This assessment tool will serve as a guide for the interviewer, as well as a survey for those participants who prefer not to be filmed. Even where it’s not clear, respondents will be asked to elaborate or will be engaged in conversation. Since we are trying to reach hundreds people, we don’t want to spend more than 10 minutes on each interview. Several respondents will be asked to participate in more detailed, follow-up interviews.
Street-Interview Guide
1. Neighborhood of residence:
2. Age:
3. Where did you grow up?:
4. Race(s)/ethnicity(ies) (preference for Black/African American or Hispanic/Latino):
5. How long have you lived in NYC?:
Section 2
1. How common are yellow cabs in your neighborhood?
2. Have you ever tried to catch a yellow cab in NYC?
3. How often does the driver ask you where you’re going before letting you in?
4. Can you tell me about a time when you were ever unfairly passed by? (e.g. on-duty; picked someone else.) [If NO, #14.]
5. Do you think that the cab driver’s reason for not stopping for you was because of your skin color? [If YES, #7.]
6. Why do you think that it passed you by? [If unrelated to discrimination, #13 or 14.]
7. How often has this happened to you?
8. How did you respond to this discrimination?
9. Please describe your feelings, emotions, or thoughts caused by this discrimination?
10. How do you cope/deal with these feelings?
11. How have these discriminatory experiences made you feel about trying to catch yellow cabs? How else have they affected you?
12. Have you had similar experiences with non-yellow taxis in NYC?
13. Do you think that this type of discrimination happens to other people in your racial/ethnic group? [If NO, #17; IF YES, #15.]
14. Do you think that cab drivers discriminate against people of color in NYC? [If NO, #17.]
15. If yes, What makes you think this?
16. Can you tell me about a time when you witnessed this type of discrimination? [Skip to Sec. 3.]
17. Why do you think that many people of color report being discriminated against by cab drivers?
Section 3
1. Can you describe ANY personal experience(s) with or worry about discrimination/being treated unfairly, unrelated to taxis? [If NO, #5.]
2. How did it (these instances) make you feel—physically, mentally, emotionally?
3. Can you please tell me about the first time that you remember experiencing discrimination? Age?
4. Can you tell me about a time when you discriminated or were accused of discrimination?
5. Who/what provides you emotional and mental support in your life?
6. How strong is this support system?
7. How strongly do you identify (or connect) with your race/ethnicity?
Section 4
1. How comfortable do you feel approaching a police officer for directions?
2. Would you say that your face-to-face interactions with the NYPD have been mostly friendly or mostly unfriendly? Please elaborate.
3. Have you ever been mistakenly stopped and/or frisked by a police officer e.g., for fitting a description of someone else or “suspicious activity”? How often?
4. Are you familiar with the Sean Bell case? [If NO, #7.]
5. How did the verdict affect you?
6. How did the verdict affect your perception of the NYPD and/or the legal system?
7. Please describe how important race was for you, when deciding which presidential candidate to support?
8. What does it mean to you to have a Black/African American president? For the country? People of color? Black/African American people?
9. How does discrimination affect the health of the person being discriminated against?
10. How is your health?
11. How easy is it to navigate your health care system?
Section 5
1. How often have you noticed that people guard their belongings in response to your presence, e.g., women clutch bags, protect pockets?
2. Have you sensed/noticed people cross the street to avoid you?
3. Do you worry about the men in your life getting harassed by police?
4. How often do you sense/notice a security guard follow you around a store?
5. How often are you mistaken for an employee, when you’re also a customer?
6. What are common stereotypes associated with your race or ethnicity? (How do you feel about them?)
7. What are your thoughts on the Henry Louis Gates Jr. incident?