Urban Riots

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the causes behind urban riots and focuses on the Watts riot in 1965, the Newark riot in 1967, the Miami riot in 1980 and the Los Angeles riot in 1992. The paper shows how these riots were all triggered by police brutality perpetrated by white cops against black citizens. The paper demonstrates the racial profiling and the unfairness of the criminal justice system that aroused public tensions. The paper shows how rioting can be viewed as disorganized, yet pointed attempts to mobilize a disenfranchised population to achieve political power. The paper concludes that cities and their governments must learn from these four significant events in American urban history.

From the Paper:

"Urban riots often indicate underlying social unrest. The largest riots in modern American history can be traced to race and class issues that transcend and predate the proximate cause of the rioting. For example, the Watts riot in 1965, the Newark riot in 1967, the Miami riot in 1980, and the Los Angeles riot in 1992 were each triggered by striking similar events and were manifestations of the same urban troubles. In each of these cases, the rioting was triggered by white-on-black police brutality and jury verdicts that seemed unjust. The police brutality also relates to racial profiling in each of these riot incidents, reflecting injustices within law enforcement institutions."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "The 1965 Watts Riots." Retrieved Mar 12, 2007 from http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/la/watts.html
• Herman, M. (nd). "Newark Riots-1967." The Newark and Detroit Riots. Retrieved Mar 12, 2007 from http://www.67riots.rutgers.edu/n_index.htm
• "Los Angeles Riot Still Echoes a Decade Later." (2002). CNN.com.
• "The Los Angeles Riots, 1992." Retrieved Mar 12, 2007 from http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/la/la_riot.html.
• "Riot Erupts in Liberty City!" African American Registry. Retrieved Mar 12, 2007 from http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/895/Riot_erupts_in_Liberty_City

More papers on Urban Riots:

• Essay # 18758 : "Riots"
• Term Paper # 104498 : "The Watts Riot"
• Essay # 9817 : "Blind Obedience"

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