Reimagining Safety in New York City

Allegations of sexual misconduct by police officers rarely make headlines, yet emerging research shows the problem is far from rare. On this episode of “The Thought Project,” host Tanya Domi speaks with Priscilla Bustamante, a Graduate Center Psychology Ph.D. candidate, whose dissertation examines how New Yorkers experience, resist, and heal from sexual violence by police outside prisons and jails. Working with a coalition of more than 200 community organizations, Bustamante helped design a citywide survey that reached nearly 4,000 residents and conducted in-depth interviews with 37 people who described a wide spectrum of violations — from sexually charged harassment during stops to coercive encounters and invasive searches. Her findings suggest that almost one in five New Yorkers surveyed has faced some form of police sexual violence, with disproportionate impacts on Black, brown, LGBTQ+, and unhoused people, and that many live with daily fear for themselves and their loved ones. Bustamante also discusses the deep psychological toll of this abuse of power, why existing oversight falls short, and how survivors are leading efforts to build community-based safety and collective healing.