Category: Riot

Introduction

The Oaxaca Riots started in the year 2006 when teachers mobilized protesters so that they could demand for better pay since they were amongst the lowest paid civil servants. They evicted the teachers union which enhanced them to mobilize more protesters. Those who supported the strike were led by the Popular Assembly of People of Oaxaca (APPO) (Matthew, 2006, p 60). The outgrowing number of protesters called for resignation of the Oaxaca governor.

History

The teachers in Oaxaca protested demanding for better pay and improved living standards. Some of the grievances that the teachers forwarded included, the improvement of the educational infrastructure such as the construction of classrooms, laboratories, hiring of more staff and so on, which they listed down. They also demanded salary increment and legal recognition.

The demonstrators campaigned greatly for civil disobedience which led to the taking over of the television station that was run by the state. This showed clearly that no acts of violence were spared in their effort to rebel against the laws of the state. The Paramilitary was employed in the region which led to a number of protesters being killed amongst them Journalists. The riot police were ordered by the president to reign in the city after he realized that the situation was going out of hand. The Police and the military were forced to use tear gas, water cannons and bulldozers to push demonstrators out of the city. The riot was meant to be civil disobedience in nature so that the teachers would draw the attention of the government in order to address their grievances. The governor called for the use of force when he employed military power to deal with the protesters which turned the situation into a violent one. This led to detentions, bullet wounds and death amongst the demonstrators when the police tried to violently dismiss various meetings that were held within the city. When the police turned to violence rather than dialog, the demonstrators were forced to exercise their constitutional rights. There was hostility and confrontation between the teachers and the Oaxaca society.When the police provoked a fight, vehicles and buses were burnt down as a result of the impromptu barricading by the protesters. This riot was taking place around the University of Oaxaca and the police gave up since they were overwhelmed by the protectors.

When the governor sent the police to disperse the demonstrators and emphasized he was not going to resign, those who represented the Oaxaca state municipalities other unions, non governmental organizations in Oaxaca after it had reestablished encampments in Zocalo. It turned the city into a civil rebellious city.

There were also other anti government demonstrators who had staged a number of riots; one being the one that stormed the local radio station and occupied the Oaxaca famed Zocalo which had beautiful pictures, cathedrals, laurel trees and a market place. Barricades and military encampments were erected by the federal police. The protesters using guerrilla tactics, burning tires and rocks were ready to face this military squad. Riots continued and before things were put in order so many lives had been lost. The cathedrals, market place and pictures were reduced to ashes by the protesters.

APPO occupation within the city ended on 25 November 2006 after an offensive process was launched by the Federal Preventative Police (Vicente, 2006), they arrested all the APPO Supporters. During this time many buildings were burnt down but it was not clear who set the fire on; the protectors or the police. Those who were arrested during the riots were imprisoned in distant prisons and some claims to have been tortured while in custody.

Governor Ruiz was not evicted from his office and he remained as governor thereafter. The APPO group of supporters was staging peaceful matches to Guelaguetza grounds regularly (Peter, 2007). Failure of the governor to vacate the office and his continued use of power resulted to so many people being involved in the riots since they believed that he was the cause of all the problems which were being encountered in Oaxaca.

This protest in the city paralyzed all the activities and when the police used force the protest was extended to call of resignation of the governor Ruiz. When the police started shooting the protesters, they were joined by the left wing which gave the APPO group reinforcement to continue fighting for their rights and for resignation of governor. These other groups that joined the teachers and called for the resignation of the governor accused him of electoral fraud and for the abuse of power when he used force on the demonstrators.

The group campaigned greatly for civil disobedience but when the police force was put into use and started killing protesters, they turned into violent disobedience; burning down vehicles and buildings. The police started using teargas, water canons, and petrol bombs on the crowd which resulted to a number of protesters being injured. When the demonstrators saw the violence being meted on them they asked for the immediate resignation of governor for alleged misuse of power but he refused even when he was ordered by the Mexican Senate.

The riots took place mainly on the streets of Oaxaca and were most aggressive at the Oaxaca University since the demonstrators knew that police could not have an access to the university premises without permission (Connery, 2008). They even took advantage by using the university local radio to air the plans for the riots plans. The involvement of police led to intensified clashes between the police and the rioters which resulted to increased damage as vehicles and buildings were brought down. So much was lost during this time. The riot police were on their gears regularly since Oaxaca had turned out to be a war zone as a result of regular protests.

As a result of the riots, many teachers boycotted classes which resulted to a number of schools closed down since there were no teachers not ready to return to classrooms without their grievances being listened to and addressed. This left a number of students unable to go to school. Students remained at home until the time when dialog was sought between the state and teachers. The teachers were asked to resume their work with a promise from the government of addressing their plight.

So many stores and business were closed down during this time since the riots had become violent between the protesters and the police. Some buildings were burnt down and therefore so many business premises were shut down since they feared incurring loses as a result of demonstrations which could not be paid for by the government. Big institutions such as banks were not also spared and they also remained closed when violence intensified.

The riots have impacted negatively not only on the political statures of the city but also on the economy of the city. Before all these riots took place, Oaxaca was a home of a very thriving art scene based on the Pre-Hispanic Culture and also from galleries (Terry, 2006). It had a great art reputation that attracted sculptors, painters, writers and musicians. But after the riots, things changed drastically since the galleries closed down and most of the art students stopped coming for lectures. Artists and other groups which valued Oaxaca art started abandoning the city which made it loose the blooming market that it had gained from the beginning. Destruction of these scenes sent the city very many steps behind, much more had to been put in to build up these sites which brought revenue to the government by attracting various group of people into the city.

A lot of funds were used by the government in an effort to fight the protesters. Military forces both from the government and also the private sector were involved and funded by the government to ensure that they removed the rioters out of the city center which was the main area where they held their meetings. To rebuild the destroyed buildings also had a lot of impact onto the economic situation of the city.

