Internal
Links

Top
Review Notes: Deadly Riots
External
Links
Link
 Riots   
Link
 Types of Riots   
Link
          Major US Riots   
Link
          World Riots   
Link
          Watts Riots of 1965   
Link
          Race Riots of the 1960s   
Link
          ML King   
Link
          The Los Angeles / Rodney King Riot of 1992   
Link
 The Causes of Riots   
Link
          Analysis of the Los Angeles / Rodney King Riot of 1992   
Link
          The Value Added Process 
Link
                1.  Physical Factors Contributing to Rioting   
Link
                2.  Structural Strain Contributing to Race Riots   
Link
                3.  Generalized Beliefs Contributing to Race Riots   
Link
                4.  Mobilization of Participants Contributing to Race Riots   
Link
                   Social Control 
Link
                   Formal or Direct Social Control 
Link
                   Violence as Social Control 
Link
                5.  Social Control & Race Riots   
Link
                6.  The Classification of Participants in a Riot   

 
Internal
Links

Top
 Outline on Riots
External
Links
  -  Project:  Defusing the Crown Heights Riot
Link
  -  Project:  Stopping the 1992 LA Riot
Link
  A riot is a disturbing; confusing; disorderly, wild, violent public disturbance  
  Legally a riot is a tumultuous disturbance of the public peace by three or more persons who assemble for some private purpose and execute it to the terror of the people; however, the precise legal definition of a riot differs from place to place  
  A riot is a noisy, violent outbreak of disorder by a group of people  
  Few riots, unlike revolts or rebellions, are aimed at overthrowing a government or removing specific leaders; however, a riot may set forces in motion that bring about such a result  
  Rioters often harm other persons & damage property  
  Rioting or urging people to riot is a crime in most countries & in all the states of the United States  
  Rioting cannot always be easily distinguished from vandalism, disorderly conduct, or other similar offenses  
  But most riots involve hundreds or thousands of people, & follow an aggravation of already severe economic, social, or political grievances  
  A riot may break out spontaneously, or it may be carefully planned through conspiracy  
  A riot may break out during a demonstration  
  In a demonstration, many people gather merely to protest publicly against some policy of the government, an industry, a university, or some other institution, & the intention is not to riot  
  But when passions run high, the massing together of thousands of persons and the efforts of police to keep order can lead to violence  
  In the US, the Constitution guarantees everyone the rights to assemble in peace, to petition the govt for grievances, & to dissent (disagree) as an individual or in a group  
  But when dissent changes into disruption of order & is accompanied by violence that injures others or causes physical damage, it is a riot  
  Historically, riots have always existed & they are the primary reason that early social theorists believed that all collective behavior was violent & that crowds or masses of people inevitably become violent  
  See Also:  Major US Riots  
  See Also:  World Riots  
  The Watts Riot of 1965 was the largest & most deadly riot at the time  
  The 1967 race riots affected many US cities  
  In 1968 more than 150 US cities rioted after the assassination of MLK  
  Miami, FL had a riot in August of 1968  
  Miami, FL had a riot in  December of 1980 which was the largest & most deadly riot at the time  
  Like many other large cities, Miami faces unemployment, housing shortages, poverty, & crime which especially affect the black & all lower class populations  
  In 1980, racial tension erupted into violence after four white former county policemen were found not guilty of killing a black Miami businessman  
  The verdict on the 1980 Miami police violence sparked rioting that led to 17 deaths and over $100 million in damage.  
  The Miami Riot of 1980 is the first major riot where participants began to attack & kill bystanders, participants & police or the military  
  In LA, CA in May of 1992 the Rodney King Riot became the largest & most deadly riot at the time  
  In 1992, 11 US cities rioted after the not guilty verdict of the LAPD case related to the Rodney King beating  
  After the innocent verdict for the police accused of beating Rodney King, the rioters became very dangerous: they attacked bystanders, each other & the police/military  
  The conditions that sparked all of these riots are similar
 
  While race riots, & other topical riots such as bread riots, water riots, response to police/military crackdowns riots, etc. seem to have a specific cause, specific causes are often sparked by an inflammatory event, but more importantly, are often the result of structural conditions such as unemployment, housing shortages, poverty, & crime, drug use, etc. which creates a climate of hopelessness & frustration leading people to act of violently  
  Most riots result in destruction of property & sometimes the injury & death of people though some riots only destroy property, some only injure, some only kill
 
  A riot is classified as a "deadly riot" when participants attempt to injure or kill each other &/or bystanders
 
  Deadly riots have occurred in every major city & many smaller towns in the US
 
  People riot over religion, politics, economics, law, race & more
 

 
Internal
Links

Top
 Outline on the  Types of Riots
External
Links
  - Project:  Types of Riots
Link
 
 Not all social theorists agree on the classification of the types of riots
 
 
 The NINE types of riots include instrumental riots, race riots, pogrom riots, revolutionary riots, protest riots, expressive riots, deadly riots, celebratory riots, & bread riots
 
 
 Instrumental riots occur when groups resort to violence because of discontent over specific issues
 
 
 Most riots today are instrumental riots
 
 
 The violence of instrumental riots results from attempts to change certain policies or to improve certain conditions
 
 
 Race riots, protest riots, pogrom riots, revolutionary riots are all instrumental riots in that they are focused on specific issues 
 
  Race riots are either pogroms or protests in that they are either one racial or ethnic group trying to kill or injure another group, possibly engaging in ethnic cleansing or genocide, or they are protests against the oppression of one group over another  
  A pogrom is an organized massacre of an ethnic or racial group, especially of Jews  
  See Also:  Race Riots of 1967  
  Revolutionary mvmts are soc mvmts whose objective is to achieve some radical change, & remake the entire, or most of society  
  See Also:  Revolutionary movements  
  A revolution is a complete overthrow of an established government or political system  
  Revolution is a term that generally refers to a fundamental change in the character of a nation's govt  
  Fundamental changes in a govt may or may not be achieved through violent, revolutionary means  
  Revolutions may also occur in other areas, including the cultural, economic, social, & even religious spheres of life  
  People who work to replace an old system w/ a new one are called revolutionaries  
  Revolutionary riots are those riots whose aim or effect is to cause a complete overthrow of an established govt  
  Because the goals of many protests, riots, revolutions, etc. are often vague, unclear, or contradictory, a protest may evolve into a revolutionary movement & riot  
 
 Protest riots begin as a protest but then "spontaneously" becomes  violent, becomes violent as the result of a calculated move by either the leaders of the protest or some other protester, or becomes violent as a reaction of to violence against the protest itself, i.e. by police or govt suppression, or by counter-protestors
 
 
 When protests become riots, usually there is some precipitating event that turns the incident violent
 
 
 Many labor riots, especially those in the past, fall into the instrumental category
 
 
 During the 1800's & early 1900's, for example, U.S. laborers fought to improve working conditions in mines, on railroads, & in factories
 
  For example, in the 1980s in the Wise, VA area, strike lines around coal facilities would be trying to discourage scabs from working, & fights would break out, sometimes escalating to the level of small riots  
  In the case of the coal strikes, often the precipitating, violent event was started by non labor people in order to create bad publicity for the strikers  
 
 Up until the 1930s, union disputes w/ mgt often resulted in violence; violence after the legalization of unions in the 1930s is much more rare, though not unheard of
 
 
 Other instrumental riots include prison, antidraft, antiwar, & student riots
 
 
 Instrumental riots frequently indicate that the organizations being attacked have not listened effectively to or acted upon grievances previously voiced through 'legitimate' channels
 
