Maintaining democratic stability and respect for human rights in the United States is becoming a challenge in the face of current crises. In order to meet this challenge, Leo Kempe examines the influence of ethnicity and living space on the status of democracy. In the context of the Black Lives Matter movement, he uses the examples of Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis, Minnesota, to illuminate how discrimination against African Americans in U.S. neighborhoods leads to the destabilization of the democratic system. His analysis provides insight into the connections between the lives of African Americans, geography, and democracy in the United States. This is because prevailing stereotypes, alienation, and exclusion lead to stark social inequality.