isolated from one another Media influences on community?

Three-Tiered Hierarchy Underclass/Lower Class – Limited ability to escape – Lack of community “anchors” – Fear of victimization Middle Class – More resources available – Social interactions limited by technology Upper Class – Affordable security, travel, etc. – Sense of community more about helping needy rather than mutual dependence

Re-Building Sense of Community Police must work with community members to improve quality of life Use crime/fear-of-crime as logical starting point for unifying community Begin with face-to-face meetings with average citizens to initiate change Treat people as human beings Become a part of community Measure success through community interaction

Community Policing Offers a First Step Towards… Bringing neighborhood people together Making communities safer, more attractive Allowing people to help set police agenda Humanizing citizen interactions Encouraging community participation Reducing fear of crime Making new efforts to reach underclass Improving race relations