During this time, those who were involved in protests together with the police were involved with other aspects of torture such as kidnappings. The teachers and other movements which were involved in the riots kidnapped those who they deemed as traitors because they failed to support them. This was meant to be a lesson to the rest so that they could all join hands to fight for their rights. People were robbed of their personal properties as a result of the violence and those who resisted were at times killed.

There was massive destruction of property in the city most of which were tourist attraction centers. This consequently reduced the number of tourists who were coming to Oaxaca not only because they had nothing of importance to visit, but also due to the insecurity which had gained roots in the region. Historical grounds and some of the places which were greatly known of their culture were destroyed by the demonstrators as they rioted against the police.

Dozens of people were killed by the riot police even though some of them were not supporters of the riots. Journalists and other civilians caught in the middle of the riots were not spared by the police who did not care who was who. At the same time so many people were arrested as a result of the riots (New York Times, 2006, p 13). Those who were arrested especially the leaders of the APPO claimed to have been tortured by the military while under custody (Alex, 2006). This called for more violence from the rest as a sign of solidarity.

During the course of the violence, so many buildings were burnt down including four government houses and others which belonged to individual owners. The teachers building was brought down by the police in an effort to disperse them.

The riots in Oaxaca caused a lot of political tension since most protesters were calling for the resignation of Governor Ruiz who they believed was in power through rigging of elections. The pressure to resign became more especially after he directed the use of force to disperse the protesters. It is at this time that the police destroyed the local mobile radio station that was owned by the teachers. The students who were allies of the teachers started broadcasting from the university station (NY Dairy News, 2007, p 10). A number of those who supported the riots took over the governance of a number of commercial and government stations. Some of the stations were shut off from the air by state.

To start with, the teachers staged a walk out while demanding for a better pay and better working conditions. The call for the resignation of the governor was called off after the police allegedly killed one demonstrator; this also encouraged others to join the teachers in the protests. Despite the fact that some teachers agreed to return to work, some demonstrators vowed to continue with the demonstrations until the resignation of Ruiz from the governors post. The stand off and the use of power has caused a lot of political tension in the city but it is believed that the condition will be back to normal soon. The riot by the teachers paralyzed all the processes of learning as students had to remain at home till the end of the riots.

The political situation of Oaxaca resulted in some unprecedented economic tension in Oaxaca as all businesses came to a stand still. The banking institutions were also not spared and remained closed for a number of days (New York Times, 2006, p 15). Local and foreign investors had to withdraw since they feared greatly if the riots were to continue. More also, tourism being a leading revenue earner for the government was greatly affected affecting the income the government was earning affecting many other sectors of service provision, tourists were unwilling to visit the area even after riots for the fear that the same will happen in future.

In conclusion, the riots started as a simple teachers strike but soon spread to other groups which quickly turned to be chaotic as other groups such as anarchists, students and other groups from India seized a plaza and barricaded most of the streets asking for the resignation of the governor.

When the police force was employed to help calm the situation, it worsened it as the protesters also turned against them and caused a lot of chaos in the city. This resulted into a political instability in Mexico as these group tried to involve neighboring cities into these protests. The riots ruined both Mexicos political stand and its economic status as a city. Initially so many people visited Oaxaca due to it unique culture and other aspects but the issue of this made the climate unfavorable for those who used to visit the place.

Riots lead to the formation of a social movement APPO which was meant to work against the government. This was formed when the government started using force on the teachers instead of seeking for a lasting solution peacefully. They said the use of violence as misuse of the governors power since he was the one who ordered the riot police to take control which resulted to the death of one of the protesters. The killing of one of the teachers by the police was the main thing that led to the teachers ordering for an immediate resignation of the governor and this attracted other groups such as the west wing which saw that there was need for his resignation to join the movement thus forming the APPO.

The Massive destruction was mounted by both demonstrators and the police since they burnt buildings, cars and other properties some of which were personal properties while other were public (Ron, 2007). Schools were also closed temporarily since there were no teachers who were willing to teach without their grievances not being met. This affected greatly students since they lost much of their times.

The economic status of the city was also affected greatly since business and stores were closed since the owners feared to incur loses as a result of riot and also there were no people who were coming to the city since everyone was living under fear.

Conclusion

So many lives were also lost as a result of these riots since police killed many people. Even those who were not involved such as journalists were killed since they shot at random killing anyone within the locality. Today, Oaxaca is tying to gain back its reputation and the city is slowly recovering from the political crisis that it had faced. Business, schools and the tourism sectors which were the most affected areas are recovering slowly.

References

Peter L., A Walk in Oaxaca, 2007. Web.

New York Times, 2006, 6-9 People Killed in Oaxaca Riots, p 12-13.

Terry G., Violence Betrayal Bakunin, 2006, Commentary. Web.

Alex J., Bloody upraising in Oaxaca, 2006, Web.

Connory C., Oaxaca a year later, 2008. Web.

Matthew J., Oaxaca: The spirit of Mexico, 2006, Willy and son: New York, p 56-76.

Vicente F., Mexican Government Clashes Oaxaca, 2006. Web.

NY Dairy News, 2007, Oaxaca, p 10.

Ron Mader, Greening Tourism, 2007. Web.

New York Times, 2006, Mexican Forces Move to Retake Oaxaca, p 15.

The history of the United States is a history of protests and riots due to the objective reasons associated with racism. Such activity has been and remains one of the levers that society uses to show its discontent, even if no long-term results are fixed. This paper compares the Watts riots of 1965 with the Los Angeles riots of 1992 to demonstrate the systemic problem of racism in the United States.