 
 But most people condemn the use of violence to achieve even the most desirable goals when peaceful means of change are available
 
 
 Expressive riots occur when many people use violence to express dissatisfaction w/ their living conditions  
  Studies of urban riots of the 1960s show that African Americans in the riot areas had many grievances, including few job opportunities, bad housing, & inferior schools, & the use of excessive force by the police  
  Several riots were triggered by arrests or other routine police actions that people of the black ghettos considered police provocation or brutality  
  These police actions brought crowds into the streets in protest  
  The small number of police at the scene could not control them  
  The resulting riots became chiefly symbolic gestures of widespread discontent.   
  For some rioters, however, the expressive riots became opportunities to loot stores for personal gain & for others, the riots were little more than destructive play  
  In trying to restrain the rioters & promote a return to order, the police sometimes used more force than many people thought necessary  
 
 The violence police use to restore order caused many rioters to become even more violent  
  Race riots may be expressive or instrumental in that the aim of the rioters may simply be to express rage, or they may be instrumental if the rioter hope to gain particular, rights, concessions, etc.   
  Deadly riots are those riots that cause death or large scale injury & destruction of property  
 
 Celebratory riots involve the destruction of property for the joy of celebration & the participants do not intentionally hurt other participants & generally try to fight only w/ police or other authorities
 
 
 Note that celebratory riots may also be deadly riots
 
 
 See Also:  Celebratory Riots  
  Bread riots are riots which occur because the population is starving or fears starving  
  Bread riots are the oldest known type of riot, & historically were the most numerous  
  Bread riots may occur in large sectors of the public, in prisons, in the military, or among an oppressed ethnic or racial group  
  Bread riots are rare in the core nations, not common in the semi-peripheral nations, & the most common in the peripheral nations  
  Because of the development of the nation-state system & the consolidation of power in govts & the technology of police & the military, even though there is a historically high level of hunger in the world, there are comparatively less bread riots than occurred 500 years ago  

 
Internal
Links

Top
 Outline on the  Major US Riots
External
Links
  Historically, riots have always existing & they are the primary reason that early social theorists believed that all collective behavior was violent & that crowds or masses of people inevitably become violent  
  One of the first known riots in the US occurred in Plymouth, MA in 1634 when a small riot btwn Pilgrims & MA Bay Colony Puritans killed two
 
  During the 1700's, most riots in the United States were instrumental riots
 
  High & unfair taxation was a leading cause of instrumental riots in the 1700s
 
  During the 1760s & 1770s, American colonists rioted against tax collectors & other British appointed officials
 
  The Boston Tea Party, the Revolutionary War in America, Shay's Rebellion, the Whiskey Rebellion, & others are all examples of riots in early America
 
  During the 1800s, anti Catholic, anti immigrant, & anti black riots were common
 
  Riots were fomented because many native born Americans strongly disliked immigrants, especially Irish Roman Catholics & Asians
 
  The mid- 850's, members of the Know-Nothing, or American Party opposed the Catholic Church
 
  The Know-Nothings feared rising Irish Catholic political power
 
  The Know-Nothings attacked Irish Catholics in several cities, including Baltimore, Louisville, New Orleans, & St. Louis & the uprisings took several lives
 
  In 1863, during the Civil War, antidraft riots broke out in NYC for the time, they were among the most destructive riots in US history
 
  Armed mobs swarmed through the downtown area to protest the drafting of men into the Union Army
 
  Rioters looted, set buildings on fire, & shot blacks, policemen, & federal troops & more than 1,000 people were killed or wounded
 
 
  Race riots in the US have been especially destructive
 
 
 Violence aimed at blacks & abolitionists broke out in several Northern cities before the Civil War  
  After the war, in 1866, white Southerners attacked blacks in New Orleans & Memphis  
  Many Chinese immigrants were victims of mob violence during a depression in the 1870s  
  Many native born Americans believed the immigrants were taking their jobs & forcing down wages  
  Anti Chinese riots in CA & other states resulted in several deaths & the passage of laws prohibiting Asians from entering the US  
  Labor riots of the late 1800s caused great bloodshed  
  The Haymarket riot of 1886 in Chicago erupted when someone threw a bomb during a meeting of anarchists who were protesting police tactics against strikers at an industrial plant  
  See Also:  Union Activity:  Haymarket Square Riot, etc.  
  See Also:  Strikes  
  Dozens of people were killed in riots in several cities during the great railroad strikes of 1877  
  During the 1900s, labor & race riots continued to cause destruction  
  In 1919, efforts to unionize the steel industry led to riots at plants in Indiana, OH, & PN  
  In 1934, a dispute between unions & mgt in the cotton textile industry led to riots in GA, SC, AL, RI, & other states, taking about 20 lives  
  In the early 1900s, attempts to segregate Southern blacks & keep them from voting led to lynchings in rural areas & riots in cities  
  During World War I (1914-1918), many blacks moved to the North to work in defense plants  
  Whites feared blacks would take their jobs & move into their neighborhoods  
  Blacks claimed white law officers treated them unfairly & these grievances led to clashes between whites & blacks  
  The worst one occurred in 1917 in East St. Louis, Illinois, where 39 blacks & 9 whites died in a riot  
  A race riot in Chicago in 1919 caused 38 deaths  
  After WW 1, US service men marched on Washington DC demanding their pensions  
  They were attacked by mounted calvary, & a deadly riot ensued  
  What many historians have called the nation's worst race riot occurred on May 31, 1921, in Tulsa, Oklahoma  
  Blacks & whites clashed when a mob of whites gathered to lynch a black man who had been accused of attacking a white woman  
  During the violence that followed, whites burned & looted more than 1,200 buildings destroying the city's black business district  
  The deaths of 40 people were documented, but some historians estimate that as many as 300 people were killed, mostly blacks  
  Racial violence also broke out during World War II (1939-1945)  
  The most destructive riot during the WW II occurred in 1943 in Detroit, where 34 people died  
  The Watts Riot of 1965 was the largest & most deadly riot at the time  
  The 1967 race riots affected many US cities  
  In 1968 more than 150 US cities rioted after the assassination of MLK  
  In 1968, riots broke out during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago when thousands of young people assembled downtown  
  Many were protesting the nation's part in the Vietnam War (1957-1975)  
  Many supported the presidential nomination of Senator Eugene J. McCarthy of Minnesota, a critic of the war  
  Several bloody clashes took place between demonstrators & the police, but no one was killed  
  US involvement in the war led to an increasing number of small riots & demonstrations across the country  
  During the late 1960s 7 early 1970s, student riots occurred in many US cities  
  Most of the rioters were middle class students who demanded a greater voice in the administration of their schools  
  Militant black students also used violence in efforts to enforce their demands, which included the addition of Afro American history & culture courses  
  In 1971, one of the worst prison riots in the history of the United States occurred at the state prison in Attica, NY  
  The inmates, mostly black, charged that the white prison guards mistreated them  
  Rioters seized the prison & held it for four days, but finally, state troopers stormed the prison to regain control  
  This action resulted in the deaths of 11 guards & 32 prisoners  
  In 1980, a riot at the state penitentiary in Santa Fe, NM, caused 33 deaths  
  That same year, an urban riot in Miami led to 17 deaths & over $200 million in property damage  
  In 1992, 11 US cities rioted after the not guilty verdict of the LAPD case related to the Rodney King beating  
  In 1997, the Oklahoma Legislature created a commission to study & officially document the 1921 Tulsa race riot  
  In early 2000, the commission recommended to the Legislature that survivors of the riot & their descendants be paid to compensate for their losses during the riot  
  The commission's full report on the Tulsa Riots in 1921 was expected in mid 2000  

