Arrested Mobility

Jul 26 2024 22 ep. 24 mins 54

Arrested Mobility Podcast artwork

Why are Black Americans and other people of color disproportionately victims of overly aggressive police enforcement and brutality while walking, running, riding bicycles, taking public transit, or while driving? This podcast explores the ways in which people of color have had their mobility arrested. Hosted by Charles T. Brown, the founder and CEO of Equitable Cities LLC—an urban planning, policy, and research firm working at the intersection of transportation, health, and equity. Charles will take you to the streets of Philly, the sidewalks of Seattle, the neighborhoods of Kansas City, and elsewhere around the U.S. In each place, he’ll ask: What can we do to change the outcomes when people of color step out their door to exist in the world?

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For nearly her entire life, Amy Stelly has lived in the Treme district of New Orleans. Her house is near the Claiborne Expressway, a piece of Interstate-10 that was built through the neighborhood in 1969. The Claiborne Expressway is one of many American highways to divide and deprive Black communities. Not only has this infrastructure damaged these neighborhoods economically and c

Cop City: The Environmental Inequity Facing Atlanta's Black Community

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The Double-Edged Sword of Green Infrastructure

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Unmasking the Bias: The Trouble with Automated Traffic Enforcement

Feb 28 2024 16 mins

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Beyond Turnstiles: Seeking Justice in Transit, Not Just Fares

Nov 30 2023 30 mins

A local bus or train ride usually costs between one and three dollars. But many Americans living in public transportation-dense cities choose to evade paying for transit tickets when possible. They get on the bus through the back door and avoid the driver. And in bigger cities, it’s common practice to hop the turnstile on the subway. Fare evasion can cost transit agencies across

15 Critiques of the 15-Minute City

Oct 31 2023 12 mins

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Roadblocks of Reality: The Plight of Undocumented Immigrants in Dairy Country

Sep 29 2023 31 mins

In Central Wisconsin, undocumented immigrants from Latin America make up the majority of the workforce in the dairy industry. Although these undocumented folks are allowed to own and register vehicles, they can’t get driver’s licenses without legal residency. As a result, police in rural Wisconsin often racially profile drivers of color, knowing that they may not have a license

Schooled by Fear: The Controversial Role of Police in Educational Spaces

Aug 30 2023 27 mins

Many Black students live in over-policed, under-funded communities. School should be a safe space for them, a refuge from surveillance and a place to explore. But almost 70% of public high schools and middle schools have police officers on site, and Black students have contact with police more often than White students. When there’s police inside the school, and police outside t

Railroad Roadblock: Indiana's Students Held Hostage by Unyielding Trains

Jul 28 2023 23 mins

In a majority Black and Latino neighborhood of Hammond, Indiana, children are clambering over and under stopped train cars to get to school. These trains are halted by rail traffic at pedestrian intersections, and there are not a lot of enforceable laws to keep them moving. Blocked crossings can pose an inconvenience, or a deadly obstacle, to Americans of all kinds. But in the Unit

Coming Soon: Season 2

Jun 29 2023 2 mins

Thank you all for listening to Season 1 of the podcast. We're happy to announce that Arrested Mobility is returning for Season 2 this July. We’ll be covering more major themes in equity, but also diving into current events and injustices – topics like railroads disrupting Black communities, the presence of police officers in schools, food insecurity and food deserts, and much m