This research project stems from provocations by abolitionist organizers in New York City, with questions such as, “Why are there no ACS offices in SoHo?” For the summer of 2022, I aim to create an interactive, digital map that layers three key data sets for visualization: 1) the number of child welfare investigations that take place in New York City by neighborhood, 2) the location of Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) offices, and 3) the locations of the top New York City schools that make reports to the Office of Children and Family Services. The overarching research question for this digital mapping project is: what does understanding space relationally reveal about surveillance tools and practices in family policing? Asking such a question is rooted in the methodologies of Black Feminist Geographies. Following Simone Browne’s work regarding surveillance technologies, I’d like to understand the spatial relationship between schools, child welfare offices, and the space of the home through the home visits caseworkers conduct. My intention is this project will inform aspects of my dissertation. As a scholar engaged with communities organizing to make changes in how the state interacts with families, especially poor Black and Brown families, my intention is not only for this digital map to serve an intellectual purpose of answering research questions, but for this map to hopefully lead to change in how family policing is understood in New York City.

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