 
Internal
Links

Top
 Outline on  Major World Riots
External
Links
  THE FRENCH REVOLUTION  
  The Bastille was a great fortress in Paris that stood as a symbol of royal tyranny  
  About 1370, King Charles V built the Bastille of Paris as a fortress & later, it was used as a prison for people who displeased the kings or their officials  
  On July 14, 1789, at the beginning of the Fr Rev, a huge crowd of Parisians rushed to the Bastille
 
  At the Bastille, Parisians believed they would find arms & ammunition there for use in defending themselves against the king's army
 
  The people captured the Bastille & began to tear it down
 
  The capturing of the Bastille convinced King Louis XVI to withdraw his troops from Paris & to accept the Fr Rev  
  At the same time King Louis withdrew troops, leaders in Paris formed a revolutionary city govt
 
  At the time of the Fr Rev, massive peasant uprisings against nobles also broke out in the countryside
 
  A few nobles decided to flee Fr, & many more followed in the next 5 yrs
 
  TIANANMEN SQUARE PROTEST & OPPRESSION  
  At the time of Tiananmen Square protest & oppression, in December 1986, many Chinese university students began demanding increased freedom of speech & a greater voice in the selection of officials
 
  At the time of Tiananmen Square protest & oppression, students held demonstrations in a number of cities to promote their demands
 
  In January 1987, Hu Yaobang was removed from his post of Communist Party general secretary because he was not crushing student demands for freedom
 
  Hu died in April 1989
 
  University students held marches to honor Hu & mourn his death
 
  Students called for a re-evaluation of Hu by the country's leaders
 
  The death of Hu & other events led to large demonstrations by students & other citizens in Beijing's Tiananmen Square & on the streets of a number of other Chinese cities
 
  The protesters called for more democracy in China & an end to corruption in govt
 
  The military crushed the demonstrations & killed hundreds of protesters  
  After the demonstrations, the govt arrested many people who were suspected of being involved in the pro democracy mvmt  
  The govt executed a number of those arrested & put an unknown number in "re-education camps" many whom may still be there  
  In addition, the Communist Party dismissed Zhao from his post for showing support of the pro democracy mvmt  
  Jiang Zemin replaced Zhao as general secretary  
  In 1993, Jiang was also named to the largely ceremonial post of China's president  
  Bolivian Water Riots  
  Tearing Down the Berlin Wall  
  Fr Riots of the 2000s  

 
Internal
Links

Top
 Outline on the  Watts Riot of 1965
External
Links
  All race riots must be understood in the context of the slavery & the civil rights of the 1800s & of Jim Crow laws & the Civil Rights Movement of the 1900s  
  The Civil Rights Act of 1964 gave the fed govt power to enforce school desegregation orders & to prohibit discrimination in public accommodations & employment, but problems w/ voting rights remained  
  On August 6, 1965, the Voting Rights Act was passed, exactly 100 yrs. after the conclusion of the Civil War, outlawing literacy tests & other commonly used barriers to voting  
  Despite the changes in the laws, the struggle continued in the street, in the daily lives of blacks & whites, to end all forms of discrimination  
  Many people recognized that the various civil rights laws were important, but change would only come about when some whites were forced to accept it  
 
 Like many other states, CA had racial problems during the 1960's  
  In 1965, rioting broke out in Watts, a black section of Los Angeles, just days after passage of the Voting Rights Act   
  In the Watts section of of south central LA, CA in August, 1965, the Watts riot occurred & became the largest & most deadly riot at the time
 
  34 people were killed & 900 were injured in the 1965 Watts riot in south central LA & there were millions of dollars of damage
 
  Many structural causes related to discrimination & unemployment created conditions making major cities in the US ripe for rioting & other forms of collective violence
 
  The precipitating event occurred when a black motorcyclist was pulled over by the white LAPD, resulted in a struggle, & a beating
 
  Six days of rioting followed
 
  1,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed w/ $ 40 mm in damage
 
  There were primarily injuries during the riots from 1965 to 1972; the only deaths were that of rioters shot by the police or military
 
  After the Watts riot, the CA Legislature tried to reduce the complaints of minority groups by providing increased education, employment, & housing
 

 
Internal
Links

Top
 Outline on the  Race Riots of the 1960s
External
Links
  A race riot is any riot in which issues of race are the primary factor in the cause of the riot  
  Race riots are either pogroms or protests in that they are either one racial or ethnic group trying to kill or injure another group, possibly engaging in ethnic cleansing or genocide, or they are protests against the oppression of one group over another  
  A pogrom is an organized massacre of an ethnic or racial group, especially of Jews
 
  Bitter hostility toward blacks erupted into several race riots during the early 1900s  
  Major riots broke out in Brownsville, TX, & Atlanta, GA, in 1906 & in Springfield, IL, in 1908  
  The riots of the early 1900s alarmed many white Northerners as well as many blacks  
  The race riots of the early 1900s were one of the factors leading to the formulation of the Niagara Movement which resulted in the founding of the NAACP  
 
 Race riots were particularly common in the US btwn 1917 to 1921 & 1965 to 1972, & 1992
 
 
 During the 1960s, unrest among ghetto blacks exploded into a series of riots that shook the nation
 
  Many riots erupted in US cities during the 1960s, largely because of the economic deprivation & social injustices suffered by ghetto blacks  
 
 One of the first race riots of the 1960s occurred in Harlem in the summer of 1964
 
 
 President Johnson (LBJ) implemented his Great Society Program of social & govt reforms beginning in 1964
 
 
 The Great Society Programs provided aid to inner cities & poverty stricken areas throughout the US 
 
  In August 1965, 34 people died & almost 900 were injured in an outburst in the black ghetto of Watts in Los Angeles  
  During the next two summers after the Watts Riots, major riots erupted in numerous cities across the nation  
 
 At the time of the race riots of the 1960s, the Vietnam War forced LBJ to make cuts in the Great Society program
 
  More Republicans were elected to the 90th Congress, & many of them opposed Johnson's Great Society programs
 
  Opposition grew to the increasing US role in the Vietnam War, & racial unrest increased
 
  Demonstrations occurred throughout the nation
 
  Riots broke out in the overcrowded ghetto slums of Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York City, & Newark
 
  The Detroit riot was the most violent resulting in 43 deaths & property damage of about $45 million  
 
 Johnson had to send federal troops to Detroit in July 1967, to stop a riot there
 
  After the Detroit riot, President Lyndon B. Johnson established the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, also known as the Kerner Commission, to study the causes of urban riots.   
 
 He appointed a special commission of prominent Americans headed by Governor Otto Kerner of Illinois to try to determine causes of the riots
 
 
 The commission warned that the US was moving toward two societies, "one black, one white, separate but unequal." 
 
