Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

9-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Program

Criminal Justice

Advisor

Valli Rajah

Committee Members

Jonathan Jacobs

Heath Brown

Noah McClain

Subject Categories

Criminology | Criminology and Criminal Justice | Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance

Keywords

Mind Your Business, civil inattention, safety, vulnerability, public communication campaigns, cultural repertoires

Abstract

This qualitative study investigates the management of safety and vulnerability in the New York City subway by analyzing public communication campaigns focused on counterterrorism, COVID-19, and deviance awareness. It explores how New Yorkers navigate the tension between adhering to a dominant New York cultural imperative to mind one’s business and being called upon to be their “brother’s keepers” and intervene when something risky happens.

The study is structured around three central elements that align with the three primary processes of public communication campaigns: representation, interpretation, and reaction. This study analyzes visual images associated with public communication campaigns and 43 semi-structured interviews with Middle Eastern/South-Central Asian New Yorkers, East Asian New Yorkers, and Lower-Income New Yorkers to understand (1) how vulnerability and safety are constructed in these campaigns; (2) whether the construction of vulnerability in more recent campaigns relates to other vulnerabilities in the subway; (3) the extent to which riders’ interpretations of the campaigns align with their intended messages, and (4) how riders act on these campaigns to manage vulnerability in the subway.

The visual analysis reveals that perceptions of risk vary based on the ambiguity of the threat and the settledness of the cultural context in which each campaign emerges. As the sociopolitical context becomes more unsettled, especially during and after the COVID-19 crisis, the risks faced by New Yorkers in the subway have been constructed less ambiguously. Despite differences, all three campaigns promote safety management as a collective effort, transferring safety responsibilities from the State to the community and urging subway riders to be their brothers’ keepers.

Interview data shows how, across groups and campaigns, riders develop a “New York sensibility” that helps them to decode the ambiguity of risk—something—and identify safety threats. However, New Yorker’s perceptions are influenced by race, gender, class, and the unsettledness of the cultural context. Interview data also demonstrates that how riders respond to subway risk varies based on the nature of the threat and a given campaign’s reinforcement methods. In the context of counterterrorism campaigns, some riders accept personal responsibility for helping to maintain community safety. However, others reject an active role in risk management due to negative experiences they have had in the past. A middle ground exists where some riders cautiously intervene—acting as their “brother’s keepers” to protect at-risk individuals—while still adhering to a Mind Your Business sensibility by not reporting deviant behavior to the authorities.

Subway riders perceive deviance awareness campaigns more positively than the If You See Something, Say Somethingcampaign. Specifically, riders view the former campaign as offering more context, transparency, and ethical reporting options, shifting the tone from suspicion to compassion. Riders interpret the COVID-19 campaign in various ways depending on the type of reinforcement used. Riders generally approve of campaign messages promoting collective effort and identity and reject images and messages that undermine the community by excluding certain groups. However, they recognize that efforts to promote identity and unity in an already divided sociopolitical context are unlikely to resonate with the entire community. Overall, the study confirms that campaigns generally reinforce existing behaviors rather than change them.

Lastly, the study turns to behavior, analyzing how riders behave in the context of risk, considering the risk-management lessons they have learned from public communication campaigns. Based on an analysis of hypothetical risk scenarios, the study of interview data shows that New Yorkers’ thresholds for ignoring or intervening in the face of risk vary. The data specifically show that riders' willingness to intervene increases as their understanding of the impending threat shifts from mere suspicion to a context where someone is in actual need. Across scenarios, riders demonstrate a shared reluctance to pressure other riders to change their behavior based on a belief that riders should not dictate others’ actions – an embodiment of the Mind Your Business mentality that challenges the Be Your Brother’s Keeper approach.

This dissertation concludes by highlighting crucial policy implications, underscoring how threats in public transportation systems require various responses. Understanding how riders understand risky behaviors and the cultural repertoires they employ to navigate the unpredictable nature of the subway is crucial for designing and implementing effective policies, especially ones that address unique risks that inevitably challenge the dominant culture context.

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