Confluence of law enforcement, mental health, and race.

Disparities in victimization by law enforcement for both people of color and individuals with mental health disorders is gaining national attention following the deaths of George Floyd, Sandra Bland, TAmir Rice, and many others. Despite this, the discussion around the intersectionality of race, psychiatric illness, and law enforcement is still in its infancy, the purpose of this article is to discuss the confluence of race and psychiatric illness as vulnerabilities in various contacts with law enforcement in order to further highlight this issue and to ignite further needed research on this topic. Possible solutions such as police-hiring practices, bias training, and trauma-informed policing will be discussed.

Structural Barriers Associated with the Intersection of Traumatic Stress and Gun Violence: A Case Example of New Orleans.

Gun violence drastically increased in urban cities following the ease of shutdown restrictions associated with the Coronavirus Pandemic. The association of gun violence and COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of taking a public health perspective, particularly as it relates to impacts on the Black community. In this article we discuss macro-level factors and community traumas in the city of New Orleans, an area that has had longstanding issues related to gun violence. Community structural issues, traumatic stress from disasters, and recommendations to address disparities in social determinants of health are discussed.