Dr. Martinez’s current research is an ethnographic study that examines the relationship between urban poverty, policing and gun violence in California.Dr. Martinez has evaluated community policing programs, in Northern California and Southern California, with a focus on gang intervention, violence reduction and trust building.

Cid Martinez is author of the book The Neighborhood Has Its Own Rules: Latinos and African Americans in South Los Angeles, published by New York University Press. The book moves beyond traditional black and white paradigms of urban poverty and violence and introduces a new conceptual framework for understanding how Latinos have transformed the black ghetto. Based on in-depth ethnography, Martinez introduces the concept of alternative governance to understand how the coexistence of black and brown urban poverty in South Los Angeles shapes how residents respond to some of the most violent neighborhoods in America. The book illustrates how interracial relations between Latinos and blacks, policing, religion, gangs and local municipal government shape the way violence is managed.