On August 11, 1965, an uprising began in Watts, a predominantly African-American neighborhood in Los Angeles. The reason for the protests was the detention of a 21-year-old black man Marquette Frye by a white officer. A law enforcement representative suspected him of driving while intoxicated. When the police tried to arrest Frye, the locals started throwing stones at the officers. The riot lasted six days, and over 30 thousand people took part in it. 34 people were killed, more than 1 thousand were injured, and about 3 thousand were arrested. Fifteen quarters were burned, and the damage amounted to $ 40 million. 15 thousand policemen and guardsmen were involved to suppress the unrest. The protests also covered other California cities such as Long Beach, San Bernardino, San Diego, Hollywood, Pasadena, as well as Chicago, Springfield, Cleveland, and Philadelphia.

Another case of large-scale unrest was the riots in Los Angeles, which began on April 29, 1992. The reason for the protests was the acquittal of three out of four police officers accused of beating a black man Rodney King. The incident itself took place on March 3, 1991, when law enforcement officials tried to detain King for speeding. At first, he refused to get out of the car and then began to resist. As a result, the police used stun guns and batons on him. Kings face was hurt, his right knee was broken, bruises and open wounds were recorded. The police took turns beating King with truncheons for one and a half minutes.

Thousands of black Americans took to the streets of Los Angeles demanding to punish those who were responsible for this kind of racial discrimination against a black man. The demonstration escalated into riots that spread to several dozen cities, including San Francisco. As a result, 55 people died and more than 2 thousand were injured. More than 1,000 buildings were burned down, and the total damage to the city amounted to $ 1.5 billion. The National Guard was involved to suppress the riot, and the repeated trial convicted the policemen.

When comparing the reviewed protests, it can be said that they were similar in many ways. Both riots were triggered by the detention of African-Americans by white traffic officers. Both black men resisted law enforcement, which resulted in their detention. In those two cases, the police officers hit the detainees brutally, using stun guns and batons. Protests started in Los Angeles, California, and then spread throughout the country. Both Marquette Frye and Rodney King faced discrimination from the Los Angeles Police Department. As a result, hundreds of thousands of African Americans started large-scale protests against police brutality, racism, and discrimination against the black population. They escalated into unrest in several major cities and caused a lot of damage, injuries, and deaths. Finally, the main cause of both the Watts riots of 1965 and the Los Angeles riots of 1992 was racism which is difficult to defeat and overcome without revolutionary upheavals.

Introduction

Two major premiers which have been observed in Paris in 1896 and 1913 caused real outburst of emotions. Ubu Roi by Alfred Jarry and The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky are considered to be the greatest performances having been remembered in the history of theatre. The paper is focused on true causes of peoples uproar over the premiers. There was something that could strike and shock theatre goers getting into arguments and demanding their money back. So, the investigation of events happening at the period of premiers in Paris will allow recognizing the real causes of riots among the population.

The Analysis of the Premiers

The premier of Ubu Roi by Alfred Jarry took place in 1896 in Paris, France. Jarry managed to disclose the style of take-no-prisoners character combining vulgarity, low comedy and gore; he illustrated direct interference with high society, royalty and political leaders. The play describes the king Ubu who is depicted as a stupid and coward character. Jarry happened to describe the murder of the king in humorous and comic conditions resulted in disastrous breakage of kings power.

The play is considered to be experimental and revolutionary. The opening night of the performance cause the breakage of riot among the theater goers of Paris. Ubu Roi could not have been perceived by people as a usual and ordinary play as it was aimed at disclosure of unapologetic arguments about religious and social aspects and it reflected complete disrespect of royalty being filled with scatology and brutality. The trouble of the first night started immediately after the opening word of the flatulent protagonist: Merdre! This word is a bastardized form of the French word Shit! During the premier everyone was completely shocked by the style and manner of presentation of the performance. William Butler Yeats expressed his dissatisfaction with what he had seen at the first night:

What more is possible? After us the savage God& (William Butler Yeats)

It was difficult to predict such a reaction of the public on performance, but maybe there was some tension in the air from the very beginning. It should be noted that the play was prohibited after the first presentation. The premier of the play was successfully introduced by Jarry from the very beginning. He started with the opening word highlighting the meaning and importance of the play. (Krulick, 2006)

The play having been put on prematurely, and with more enthusiasm than anything else, Ubu hasnt had time to get his real mask and the other characters will be fitted out, like him, somewhat approximately. Ubu Roi is a play that was never written or puppets but for actors pretending to be puppets, which is not the same thing  for us to have carnival music&. (Jarry, 2003).

Nevertheless the initial phrases of the performance resulted in disastrous reaction of the audience. It is difficult to analyze the real causes of riot because much depended on the mentality of the generation and moral values accepted in the society. Offensive remarks on the part of play characters contradicted the norms of the society. Historians stress the introduction of new art movements by Jarry such as Dadaism, Absurdism and Surrealism. But is should be noted that the audience of that time could not be regarded as prescient.

Speaking about the peculiarities of the performance creation process it should be stressed that Ubu Roi was written in the form of cruel burlesque with repressive and ugly aspects. The author was young when he started his work at the play. With every passing year the play obtained new and new details absorbing the notes of fighting, toilet humor, kings depiction and jokes.

Frankly speaking there is a contradictory tendency to evaluate the mistakes of Jarrys performance. Certainly, the performance itself did not meet the requirements of its time contradicting the standards and norms of the society and political order. The mixture of black humor with rude and unpredicted flow of events caused riotous reaction of the audience (Taylor, 2007).

The next performance to analyze is The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky. The first night took place in 1913 in Paris. The causes of this performance appeared to be similar to those of Ubu Roi. The Rite of Spring is a ballet score the premier of which caused scandalous reaction of the audience. But what was the reason for such riot of public?& The style of the performance appeared to be too vulgar for that time. Unusual choreography, outrageous costumes and pagan sacrifice story appeared to be the last straw for the public& Musical innovations involved into the play of Stravinsky tested the audience patience completely.

