RIOTS IN THE UNITED STATES: CAUSES AND REMEDIES
Public disorder in the form of riots in the United States is almost as old as the country (National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, 1968). While riots have never reached the stage of becoming a way of life in the United States, neither can their occurrence be considered a rarity. During the mid-1960sù1963 through 1967, public disorder very nearly did become a way of life in the countryÆs urban areasùparticularly so in the major population centers (National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, 1968).
This research examines the phenomenon of riots in the United States. In this examination, an attempt is made to identify the causes of urban riots, and an effort is made to suggest what communities and government could have done to preclude the development of riots. Within the context of time, the focus of this research is on the 1963-1967 period. Urban riots are considered, as opposed to politically-based riots anti-war riots which also occurred during this time period. The focal point for the anti-war riots was the Viet Nam War (Sumner & Barth, 1990). When that war was brought to a conclusion, the anti-war riots went into an eclipse. Recent federal administrations in the United States have successfully muted anti-war criticisms through the use of an all-volunteer army in combat, and through the creation of a Rambo image for American foreign policy. As a consequence, Americans have been able to emulate the ancient Romans, by cheering their gladiators on without any worry that they, too, might become involved in the fray.
Urban riots, however, are another matter. While the intensity of the frequency of their occurrence in the mid-1960s has not recurred, such riots continue to occur in significant numbers in the countryÆs urban centers each year. The most serious of the riots in recent years are typically sparked by neighborhood offense over some police or jud...