 
 The war & racial problems at home caused many Americans to question LBJ's foreign & domestic policies
 
 
 The race riots puzzled many people because they came at a time when African Americans had made tremendous gains in the campaign for full freedom
 
 
 In its March 1968 report, the Kerner Commission put much of the blame on racial prejudice of whites
 
 
 It stated that the average black American was still poorly housed, clothed, paid, & educated & still often suffered from segregation, police abuse, & other forms of discrimination
 
  In 1968, Johnson established the National Commission on the Causes & Prevention of Violence  
 
 The commission recommended vast programs to improve ghetto conditions & called for greater changes in the racial attitudes of white Americans
 
  It recommended such measures as better housing & increased economic opportunities for blacks & poor people  
  The commission believed that these steps would reduce the dissatisfaction that contributes to riots & other violence  
 
 In 1968, shortly after the Kerner Commission issued its report, MLK was assassinated, precipitating riots in nearly 150 US cities
 
Link
 The Table on US Race Riots demonstrates that race riots have been widespread in the US  

 
Top
  

Table on US Race Riots
Year
 City
Year
 City
Year
 City
1831
 Providence, RI
1898
 Wilmington, VA
1943
 New York, NY
1841
 Cincinnati, OH
1906
 Atlanta, GA
1943
 Los Angeles, CA
1863
 New York, NY
1908
 Springfield, IL
1946
 Athens, AL
1866
 New Orleans, LA
1917
 Houston, TX
1951
 Cicero, IL
1868
 Camilla, GA
1917
 East St. Louis, IL
1964
 New York, NY
1870
 Laurens, SC
1918
 Philadelphia, PA
1965
 Los Angeles, CA
1870
 Eutaw, AL
1919
 Chicago, IL
1967
 Detroit, MI
1871
 Meridian, MS
1919
 Washington, DC
1967
 Newark, NJ
1873
 Grant Parish, LA
1920
 Ocoe, FL
1968
 150 US Cities
1874
 Vicksburg, VA
1921
 Tulsa, OK
1980
 Miami, FL
1874
 Eufala, AL
1935
 New York, NY
1992
 11 US Cities
1875
 Clinton, MA
1942
 Detroit, MI
1996
 St. Petersburg, FL
1876
 Hamburg, SC
1943
 Detroit, MI    
 1876
 Ellenton, SC
 1943
  Mobile, AL
 
  
*Violent conflicts between different racial groups or between minority citizens & white police officers.

 Sources: Jet, The New York Times, Boskin 1969, Hofstadter & Wallace 1970, Smelser 1962, Tolnay & Beck 1998, Turner & Killian 1957.
The Table on US Race Riots demonstrates that race riots have been widespread in the US

 
Internal
Links

Top
 Outline on  Martin Luther King, 1929 - 1968
External
Links
Link
 -  Biography & Major Works  
  King was born in Atlanta, GA in 1929 & both his father & his maternal grandfather were important Baptist ministers  
  King graduated from Morehouse College & from Crozer Theological Seminary & then earned a Ph.D. from Boson University  
  King married Corretta Scott King, who was also a student at Boston University in 1953  
  King's first major action was in 1956 when he lead a boycott of the public buses in Montgomery, AL to protest racial segregation  
  After a year of economic pressure, the Sup Ct ruled that racial segregation in intrastate as well as interstate transportation was illegal  
  King organized the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) which both estbed the civil rights mvmt across the entire South, & estbed it as a national force  
  King & the civil rights mvmt combined direct mass action against racial discrimination & segregation w/ an appeal for understanding, even love, for those who opposed human & civil rights  
  While there was a debate btwn those in the civil rights mvmt over the effectiveness & morality of nonviolent protest, King & his branch prevailed keeping the civil rights protests & marches peaceful even while they were attacked by white mobs & police  
  A very few splinter groups broke off from the mainstream nonviolent civil rights mvmt to use violent methods to push for social change  
  King marched, lectured, organized, & conferred w/ political leaders across the US & abroad  
  King was lauded on his visits to India, West Africa, Latin American, & various Euro nations  
  King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for leading the nonviolent struggle for racial equality in the US  
  King discussed the problems of discrimination w/ civil rights leaders, religious leaders, political leaders, & the everyday person  
  King played major roles in voter registration campaigns, which created as esp large opposition in the South, & in the 1963 Washington March where he gave his "I have a dream..." speech  
  King enjoyed widespread support but also met w/ strong criticism both w/in & w/o the civil rights mvmt  
  But opposition to the civil rights mvmt went beyond criticism to threats, & King & other civil rights leaders well understood that their lives were in constant danger  
 
 After the race riots of 1967, President LBJ orders a commission to be formed to study the causes of the riots
 
 
 Gov Kerner headed the Kerner Commission to study the causes of riots in the US
 
  Less than a month after the Kerner Commission Report was issued, race riots broke out in at least 100 black communities across the nation as a result of the assassination of Martin Luther King 
 
  While organizing the Poor People's Campaign, King went to Memphis to support a strike of black garbage workers.  There, on April 4, 1968, King was shot & killed by a white man
 
  Rioting across the country followed the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 4 in Memphis, TN
 
  King's assassination helped President Johnson persuade Congress to approve the Civil Rights Act of 1968
 
  During the time of the King assassination, the civil rights law, also known in part as the Fair Housing Act, prohibited racial discrimination in the sale & rental of most of the housing in the nation  
  The 3rd Monday in January was declared ML King Day, a national holiday, by Pres Reagan in the 1980s  

 
Top
  

ML King

1929  -  1968
Born in Atlanta, GA on Jan 15, 1929. 
Made his home in Atlanta, GA where he lived w/ his wife & 4 children, & w/ his father, who served w. him as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.
He was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, TN

'I have a dream' ralley
Top
    
Major Works of ML King

Stride Toward Freedom.  1958
Strength To Love.           1963
Why We Can't Wait.        1964


 
Internal
Links

Top
 Outline on the  Los Angeles Riot of 1992
External
Links
  The LA Riot of 1992 is often called the Rodney King Riot
 
  As of 2002, the LA Riot is the most costly riot ever  
  51 deaths,   2,383 injured,   $1 billion in damage, 700 businesses burned in a 25 square block area  
  In the early 1990's, police brutality & destructive race relations became major concerns in LA & the most publicized incident involved Rodney G. King  
  In 1991, Rodney G. King, a black motorist, was stopped after a pursuit & beaten by four white police officers in LA  
  In March of 1991, Mr. Holliday, a plumber, happened to be trying out his new camera, when he saw & recorded the Rodney King beating
 
  The videotape of King's beating was then broadcast by television stations throughout the nation  
  As a result of the King beating, the officers faced criminal assault charges, including assault & most Americans believed the officers were guilty of police brutality  
  Tom Bradley, the Mayor of LA, called for Daryl Gates, the Chief of Police, to step down but the Chief refused
 
  In July of 1991, a commission recommended that the Chief of Police to retire & called for changes w/in the LAPD  
  The trial against the police who assault King was moved to Simi valley, a suburban Ventura County that is 98 % white
 
  The trial against the police who assaulted King began on March 4, 1992 & the jury was composed of 10 whites, 1 Hispanic, 1 Asian & no blacks
 
  The jury saw part of the tape that most people did not see which showed Rodney King repeatedly charging the police  
  Although the King beating was recorded on videotape, a jury declared three officers not guilty of all charges in April 1992
 
  One officer who assaulted Rodney King was acquitted of all charges except one, on which the jury was indecisive & this charge was later dropped  
  Many blacks felt the trial proved the US court system treated blacks unfairly  
  After the acquittal of the police who assaulted King, small multi-racial crowds gathered in LA & the around the nation
 
