New Books in History Brian D. Behnken, "Brown and Blue: Mexican Americans, Law Enforcement, and Civil Rights in the Southwest, 1935-2025" (UNC Press, 2025)
Jan 21, 2026
Brian D. Behnken, a professor at Iowa State University specializing in civil rights history, shares insights from his book, Brown and Blue. He discusses how police violence against Mexican Americans sparked the Chicano movement, linking historical abuses to contemporary policing issues. Behnken highlights archival research revealing systemic biases and police misconduct, as well as landmark cases like Hernandez v. Texas that shaped civil rights. He also stresses the importance of community-centered reforms and critiques failed policies that accelerated police militarization.
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Santos Rodriguez Discovery
- Brian Behnken found a chilling 1970s Chicano press front page showing 12-year-old Santos Rodriguez shot in a patrol car, which moved him to research police violence.
- That image and similar cases like Jose Campos Torres anchored his turn toward policing and civil rights history.
Relational Meaning Of "Brown And Blue"
- "Brown and Blue" signals the relational history between Mexican-origin people and policing across identities and institutions.
- Behnken emphasizes Mexican Americans sought reform and inclusion rather than abolition as their primary strategy.
Southwest As Essential Context
- The U.S. Southwest is uniquely central to Mexican-American policing history because most Mexican-origin people live there and the region's policing practices differ from other U.S. regions.
- Local variability across states yields patterns that illuminate broader, longstanding practices.