It should be noted that the play of Stravinsky influence the musical direction in general. This performance introduced new musical elements which gave a start to the development of new musical era. Tremendous impact was reached due to cooperation of two well known composers, Stravinsky and his partner Diaghilev. Thus, the music used in The Rite of Spring was made for Diaghilev production.

There were different views as to the true reasons of riot during the premiere in Paris. Thomas Kelly, the professor of Harvard University, stated that furor was caused by the fact that the play shattered peoples expectations. The program performed that evening started with the play Les Sylphides. The Rite of Spring appeared to be completely different from what had been expected by the audience. The dancer recalled the fact that shocking choreography they had to perform was far from natural.

With every leap we landed heavily enough to jar every organ in us. (Igor Stravinskys The Rite of Spring. With Thomas Kelly, 1999).

The music used in the performance was unusual, unpredictable, dissonant and angular. At the very beginning of the play Stravinsky asked for a bassoon to provide higher play in the range than whoever could have heard before. Nevertheless it was difficult to recognize that the instrument was a bassoon. After the rising of the curtain the audience observed the dancing which was followed by a so called musical composition. There was no music at all but a dissonant and loud chord followed by irregular, jarring accents. As a result the audience burst out with a din of catcalls and hisses and the actors could hardly hear each other.

Nijinsky shouted at the performers and dancers; Diaghilev wanted just to suppress the peoples riot through house lights flashing. As to Stravinsky, he fumed at the publics response to his compositions. The atmosphere was disastrous, but in case of success the premier of the ballet could have awoken peoples spirit of music. Thomas Kelly stated:

The pagans on-stage made pagans of the audience (Thomas Kelly).

Despite the frustrations of the first nights of The Rite of Spring is considered to be the real musical masterpiece of modern time. The innovations provided by Stravinsky turned to be the important element in further musical development. Great composers use this play as a magnificent example of musical innovations introduction (Hill, 2000).

So, it is necessary to draw a line between the analyses of two various plays caused public riot in Paris in different periods. Ubu Roi and The Rite of Spring caused the outburst of peoples emotions, but the emotions appeared to be negative and were followed by indignations. Ubu Roi broke fixed norms and values of the society mocking the political system and using rude and unacceptable expression in the performance. The Rite of Spring managed to contradict the natural rules and features of musical area  unnatural screams and unusual choreography happened to produce shocking effect on the audience of theatre goers.

Conclusion

So, the effects produced by premiers of Ubu Roi by Alfred Jarry and The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky appeared to be shacking. The riots caused by the first nights made people experience art innovations provided by the authors of the performances. It is difficult to guilty the authors themselves because they tried to provide something unordinary and unusual for the theatre goers; it is important to stress that nowadays these plays are considered to be the significant masterpieces of modern art even though some years ago they were strongly prohibited in the society. The population of Paris happened to experience the greatest works of their time; the riotous reaction of the audience can be explained by fixed norms of the time which should have been strictly followed and could not have been ever rejected.

References

1. Hill, Peter. Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring. Cambridge University Press. 2000.
2. Igor Stravinskys The Rite of Spring. With Thomas Kelly. NPRs Performance Today. 1999.
3. Jarry, Alfred. Ubu Roi. Translated by Beverly Keith and Gershon Legman. Dover, 2003.
4. Krulick, Al. Ubu Roi. Orlando Weekly Review. 2006.
5. Taylor, Jane. Ubu and the Truth Commission. Cape Town: University of Cape Town Press, 2007.

Background information

Vancouver riot was experienced during a match between the Canucks, Boston and Bruins in competition for the Stanley Cup. It was during the finals when Boston Bruins won 4-0 over the Canucks that the youths became violent, burning down buildings and vehicles and even injuring fellow human beings (CBC News).

It is not a surprise to see youngsters rioting after a match, and in the process, engaging in acts that eventually lead to regrets, History, overtime, has confirmed this to be a normal occurrence after such an incidence is experienced in various places of the globe (Stepney). This has resulted into research carried out with the sole purpose of identifying whether there could be some kind of abnormality associated with the form of behaviors that are part of the rioting that usually lead to massive losses for both property and human life.

Results conclude that this is normal as it has so many factors contributing to it such as alcohol and mob reasoning that tends to interfere with an individual’s normal reasoning.

According to CBC News many people are always left wondering how young and sound youth should engage in such actions that result into a lot of harm that costs their outstanding reputation to the public and, even in extreme cases, leading to loss of job and rejection (Smith 1).

However, considering all the possibilities that are responsible for such moves, it becomes sensible to conclude that they are quite normal occurrences that are to be expected especially in crowded areas. It is this very same reason that qualifies the Vancouver riots normal incident.

Reasons behind considering Vancouver riots normal

Just like Smith (2) argues, it becomes difficult for people to reason out well once they are in a group, in such cases the limbic system is left to operate instead of the frontal lobe that is responsible for proper reasoning. At this point, the involved crowds usually act out of emotions, which can be either negative or positive. The ultimate results for the actions involved entirely depend on the kind of emotions that drive the crowd.

More often, emotional activities such as sports that entail screams, shouts and other sorts of noise, which can serve as stimuli, lead to the former part of the brain functional, thus leading into some kind of reaction such as riots. Individuals stop thinking as they should and act as groups; this is dangerous as people involve themselves into intolerable acts unlike if they are on their own.

Group brain is risky at a time because people make subliminal moves without reflecting on the consequences. As illustrated during the Vancouver riots, Nathan, young man from a well- off background, is captured by the media in the very act of burning a police vehicle and later apologizes for his own conduct (Smith1).

Such cases are often, which can lead people in committing unethical activities. The effect of group brain is that it transforms an individual. For instance, when such rioting groups are separated, they tend to reason in the appropriate manner, meaning that their frontal lobe is at work.