  The crowds who gathered after the acquittal of the police who assaulted King almost immediately began to riot upon hearing of the innocent verdict  
  The police's innocent verdict sparked rioting in LA & other US cities  
  In the spring of 1992, Pres Bush, Sr faced one of the worst domestic crises of his presidency when riots broke out in LA & other US cities  
  At first, the racial make-up of the rioters was of equal numbers of white & black, w/ Hispanics & Asians in significant numbers  
  Within minutes City Hall was on fire
 
  Crowds of mostly young men threw rocks, bricks & bottles at passing cars
 
  The 1992 LA Riot was a series of riots lasting 72 hours
 
  The official death toll was 51 w/ 54 eventually linked to the riot & about 2,400 were injured 
 
  48 people were killed by the participants, 6 by the police & military
 
  Of the people killed, 22 were black, 18 were Hispanic, 11 were white, 2 Asian, 1 burned beyond recognition, 48 were male, 6 were female  
  During the riots, Reginald Denny, a white truck driver, was pulled from his truck & severely beaten by rioters  
  The beating of the truck driver was captured on videotape & seven black men were arrested in connection w/ the beating  
  The news did not record the black man who was injured while rescuing a white trucker named Denny, & taking him to the hospital  
  Three of the people who beat the truck driver pleaded either guilty or no contest to various charges, one of them received a three year prison term, & two received two years  
  One of the other men was convicted of felony mayhem on Denny & of assaulting four other victims & was sentenced to 10 years in prison  
  The three others were convicted of lesser charges & were sentenced to probation & community service  
  The Rodney King riots resulted in over $1 billion in property damage  
  After the riots, Pres Bush Sr. sent 5,000 federal troops & law enforcement officers to LA to help restore order  
  Pres Bush, Sr. also released fed funds for rebuilding the damaged area  
  In addition, Bush promised to support programs to help the poor areas of US cities  
  Warren Minor Christopher headed a commission that investigated the use of force by the LA police against minorities as a result of the incident in which white LA police officers beat Rodney G. King, a black motorist stopped after a pursuit.  
  Later in 1992, the fed govt indicted the four police officers on charges that they had violated King's civil rights  
  In 1993, a fed jury convicted two of the officers on charges of violating King's civil rights  
  They were each sentenced to 21/2 years in prison.  The other two officers were acquitted on the same charges  
  In 1994, a civil court ordered the city of LA to pay King about $3.75 million in damages  

 
Internal
Links

Top
 Outline on the  Causes of Riots
External
Links
  -  Project:  Can There be a Just Riot? 
Link
  -  Project:  Can the Causes of Riots Ever Justify Them?
Link
  Riots have occurred throughout the world since the beginning of history
 
  In most societies, at one time or another, the poor have rioted to press their demands for food in what has become to be called a bread riot
 
  But poverty & need are not the only reasons that riots occur
 
  For example, in Britain during the early 1800s, workers called Luddites staged riots in which they destroyed labor saving machines, which they feared would replace them
 
  In Mexico City in 1968, rioting students fought w/ police over various issues, including alleged police brutality during student demonstrations
 
  The specific issues that trigger riots, i.e. the precipitating events, vary widely
 
  However, the underlying causes of many riots are similar
 
  Many riots occur because some groups believe they do not have an equal chance for economic, political, or social advancement
 
  A contributing factor for riots is that....  
  -  members of many minority groups live in situations of unequal economic, political, & social conditions
 
  -  throughout the world, people may feel they are mistreated by individuals or by govt agencies or other organizations that influence their lives
 
  -  people may become depressed because they feel they cannot help make decisions that affect themselves & their community
 
  -  people who believe their grievances are being ignored often become defiant, & their feelings can erupt
 
  -  members of a majority group may also become rioters if they fear a minority
 
  Majority members may attack members of the minority to keep them in an inferior social or economic position  
  Most lynch mobs in the Western & Southern US were composed of members of dominant, majority groups  
  Riots & other manifestations of social unrest such as revolutions often come after hard times, i.e. when things have improved  
  While it may seem counter intuitive, riots & other manifestations of social unrest often come when conditions are getting better rather that getting worse  
  Riots & other manifestations of social unrest are more likely to occur during times of improvement because peoples' expectations are also improving & usually expectations rise faster & farther than the actual conditions  
  Rising expectations occur during times of improvement because people begin to envision how good things could actually be  
  The phenomenon of rising expectations has been a contributing factor for many social mvmts, protests, riots, actions, & other manifestations of social unrest including the Fr Rev & the Civil Rights Mvmt  
  In the US, the riots of the 1910s, 1940s, 1960s, & 1992 all have in common the fact that they came during or w/in about a year after a major US war  
  Riots & other manifestations of social unrest are more likely to occur after a war, depression, weather disaster, a natural disaster, a human or indl disaster, or just when things are improving in general  

 
Internal
Links

Top
 Outline on an Analysis of the 1992 LA Riot: Value Added Theory
External
Links
  -  Project:  Stopping the 1992 LA Riot
Link
  -  Project:  Defusing the Crown Heights Riot
Link
  Smelser's value added theory posits THREE specific factors are important to structural conduciveness: 
a.  the structure of responsibility
b.  channels for expressing grievances
c.  communication among the aggrieved		  
  a.  In a functioning society, the structure of responsibility is such that whenever social conditions exist that people do not like, they expect official action to rectify the situation  
  There were no riots after Rodney King was beaten because people were patient & expected that the justice system would find the police guilty
 
  After the video of Rodney King was revealed, the people in LA believed that the official channels & the video would produce justice
 
  Participants in the 1992 LA riots wanted the legitimate authorities to punish the officers for the beating of Rodney King
 
  W/ reference to the Rodney King police trials, people did not want the cunning of defense attorneys to outweigh justice
 
  The riots of the 1992 LA Riot began after the first trial of the police  
  b.  If there are channels for expressing grievances, people are less likely to take collective action
 
  If the channels for expressing grievances are blocked or if they are ineffective, the crowd is more likely to feel strain & take collective action  
  The courts had been the channel for expressing grievance for the Rodney King assault, but after the verdict this channel was no longer seen as legitimate & there was no other channel available
 
  There were no more legitimate channels for people to express their grievances over the King assault & the police acquittal
 
  c.  The more quickly there is communication among the aggrieved, the more quickly & easily they can share feelings resulting in rapid development of group sentiments or generalized beliefs making violent outbursts or peaceful collective action possible   
  In the LA Riot, the participants found it easy to communicate w/ each other since they had gathered in open, public areas & they had radio & TV
 
  Good communication made it easy for people to gain some sense of consensus that the trial was unjust & something should be done about it
 

 
Internal
Links

Top
  Outline on    The Value Added Process
External
Links
  The term "value added" was developed in the field of economics
 
  In economics, value added denotes that each step in producing a product adds value to the resources used  
  In collective behavior, in the value added process each stage must occur & occur in the correct order in order to add value
 
  Each step of producing a collective action must take place & add something to the collective action  
  The steps in the value added process are called the determinants
 
  In Smelser's value added process: SIX determinants must be present in order for any collective behavior to occur: 
 
  1.  structural conduciveness  
  2.  structural strain  
  3.  growth & spread of a generalized belief:  hysteria, wish fulfillment, hostile, norm oriented, value oriented  
  4.  precipitating factors  
  5.  mobilization of participants for action  
  6.  operation of social control:       deterrence,  accommodation,  redirection  
  The value added determinants of the production of collective action must come about in a particular order   

 
Internal
Links

Top
 Outline on the  1. Physical Factors Contributing to Rioting
External
Links
  Value added theory recognizes that physical factors affect collective behavior
 
  Urban areas make riots more possible than rural areas
 
  Urban terrain makes riots more likely & satisfying
 
  Crowded city streets provide ammunition, cover, plentiful targets & alluring loot for rioters
 
  In the city, plentiful bottles, bricks & pieces of metal all make for effective weapons for rioters
 
  While rioters seem bold, they spend much time seeking cover & big cities provide cover via the vast number buildings
 
  W/ regards to rioting...
 
