In 2015, the Intercept published an article about the “Spot Referral Report” that TSA agents use to determine suspicious behavior. Those listed on this document include exaggerated yawning, excessive complaining of the screening process, excessive throat clearing, widely open staring eyes, gazing down, and even a pale face from recently shaving a beard (Winter and Currier 2015). Anyone could be considered suspect based on these behaviors, yet my interviews revealed that not everyone is routinely stopped and searched in airports.

QUESTION: What distinguishes who actually gets stopped despite these broad criteria? The author indicates interviews reveal unequal application — worth exploring the selection mechanism. SEED: Could spark an essay on how ostensibly neutral security protocols encode racial or demographic bias in practice.

Saher Selod, Forever Suspect_ Racialized…, loc. 167