This gives an answer as to why the members involved during the Vancouver riots came out apologizing for their behavior as an individual (Smith 1). Smith continues to talk of dispersing people before they form groups also attempting to cause distraction that help them not to stray from their normal reasoning as measures to ensure peace during an event such as sports (Smith).

According to Davis (348), usually a crowd is a group or gathering, with no organized structure, it comprises of assembly of people in real -time with each member having an individualistic benefit. Crowds become socially united by virtue of being physically together, and as such, any happening within the vicinity can influence them to act in a very crude manner.

Crowds do not have any set goals and even have no future expectations of coming back together; this gives an explanation as to why they will always act without reason, leading to massive destructions.

Usually, no distinction can be made between individuals because they all tend to have a similar reasoning, this makes what happened at Vancouver a normal phenomenon. Influence is also another factor that can lead to violent behavior. Influence is so powerful that no one wants to be rejected by friends or feel out of place. For this reason, people comply with any type of behavior, however, unethical it is (Pendry).

According to Stepney alcohol is the leading source of behavioral variation in human beings; this is because it affects the body chemistry leading to a change for adrenaline produced. This has an impact on how the brain works. Alcohol and nutrition also have some impact on the way the prefrontal cortexes works.

This part of the brain develops much later in life. Thus, owing to the fact that people actively involved in the riot were teenagers, it gives a guarantee of their limbic system at work thus leading them to make decisions and act out of emotions. The point that these youngsters were drunk and had a poor diet gives an additional confirmation that the riot was just a normal occurrence. Efforts by the police to close bars and other liquor source did not bear fruits as they had already taken it.

Apart from alcohol, passion is also a significant stakeholder in riots. This is in the sense that all individuals in the group have a team to support. The success or failure of the group support will undoubtedly lead to some kind of reaction being negative or positive. It is this combination of reactions, which can lead to brutality. In an event, of trying to support a team; one has a passion for and has invested time, money and energy.

After loss by the home team during the Vancouver event, fans were subjected into stress, which is a further trigger for emotions. True to Smith’s argument, on the maturity of the brain, the young children and grownups left the scene after they sensed some kind of threat that could result from their home team defeat thus leaving the youths behind who eventually succumbed to their emotions thus causing chaos.

In other cases, spectators trigger, or attempt to provoke fans making them crazy eventually resulting into violence (Smith 5). According to Smith, this event was quite normal. Because, the reactions that led into such actions were distinct. To them, emotions have a big role in controlling ones actions because they affect brains normal functioning thus influencing the manner in which one reasons.

Smith (4) gives fire as an important impulse that arouses emotions. This supports Vancouver riot as normal because it is just immediately after a fire outbreak that the crowds turned violent leading to more and more fire set ups, destruction of property such as breaking of buildings glass windows and a lot of looting. Fire flames are believed to cause some kind of fear and as such some kind of reactions are expected.

Vancouver riot was not the first one to be seen or heard of, there are such more incidences reported all over the globe whereby a lot of damage for both property and human life is encountered. Such riots include those encountered during the European Cup Final in 1985, 2000 South Africa- Zimbabwe match, 2000 American championship and many more. In all these riots, fans acted without reasoning just like after the Vancouver finals (Stepney).

Contrary to the above-discussed reasons is the idea that some percentage of men went to the field with the intention of causing chaos, and they were there just to start something like setting a vehicle on fire so that they induce others (Smith 4). Their aim was to create havoc in order to get a chance for looting and engage in other animalistic actions.

Conclusion

It is in order to conclude that when a group of people comes together without a common goal to achieve; social crimes such as riots are likely to occur. Many factors come into play such as the above-mentioned including group brain, passion, alcohol and many more. Brains at work during such moments are not the right ones due to some kind of stimulation.

Individuals do not reason out on their own while in a crowd as such, their reasoning is usually impaired resulting into unexpected actions that cause regrets at the end of the day. It is in order to claim the riots at Vancouver a normal happening because all the possible factors leading to such behavior were in place.

Works Cited

CBC News. Riots Erupt in Vancouver after Canucks Loss. 2011. Web.

Davis, Kingsley. Human Society. New York, the Macmillan Company, 1933.

Pendry,Louise. Carrick, Rachael. Doing What The Mob Do: Priming Effects on Conformity. European journal of social psychology, (31), pp. 83-92

Smith, Charlie. Evolutionary Biology, the Prefrontal Cortex, and the Stanley Cup Riot in Vancouver, 2011, Web.

Stepney, Chloe. Christian Science Monitor: Vancouver Riot and 5 Other Infamous Melees in Sports History, 2011, Web.

Introduction

A riot is a type of civil disorder that is characterized by disorganized groups meeting out intense and sudden violence against people, property, or authority. Riots are chaotic and lead to the destruction of property, vandalism, loss of lives, and injuries. Riots result from dissenting people or people reacting towards perceived grievances (Thomson 14). Most riots occur when people are protesting against government taxation or oppression, poor working and living conditions, demanding higher salaries, religious or ethnic differences, and sporting hooliganism among others. Confrontations normally arise between the rioting crowd and the authorities, who try to restore calm and peace within the vicinity where the riot is taking place.

Opinion about Riots

Although many people justify the use of riots in expressing their grievances, I am totally opposed to this criminal behavior. First of all, rioting leads to the destruction of property, looting, injuries, and deaths. Rioters mete out their rage on innocent businesses and end up looting or setting a private property on fire. It is hypocritical for a rioter to demonstrate against unemployment, while at the same time engaging in destroying the livelihood of another human being and denying him or her employment as well. Riot scenes are characterized by littered streets, burnt-out vehicles, broken glasses, smashed-up windows, and fires (Sharma 12). This wanton destruction of private property, looting or torching does not solve the problem at hand be it government discrimination or oppression, but only damages people’s livelihoods. Riots also put a lot of pressure on the insurance industry as these companies receive numerous claims from the businesses that are destroyed looted or torched. Not only do riots lead to deaths and injuries of innocent people, but they also make people incur extra unplanned medical expenses. People have also been maimed or left disabled as a result of riots. This shows that riots are of no economic benefits to the country and the community at large since they only leave a massive trail of destruction (Thomson 14).