  -  cities provide the opportunity to do anonymous damage  
  -  glass windows are perhaps the target of choice for rioters
 
  -  cities are a treasure trove for looters
 
  -  looting usually begins immediately w/ the violence an then becomes the primary activity of the riot
 
  -  looters take anything that they can move
 
  -  pleasant weather makes rioting more likely while extreme weather will reduce the number of people involved & their intensity
 
  -  riots needs an angry group
 
  The size of the group is enhanced if people have free time because 
-  it is a holiday or weekend 
-  there is high unemployment
-  the riot itself closes many businesses, schools, etc. thus giving people free time
 

 
Internal
Links

Top
 Outline on the  2. Structural Strain Contributing to Race Riots
External
Links
  In the 1992 LA Riot, the not guilty verdict for the police officers is not structural strain rather it is a precipitating event
 
  The social conditions of many cities provide structural strain contributing to race riots, including
-  poverty stratified by race
-  high unemployment
-  government neglect
-  government ( police ) abuse
-  racism
-  conflict among residents from different racial, ethnic & class groups & police
-  a history of racial conflict which magnifies recent events 
-  & preserves /mythologizes the importance of past events
 
  LA race relations were formed as a result of 
 
  -  the 1871 anti Chinese riot
 
  -  the 1943 anti Mexican "Zoot Suit" Riots
 
  -  the 1965 Watts Race Riot
 
  An example of negative LA race relations can be seen in that in LA in March of 1991 a black teen, Latasha Harlins, was shot in the back of the head by a Korean store owner
 
  An example of negative LA race relations can be seen in that the store owner who shot a black teen was found guilty only of voluntary manslaughter because the Judge ruled she was justifiably fearful
 
  Race relations in LA were such that there is conflict among every race/ethnic group which created structural strain which contributes to rioting, crime, & other acts of violence 
 
  For at least 100 yrs., there have been constant complaints of excessive force against the LAPD
 
  In 1950 Chief Parker developed the "kiss the cement" policy which was designed to cut off interaction btwn officers & civilians to reduce corruption
 
  It had the effect of increasing tension & eliminating community policing
 
  Chiefs up to & including Gates in 1992 adopted a hard nosed policy which created hatred toward the police
 
  Police in LA were reluctant to enter & enforce the law in minority enclaves, thus poor, law abiding residents felt helpless & abandoned
 
  The acronym DWB designates Driving While Black, which is a metaphor for the fear of rampant, random police violence that people feel   
  Racial conflict & police harassment created the generalized belief that the police were unjust & that the system will not address inequities, which the verdict in the Rodney King Police trial validated  

 
Internal
Links

Top
 Outline on the  3. Generalized Beliefs Contributing to Race Riots
External
Links
 
 The structural strain which adds to racial tension combined w/ precipitating events such as Rodney King's beating creates the generalized beliefs leading to race riots
 
 
 In the 1992 LA Riot, the participants believed the trial verdicts were incorrect & unjust & many nonparticipants agreed
 
  A common generalized belief which leads to a riot is that true justice will never be achieved through official, legitimate channels  
  The generalized beliefs around race riots include the beliefs that:  
  -  violence would bring attention  
  -  violence at the least would provide revenge  
  -  violence, at best, would force the govt to act  
  In the 1992 Riots, President Bush, Sr., announced that the Fed Govt would indict the officers who beat Rodney King on fed charges  
  The precipitating event usually confirms the beliefs formed in light of the structural strain which may have existed for decades  
  To the extent that people confirms some parts of the precipitating event & deny other disconfirming evidence, a riot becomes more likely  
 
 The media, authority figures, govt officials, etc. all may engage in confirmation & denial around the precipitating event which supports their generalized belief
 
  Legal decisions are the opposite of generalized beliefs because 
 
  -  legal decisions are as specific to a given case as is now humanly / socially possible 
 
  -  thus they do not have to take into the long term social impacts into account 
 
  -  they are concerned w/ procedural justice:  make the rules the best that you can, & then follow them:  the outcome is judged only on whether it follows the rules
 
  Generalized beliefs are in many ways the opposite of legal decisions in that 
 
  -  they are most general, flexible type of belief 
 
  -  they take into account long term social impacts
 
  -  they seek substantive justice not procedural justice
 
  The various publics including the riot participants do not use the judicial process to form their generalized belief:  they look primarily at the big picture
 
  Generalized beliefs & rioting behaviors often change as the riot continues
 
 
 First, all types of rioters focused on symbols of authority:  police stations, courts, govt property
 
  When blacks attacked whites & Koreans, the gen belief shifted from a focus on police to a general rage, or the belief that these groups were also responsible for their troubles  
 
 When toward the end of the first day of rioting, Latinos outnumbered all other rioters & focused on looting, the gen belief you the Latinos must have been that this riot was an opportunity
 

 
Internal
Links

Top
 Outline on the  4. Mobilization of Participants & Riots
External
Links
  Most riots have at least two general focal points, including the:
-  specific targets related to the generalized belief
-  targets that are easily accessible
 
  In the 1992 LA Riot, specific targets centered on the symbols of authority, including the court house, govt building, police stations, etc.
 
  Rioting occurred most heavily close to where participants lived, i.e. that were easily accessible
 
  While people destroying their own neighborhoods seems illogical to observers, these were the areas that the rioters had access to & this is where the rioters felt most secure & from which they could easily reach safety
 
  Gang leaders wandered throughout the rioters & urged them not to destroy their own neighborhoods
 
  The media also unwittingly assisted the rioters by giving current reports on the locations of the police & the focus of the riots at that time
 
  No leader emerged for the LA Riot
 
  Mild weather allowed people to walk to the riot area 
 
  Many people took the LA transit, the bus, to the riot torn area & some people drove to the area
 
  100 Ks of people lived w/in walking distance
 
  Looters roamed freely
 
  A strong blockade by the police & National Guard would drastically reduce the amount of rioting
 

 
Internal
Links

Top
Outline on   Social Control
External
Links
  -  Video:  Social Control                  1:26 
Link
  -  Video:  Norms & Conformity      6:53 
Link
  SOCIAL CONTROL IS THE CONTROL OF THE INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR BY SOCIETY OR CONTROL OF SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE INTEREST OF THE WHOLE SOCIETY   
 
 Soc con is an important part of soc stability 
 
  All of us are subject to social control, attempts by society to regulate people's thought & behavior   
 
 Much of soc control is done through culture, socialization, & formal control by authorities 
 
 
 Soc controls are organized methods for teaching & enforcing conformity 
 
  Cases of serious deviance may provoke action by the criminal justice system, a formal response by police, courts, & prison officials to alleged violations of the law  
 
 Durkheim held that in modern society social control was slipping because the old forms, found in traditions, which he called mechanical solidarity, had not yet been replaced by the new form, found in the interdependence of society, which he called organic solidarity 
 
  See Also:  Durkheim   
  Where soc control fails, we see deviance, collective behavior, soc mvmts, crime, alienation, other social problems, & other forms social behavior that are outside the norm   
Link
 Examples of Deviance as a violation of social norms   
  A.  FOLKWAYS ARE THE MOST INFORMAL OF NORMS   
 
 Examples of folkways include manners, etiquette, customs, normal behavior, etc. 
 
