What Is Loitering, Really?

  1. Ariel Aberg-Riger

America’s laws against lingering have roots in Medieval and Elizabethan England. Since 1342, the goal has always been to keep anyone “out of place” away.

Editor’s note: A series of racially charged incidents of “loitering” have triggered national outrage recently. This month, CityLab's visual storyteller Ariel Aberg-Riger dives into the long history of laws against being somewhere you’re not wanted.

Further Reading:

  • “Vagrancy Laws and the 1960s,” C-SPAN
  • “The Forgotten Law That Gave Police Nearly Unlimited Power,” Time
  • “Racial Profiling via Nextdoor.com,” East Bay Express
  • “The Yes Loitering Project Ask Kids of Color to Rethink Public Space,” Fast Company
  • “#WhyLoiter Reclaims Public—and Inner—Space for Indian Women,” PRI
  • “Black Women vs. White Men in Public Spaces: Crosswalk Experiment and Relevance,” Girl with Pen
  • “How Punitive and Racist Policing Enforces Gentrification in San Francisco,” Truthout
  • “The Criminalization of Gentrifying Neighborhoods,” The Atlantic

About the Author

Most Popular

  1. Couples in formal 1950s dress dance as a band plays.
    Life

    Why Won’t Millennials Join Country Clubs?

    Golf-centric clubs are on the wane, even as private membership organizations for Millennials are re-emerging in urban areas.

    1. Kelsey Lawrence
  2. Homes for sale are seen on Chicago's South Side, Tuesday, May 29, 2007.
    Life

    I Hate-Watch ‘House Hunters’ to Understand Segregation

    The HGTV show highlights more than just open kitchens and bickering couples

    1. Natalie Y. Moore
  3. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama.
    Equity

    It’s Time to Stop Calling it ‘The Great Migration’

    For people of color watching over their shoulder this Independence Day, the fear of police interference harkens back to a historical moment with a much-too-benign label.

    1. Brentin Mock
  4. San Francisco's "painted lady" houses under a stormy sky
    Equity

    The Dark Side of the Silicon Gold Rush

    Acclaimed urban geographer Richard Walker puts the Bay Area’s tech boom into historical and social context in his new book.

    1. Richard Florida
  5. Transportation

    Lyft Just Became America’s Biggest Bikeshare Company

    By acquiring Motivate, Uber’s chief rival will take over the docked systems in New York, D.C., San Francisco, and more.

    1. Andrew Small
Maps
Click Here
Newsletters
Click Here
Facebook
Click Here
Skip to content
Next Story in Equity »