Flawed long-term government policies that often lead to social inequalities within a country have been a platform for many riots. However, rioting alone has never provided a solid solution to social problems such as unemployment, inadequate housing, or a rise in poverty levels. Such problems need a multi-faceted approach that incorporates all the relevant stakeholders so as to come up with long-term sustainable solutions. Rioting does not guarantee that the other party will look into the grievances put forward or address them fully (Sharma 12).

Riots are worse than epidemics since if they are not controlled, they spread in many places over a short period of time. The mayhem, destruction of property, and violence spread over a large area within a very short period of time and if left unchecked, riots can lead to full-blown civil unrest. For example, the 2011 UK riots started at Tottenham after the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan, a black man by a police officer. Soon afterward, the riots spread to other London suburbs and towns and across cities such as Gloucester, Manchester, Birmingham, and Liverpool. If the riots were not contained, they would have spread to the rest of the country creating chaos and civil unrest (Sharma 13).

Riots create a state of lawlessness and most of the time, criminals take advantage of the situation to commit crimes and wreak havoc. Rapes, murders, arson, muggings, and looting are common crimes committed during riots. This is because criminals blend in with the crowds and feel that when they are in a group, it is highly unlikely that one single individual can be caught or face retribution (Sharma 12).

Riots are commonly used to make a statement and yield power. Rioters feel powerful in an environment where they don’t yield much power, as they move around in large crowds causing havoc and damages. This euphoric feeling that causes an adrenaline rush entices a lot of people who would not normally do this, to join the riots (Todd 33). People participating in riots sometimes get caught up in the herd mentality and perceive this as acceptable behavior. They shed off their ethics as the herd mentality takes over and engage in bizarre and aggressive behaviours that they can never exhibit on their own. (Todd 34).

Works Cited

Sharma, Rik. “London riots: is there any justification?” The Huffington Post: London, 2011: 12-13.

Thomson Nelson. The criminal event: an introduction to criminology in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto, 2003.

Todd, Douglas. “Opinion of psychology of a riot, they found it exciting”. The Vancouver Sun, Vancouver, 2011: 33-34.

Introduction

Riots in the Arab world are a phenomenon rooted in history, dating back to the 1920s. At that time, the British occupation of the Balfour territory created tension among the Arab inhabitants. Jews and Palestinians did not co-exist peacefully in Israel at the time. When the British put forth the Balfour Declaration, the Arabs expressed their dissatisfaction through violence to show the British that variability in Israel was an important feature. The Arab riots in 1929 went a step further after the fourth Aliyah.

The first factor leading to the longstanding bitterness in the region was the British brutality. As Jews immigrated into the area, acquiring a significant piece of land, Arabs were ultimately displaced, which contributed to their loss of jobs (Kimmerling, 2005, p. 37). Their influence on major decisions in the country was also reduced.

The riots gained power in light of rumors that Jews were planning to establish a synagogue near the western wall. These riots ignited the removal of Hebron’s indigenous Jewish community (present-day Israel), ultimately leading Arabs in the Arab world to adopt radicalism (Kimmerling, 2005, p. 27).

This paper analyzes the Wadi Salib riots, which occurred in Haifa in 1959 (Elazar, 1989, p. 190), using two major models: consociational democracy and dominant party theory. The Wadi Salib riots were a sort of street demonstration characterized by vandalism in Wadi Salib, Haifa, in present-day Israel (Peretz & Gideon, 1997, p. 148).

The riots targeted ethnic profiling centered on the Mizrahi Jews. Through a comprehensive literature review, the current paper will determine to what extent the Wadi Salib riots linked the two theories of political models examined. This paper is divided into four major parts, examining the theoretical background, the historical background, and an analysis of the selected models before drawing conclusions.

Theoretical Background

Consociational Democracy Model

Lijphart (1969, p.207) illustrated the topology of various political systems. He asserted that three types of Western democracies systems exists i.e. the Anglo-American political systems practiced by United States and Britain, the continental European systems practiced by Italy, Germany and France and finally the political systems practiced by the Scandinavian and small nations.

Lijphart (1969, p.207) claims that the third type of political system are not labeled as distinct, and its elaboration is inadequate. He explains that these categories simply illustrate the amalgamation of Anglo-American and the continental Europe political structures (Lijphart, 1969, p.207). The three types of political topologies presented by Lijphart have formed an important influence in relative analysis of democratic edifices in many countries across the world. However, some critics have faulted Lijpharts topologies.

The Consociational democracy descends its importance due to a link it forms between social system and the political culture, and political solidity (Lijphart, 1969, p.207). For instance, the Anglo- American is made up of a strong identical, profane, political philosophy and a myriad role system. This suggests that, political parties, government agencies, communication Medias and interests groups hold special duties and are independent, although they are symbiotic (Lijphart, 1969, p.207).

However, in the Continental European democracies, the political structure is branded by class of political culture with a distinct “political sub-culture”. Their distinct responsibilities are anchored in the sub-cultures thus constituting distinct sub-structures of duties (Lijphart, 1969, p.207). Lijihart used the terms “Continental European” and the “Anglo-American” for convenience and thus do not necessary imply the geographical positioning is a factor for distinguishing the two systems (1969, p.208).