  B.  MORES ARE SERIOUS NORMS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE WRITTEN INTO LAW   
 
 Examples of a more include flag burning, questioning someone's religion or politics, etc. 
 
  C.  LAWS ARE A TYPE OF NORM W/ THE SUPPORT OF THE STATE / GOVT SANCTION W/ EITHER CRIMINAL OR CIVIL PUNISHMENT   
  i.  Criminal law is law which the state will prosecute 
The body of rules or principles prescribed by authority or established by custom, which a state, community, society, or the like recognizes as binding		  
  ii.  Civil law is law which allows one citizen to prosecute ( sue ) another   
  SOCIAL CONTROL INCLUDES ALL PROCESSES USED TO MINIMIZE DEVIANCE FROM SOCIAL NORMS; E.G., CULTURE, NORMS, SOCIALIZATION, LAW, ETC.   
  Social control includes all social processes used to minimize deviance from social norms; e.g., culture, norms, socialization, law, etc.   
  There are TWO Types of Social Control   
  FORMAL OR DIRECT SOCIAL CONTROL IS REGULATION THROUGH THE ENFORCEMENT OF NORMATIVE STANDARDS   
  It is often done by a person(s) w/ authority & responsibility   
 
 Formal con is defined by legal sanctions & enforced by instits such as the police, the courts, & the various local, state, & fed legislatures 
 
  The formal enforcement of norms is done through the threat of & implementation of rewards or punishments by those who represent an org or instit or the whole society   
  The formal agents of socialization act on the basis of rules & laws most of which are written   
 
 See Also:  Formal or Direct Social Control   
  INFORMAL OR INDIRECT SOCIAL CONTROL IS REGULATION THROUGH IDEOLOGICAL OR CULTURAL MANIPULATION   
  It is often done by surrogate human authority such as rules, customs, laws, even machines   
  Indirect social control is accomplished through socialization   
  Indirect social control is the most powerful type of social control   
 
 At the heart of informal social controls are relationships w/ significant others (SOs) 
 
  Review:  For Mead, SOs are people whose affection & approval are very important   
  SOs will reward, punish, or use other methods of socialization to enforce the norms of society   
Link
 Examples of direct & indirect control   
  Sanctions are rewards for conforming behavior & punishments for nonconforming behavior   
 
 There are FOUR Types of Sanctions   
  1.  A FORMAL POSITIVE SANCTION IS A FORMAL REWARD   
 
 A formal positive sanction is a formal reward, etc. is applied by a socially recognized actor ( person, organization, institution, etc. ) empowered to give that reward  
 
 Formal Positive Sanction are well defined & can only be applied by people w/ proper institutional credentials   
Link
 Examples of Formal Positive Sanctions   
  2.  AN INFORMAL POSITIVE SANCTION IN AN INFORMAL REWARD   
 
 An informal positive sanction is an informal reward, etc. by almost any actor  ( person, organization, etc. )   
  The Functions of Positive Social Control Methods are social control, inducement, & reward   
Link
 Examples of Informal Positive Sanctions   
  3.  A FORMAL NEGATIVE SANCTION IS A FORMAL PUNISHMENT   
  A formal negative sanction is a formal punishment, etc. by a socially recognized actor ( person, organization, institution, etc. ) empowered to give that punishment   
  Formal sanctions are well defined and can only be applied by people with proper institutional credentials   
Link
 Examples of Formal Negative Sanctions   
  4.  AN INFORMAL NEGATIVE SANCTION IS AN INFORMAL PUNISHMENT   
  An informal negative sanction is an informal punishment, etc. by almost any actor ( person, organization, etc. )   
  The functions of negative social control methods are social control, deterrence, & punishment   
Link
 Examples of Informal Negative Sanctions   
Link
 Chart of Examples of FOUR Types of Social Control   
  For Durkheim, the positive consequences of deviance and social control include increased solidarity 
 

 
Top
  
Chart of Examples of FOUR Types of Social Control 
 
Formal 
Informal 
Positive 
 Formal Positive 
Pay, grades, awards 		 Informal Positive 
Tip, praise, smile, inclusion 
Negative 
 Formal Negative 
Fine, pay cut, bad grade, note in a file, 
Excommunication from a religious organization, expulsion from high school, & criminal punishment 		 Informal Negative 
No tip, criticism, scowl, ostracism 

 
Top  
Examples of Deviance & Norms 
Men w/ long hair, women in pants    Dress 
Norms: 
Folkways:  dressed in casual clothes for formal occasion 
Mores: no shirt in dept. store 
Laws: 
Criminal:  no shirt, no shoes in food store 
Civil:  copying super model's look 

 
Top  
Civil law 
Body of law proper to the city as distinct from that common to all nations 
Also, the whole system of Roman law 
Hence the body of private law developed from Roman law 
Law pertaining to the citizen as an individual 

 
Top  
Examples of direct & indirect control 

Factory Work: 
Supervisor harangues or beats workers to work faster 
Supervisor issues penalties 
Computer measures output w/ pay proportional to this output 
Elementary school:  Teacher constantly making sure child turns in work 
College:  Prof establishes goals.  It's up to the student to achieve them 


 
Top  
Examples of Formal Positive Sanctions 

A raise 
An awards dinner 
A certificate of achievement 
A reward 


 
Top  
Examples of Informal Positive Sanctions 

Giving an "atta boy" 
Taking someone out to lunch for a reward 
A pat on the back 
A big thank you 


 
Top  
Examples of Formal Negative Sanctions 

Bad Grades 
Expulsion from High School 
Prison 
A ticket 


 
Top  
Examples of Informal Negative Sanctions 

Taking someone to the woodshed 
A talking to 
A frown 
Ostracism 


 
Internal
Links

Top
 Outline on   Formal Social Control
External
Links
 
 LEGITIMATE FORCE
 
  Social mvmts or any individual, group, or org that is pushing for soc change often meets resistance from existing social agents
 
  Change agents & mere deviants want changes or the freedom that social & political leaders do not want
 
  The methods of formal social control include legitimate force, law & ordinances, & informal sanctions
 
  Legitimate force is the force yielded by police, national guard, the army, etc. 
 
  The police et al can be ordered to use legitimate force to quell any public activity
 
  As long as the force is not blatantly excessive, most citizens will not question the tactic of the police et al using legitimate force 
 
  Social control agents can use force legitimately, but any force on the part of social mvmt members will be perceived as illegitimate
 
  Police can physically push protesters out of a park, but protesters cannot legitimately push the police at all
 
  Authorities use of force is seen as legitimate as long as it stays w/in certain bounds allowing appointed officials to use the police & other agents of control, w/in limits, for their own purposes
 
  LAWS & ORDINANCES
 
  The most common use of social control is not physical, it is the norms of laws & ordinances
 
 
 Leaders of soc mvmts & other deviants are often arrested for minor crimes that usually would not result in arrest for the average citizens
 
 
 Public nuisance & disturbance laws, noise ordinances, & loitering laws are applied selectively against soc mvmt leaders, members, deviants or whomever authorities target
 
 
 Jaywalking laws are rarely enforced in normal life, but may be used against protesters, street people or other deviants
 
 
 Cities pass ordinances again signs in particular areas, limiting the number of people as a group on sidewalks, etc.  
 
