This important book puts some of the most divisive issues of our day - crime, gentrification, political polarization, and racial identity - under the microscope. It unpacks divisions within already racially integrated Chicago neighborhoods over strategies to address significant crime problems. Ensuing chapters document how well-meaning prevention efforts splintered communities and racial tensions spilled over into electoral politics, creating a minefield for
politicians trying to build majority coalitions. Some succeeded, and the study illuminates how good leadership can lower the temperature around debates involving race and class, and find paths toward community solidarity around common problems.
Jan Doering is Assistant Professor of Sociology at McGill University.