(Lijphart, 1969, p.208) point out that, the social system and the political structure are the cornerstone of realizing the political stability. This is evident in the Anglo- American democracies which show a relatively high degree of reliability and efficiency (Lijphart, 1969, p.208).

However, Lijphart notes that in the Continental European systems, they are unstable, branded by political rigidity thus contributing to fragmentation of the political culture. Besides, the Continental European present a threat referred to as “Caesaristic breakthrough”, risk of failure into authoritarianism as a consequence of rigidity (Lijphart, 1969, p.208).

According to Lipset, a stable democracy can be sustained if both individuals and groups commit themselves to creating supportive political connections. Almond looks at the French democracy as falling in three main categories. The French democracy according to Almonds had little exposure to the force that could regulate inelastic political approaches (Lijphart, 1969, p.210). This is unlike the US or Britain which had interconnected membership arrays.

Almond draws a further distinction between “stable democracies and rigid democracies,” by arguing that rigid democracies are often presented with fragments in their structure and culture (Lijphart, 1969, p.210). They also lack a majority support in terms of governance and process. Stable democracies on the other hand, fall into two major categories; the Anglo-American scheme that includes; “Great Britain, US and Commonwealth states.”

The second category which is the, “stable multi-party democracies of European states includes; the Scandinavian and Switzerland” (Lijphart, 1969, p.211). The Anglo-American democracies are also characterized with internal autonomy as compared to the Continental European democracies which have limited internal autonomy with aggravated political philosophy.

The role structure and political culture are often used as the basis of classifying states either as continental or Anglo-American democracies. On this basis, Almond classifies western democracies into three categories as follows “Anglo-American, Scandinavian, and the Old Commonwealth in one category, and the European democracies which comprise of Italy, France German and Australia.”

According to Lijphart (1969, p.211), divisions exist in the society as a result of strident cleavages consisting of rare or no intersecting membership and allegiances. Thus, the political solidity is strongly built on fairness and intersecting of membership.

Dominant Party Model

A dominant party theory is a system whereby a party is adept within the political framework of a country, to a magnitude that, elections just become a formality. The dominant parties become complacent and view its position in asserting authority is guaranteed. However, the dominance of a dominant party begins to weaken when it merges its party ideologies and that of the state.

Duverger (1963, p. 308) asserted that the dominance of a party, if tested by its influence on policies for the society rather than its strength, lies with the public opinion as they are the ones who determine its legitimacy. He further explained that the dominance of a party is influenced by public perceptions, which play an important role in determining those who rule or govern.

The domination of a party is not anchored to its structures of self-contained developments, but encompasses an “open” interaction to grow its influence. According to Duverger (1963, p. 309), the domination of a party may involve alternations that create stability or socialism aspects that modify the party’s original structures.

In a country where more than one party exists, changes occur in that, in each successive election, a change is witnessed so that stability is realized (Duverger, 1963, p. 309). Duverger (1963, p. 312) explained that the strength of a party sometimes diminishes when its ideologies fail to be re-invented; in such a case, merging or forming coalitions is an important factor to ensure that it survives extinction.

Historical Background

Demonstrations and mass action have existed since the 19th century. People favoring a political or alternate cause have repeatedly held demonstrations in society. Meanwhile, mass action has been an important element in the push for democracy. Riots have been used as a tool for activism to show either positive or negative support for a major social issue engulfing the majority. Riots have primarily been used to address issues of a social, political, and/or economic nature (Kimmerling, 2005, p. 106).

The Mapai Party was founded in 1930 in Israel after A. D. Gordon established a merger with Hapoel Hatzair. In the 1920s, the Labor Zionist movement led to the formation of the Histadrut Union, which conquered the Hebrew settlement’s economy and infrastructure, thereby making Mapai a dominant political party in Zionist politics (Kimmerling, 2005, p. 191).

This influential strength was behind the founding of Hashomer and Haganah, an important Jewish group formed to protect people’s property. In the early 1930s, David Ben-Gurion seized the leadership of the party, becoming a de-facto trailblazer of the Jewish community in Yishuv, present-day Palestine (p. 63).

Because of its role in the victories and independence during the Arab-Israel War of 1948, the Mapai Party received huge support, as evident in the first elections in 1949, in which the party garnered 35.7% of the total votes compared to 14.7% for the second placed Mapam Party (Peretz & Gideon, 1997, p. 4).

The 1951 elections increased Mapai’s support to 37.3% of the total votes, which translated to 47 seats, despite the nation’s economic challenges. Ben-Gurion formed the government with backing from Mizrachi, Agudat of Israel, and three coalitions linked to Mapai’s party. However, Ben-Gurion resigned in 1953, and Moshe Sharett took over Mapai’s Leadership (Kimmerling, 2005, p. 73).

In the meantime, the Mapai Party’s deteriorating support was felt in the election of 1956, garnering 32.2% of the votes, thus maintaining 40 seats, compared to 12.6% to the Heruti party (Mapai, n.d). Ben-Gurion, after coming back from resignation, emerged as prime minister, forming an alliance with the National Religious Front, which later changed its name to the National Religious Party (Elazar, 1989, p. 218).

The advent of Ben-Gurion and his coalition spirit contributed to Mapai’s strength. In the 1959 elections, the Mapai Party garnered 38.2% of the votes, keeping 47 seats. Other two parties i.e. Progress and Development and Cooperation, and the Brotherhood, were invited into the coalition by Ben-Gurion (Mapai, n.d).

The Lavon Incident, which Israeli military intelligence referred to as an abortive Israeli secret operation attempting to enlist Egyptian Jews, helped bring down the Israeli government in 1961 by underwriting the Mapai ‘s dismal performance in elections that same year (Krausz & Glanz, 1985, p. 221).