 Obscure fire codes may be used to shut down a soc mvmts headquarters
 
  Any soc mvmt, deviant, or other social actor that the authorities do not like will likely find itself the target of all of these tactics & more  
  The authorities technically do not violate any laws when they use this kind of tactic against anyone, but many argue that they are violating the spirit of the law & are exercising an abuse of power  
  It is difficult or a soc mvmt to maintain momentum when it must worry about harassment from law enforcement officers & state prosecuting attorneys  
  Such harassment can even bring the participants of a soc mvmt closer together & increase their passion  
  Constant legal harassment makes it difficult for members of the mvmt to get anything done  
  Ideally all groups would receive equal protection under the law but in reality groups that upset or anger social control agents are likely to receive little or know protection & face a great deal of harassment, resistance, & even imprisonment  
  Physical violence is the most extreme form of resistance to deviance, including soc mvmts
 
  See Also:  Violence  

 
Internal
Links

Top
 Outline on  Violence as Social Control
External
Links
  Violence is the most extreme form of social control
 
  Violence is frequently used as resistance to soc mvmts & deviance in general or anyone or any group or org that goes against the norms of society
 
  Violence here must be distinguished from legitimate force which is violence, legally implemented by the police, military, or other authority of the state
 
  Violence must be understood as being "illegitimate" when the state, i.e. society does not sanction it; violence is force carried out unofficially by members of a society
 
  In the sociological sense, violence must be understood as being "informal or formal"
 
  Informal violence is perpetrated by individuals operating on their own or by relatively small informal groups such as a mob, or a lynch mob
 
  Formal violence is perpetrated by individuals, groups, orgs, etc. who operate as part of an org that is not sanctioned by the state, but may be tolerated by the state, e.g. the KKK, & other grps
 
  Violence against soc mvmt leaders, deviants, or others who are going against the mainstream of society is all too common
 
  Violence by the state should be, & usually is the last resort while violence is all too often a first line of defense against, soc mvmt leaders & members, deviants, etc.
 
  When an individual decides that abortion is murder, & they see that the state is not punishing the abortionists, their logic may be to take the law into their own hands in the form of violence
 
  When an org sees gay marriage as a threat to society, & sees the state not preventing it, their logic may be to take the law into their own hands in the form of violence
 
  In the past 20 yrs. several pro life individuals have killed, injured, or attempted to kill doctors, nurses & women who are involved w/ abortion
 
  The use of violence as intimidation is a typical rationale for those who try to resist soc mvmts 
 
  Blacks were often lynched by white mobs w/ the goal of scaring all blacks into submission to Jim Crow laws
 
 
 See Also:  The KKK  
 
 Pogroms, violent riots of intimidation are the most extreme form of violence against soc mvmts & deviants; lynchings & assassinations are the next most extreme; & beatings & threats are the least extreme but much more common  
  Sometimes violence is part of an organized effort, formalized violence, from a counter mvmt such as the KKK or the Pinkertons  
  The KKK, the White Citizens' Council, et al have perpetrated formalized, organized violence against blacks, & a few whites, to resist the social change of increased civil rights for blacks & others for over 100 yrs.  
  Informal violence can be carried out by authorities who operate outside of the bounds of the law  
  See Also:  Police Corruption  
  Many people in the early labor mvmt & the civil rights mvmt experienced undue force at the hands of the authorities, & it still happens today  
  In May of 1970, the National Guard shot thirteen anti war protesters at Kent State, Ohio & four died  
  An investigation tried to determine if this was a legitimate or illegitimate use of force in that none of the rioters were armed, but public property was being destroyed, but not by these students  
  Illegitimate violence is less common in the US than some other nations  
  While video & legitimate witnesses have made the use of illegitimate violence less common, it still occurs  
  Violence is more likely to occur where there is less democracy & human rights  
  In Tiananmen Square in 1989, Chinese troops killed dissidents   
  Salaam Hussein gassed Kurds in northern Iraq in the 1980s  
  Stalin sent millions of people to their deaths in the gulags in the SU in the 1920s & on  
  The goals of individuals, counter mvmts, authorities who use legit or illegit force, informal or formal violence are the same when they use violence:  to resist a soc mvmt, a deviant, or anyone going against the norms of society, to intimidate them, or to punish or kill them & eliminate the threat  
  When violence becomes wide spread, & organized or sanctioned by the state, it may be thought of as terrorism or state terrorism  

 
Internal
Links

Top
 Outline on 5. Social Control Agents & Riots
External
Links
  In most situations, social control operates based on norms that are backed up by law
 
  In riot situations, people ignore old norms & laws & establish new norms & obey no law, no conventional social controls
 
  In most riots the police are the primary agents of social control
 
  The National Guard & the fed military are also primary agents of social control that may back up the police
 
  In any riot or other collective behavior, secondary agents of social control include friends, family, acquaintances, the media, & anyone who tries to influence behavior  
  Anticipating & preparing for a riot by both the primary & secondary agents of social control can do much to alleviate or even stop the damage
 
  Several forceful & non forceful steps can be taken prior to a riot or after one has started in order to try & control it or minimize it's impact
 
  Agents of soc control use the media to calm people, urge restraint & explain why rioting will not help, i.e. explain what is being done to correct the structural problem
 
  Preparing to use an overwhelming force may return social control to a riot if the participants can be made aware of it
 
  Blockading the area of a riot may return social control to a riot if the participants can be made aware of it
 
  During the LA Riot of 1992, the police took no steps to return social control except to send in the police & were woefully, some say criminally unprepared
 
  When Rodney King appeared on the televised news at the height of the LA Riot of 1992 & made his now famous statement:  "Why can't we all just get along?" he was acting as a secondary agent of social control & had a major impact of calming the rioters  

 
Internal
Links

Top
 Outline on the  6. Classification of Participants in a Riot
External
Links
  Ego involved participants feel a deep connection to the concerns expressed in LA
 
  In the 1992 LA Riot, or in any race riot, the early rioters are the ones who felt the most empathy for the victim, Rodney King, & the most hatred for the perpetrator, the LAPD
 
  In the 1992 LA Riot, ego involved participants fully accepted the generalized beliefs & believed it was up to them to do something
 
  In the 1992 LA Riot & many race riots as well as in many other types of riots, ego involved participants believed that rioting would produce real change & their violence was the only way to bring about that change
 
  President Bush, Sr. did order Federal prosecution during the 1992 LA Riot & it is doubtful that he would have done so w/o the violence
 
  Concerned participants are not so personally involved so they did not initiate the riot but followed the lead of others
 
  Concerned participants believe something should be done, but they are not sure what it should be
 
  Concerned participants could have just as easily followed a peaceful march
 
  Insecure participants just want to be a part of something, or are afraid of missing out
 
  Insecure participants may not have understood the riot's cause, but joined in out of a sense of solidarity
 
  Insecure participants felt powerful as a result of the riot
 
  Spectators want to watch but do not want to get involved, but fast moving events can sometimes involve people who do not want to be involved
 
  Spectators frequently become targets for the hostile participants
 
  Spectators may get caught up in the excitement & join the action
 
  Spectators may join the police or the rioters or act independently as did the rescuer of Reginald Denny  
  Ego detached exploiters does not care about the issue but will enthusiastically join, encourage & participate in the riot for the thrill & the looting  

The End
 
Top