Although Ben-Gurion formed a coalition government with other parties, two events occurred during the fifth Knesset that contributed to Mapai’s declining influence. The first was Ben-Gurion’s resignation as the head of the party, citing personal reasons, and his formation of another party, Rafi. Second, leading right-wing opposition parties—Liberal and Herut—merged to form Gahal. These actions ultimately signified the end of the Knesset era as the Mapai Party had only 34 seats compared to Gahal’s 27 (Aronoff, 1993, p. 160).

The Mapai Party’s response to the strength of the opposition was to seek support from other parties with similar ideologies, resulting in an alliance with Ahdut HaAvoda to establish the Labor Alignment prior to the 1965 elections. The new party received much support, gaining 36.7% of the votes and 45 seats. Later, HaAvoda and Rafi merged to form the Israel Labor Party (Yiftachel & Meir, 1998, p. 230).

According to Peretz & Gideon (1997, p. 148) the political choices embraced by the Mapai party established a sense of deficiency and frustration. Hence, these choices sparked the Wadi Saib riots of 1959. The revolt was instigated by discrimination and poor policies of the Mapai leadership structure. The riot erupted in the Wadi Salib area of Haifa in 1959.

Many immigrants who had migrated to Israel in the several preceding years had suppressed resentment of the ruling party; they wanted political sovereignty (Sharfman, 1993, p. 64). This was later granted when North African representatives were chosen for the boards of various political parties.

Another cause of the Wadi Salib riot was the lack of adequate background knowledge of Zionism and democratic procedures. Consequently, the growth of political elites in economic echelons created inequality with the poor, particularly the immigrants. The riot stemmed from the buildup due to inequality in terms of social divide (Sharfman, 1993, p. 64). The riot focused on social issues based on ethnic discrimination. The rebellion was against the Labor Party, which governed Israel at the time.

The Wadi Salib riot was characterized by a series of street protests and hooliganism in Wadi neighborhoods. A Wadi resident, Yaakov Elkarif, was confronted by police in 1959 (Elazar, 1989, p. 190).

The man was believed to be drunk and was behaving wildly hence destabilizing peace and stability of Wadi residents. The residents were disappointed with the incident; hence, they gathered en masse and argued for violence (Shafi & Yoavi, 2000, p. 64). The local police commander came to calm the crowds and restore peace, but this proved unsuccessful.

When Elkarif died in police custody, demonstrations erupted in small gatherings, eventually growing into full riots that spread to the neighboring Carmel and Hadar, incorporating violent actions such as throwing stones, barricading streets, looting, and igniting cars. The riots also targeted nightclubs in Mapai and the Histadrut, the congress of trade unions. Taking the brunt of the violence, many police were wounded and a significant number of demonstrators arrested (Smooha, 1978, p. 209).

The riots spread quickly to larger communities of North Africa, including Migdal HaEmek, Tiberias, and Beersheba (Pedahzu, 2002, p. 16). The police claimed that the riot was not pre-planned, but rather was spontaneous.

The Wadi unrest was exposed globally, stimulating the King of Morocco to vocalize his distress regarding the dilemma of immigrants of Northern African origin in Israel (Kimmerling, 2005, p. 106). The Wadi Salib riots still echo throughout Israel’s society, reminding people of the social injustice in the initial years that prompted clashes between the Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews.

Analysis

The dominant party theory model better fits Israel’s context. The Mapai Party was dominant during this time; hence, its political decisions influenced the wider society. According to the model, the dominion of a political party has a stabilizing influence and can slow or turn its influence in the directions deemed favorable.

In the Wadi Salib riots, the political inclination cannot be overlooked. Sharfman (1993) pointed out that political ideologies, culture, and stability require building mutual and social co-existence in any given state (p. 64). This factor plays a key role in limiting the void between the governor and the governed.

In Israel, these factors contributed to widening the gap between the two mentioned groups in terms of ideologies and practices and increased divisions in society, with an intention to contain votes. Ideological profiling was substituted for profiling individuals’ symbols. For instance, Ben-Gurion was identified by achievement (Sharfman, 1993, p. 64).

The influence of profiling was not restricted to this period; indeed, it continued beyond the 1960s. The political adaptations of younger immigrants were encouraged to overlook the democratic culture and embrace the “strong man.” Consequently, they avoided the reality of embracing human rights issues and had no safety in political democracy (p. 64).

The consociational democracy model claims that failing to have proper democratic stability can create divisions in the country because it leads to the grouping of political parties, thereby encouraging social polarization. This leads to social inequality and creates tension, as witnessed in Israel in the contributing causes of the outbreak of the Wadi Salib riots.

The Wadi Salib rebellion grew from social injustice that was common in Israel at the time. The power regime (i.e., the upper-class elites) suppressed the voice of the lower-class citizens in society. The lack of effective instruments to address this social injustice with the relevant authority resulted in futile attempts to stop such injustice (Reich & Gerishon, 1993, p. 92).

Social inequality and the huge divide that existed in Israel between the rulers and the ruled left no room to address equality and commonness across the society stratum. The Mapai Party, in power at the time, used all available means to suppress the openness and failed to address the fundamentals of the society (Kimmerling, 2005, p. 73).

The shooting and ultimate killing of the innocent man combined with propagating the blame to the immigrants from other North African countries, and discrimination policies demonstrate the nature of suppressed regimes with democratic space for their citizens (Yiftachel & Meir, 1998, p. 141).

The Mapai Party undermined the political organization that ensued after the riots, which demonstrates how political regimes lack democratic space for their citizens to express their free will of expression on issues important to nation building (Kimmerling, 2005, p. 197). The party blamed the immigrants, which highlights the propaganda politicians in the dominant parties used to stay in power.

According to Sharfman (1993), political parties tend to bring about peace and stability where they govern (p. 8). The Labor Party, which was in power, had lost its grip over the society. It had failed to address the social injustices affecting the people, such as discrimination, police brutality, and law and order (Sharfman, 1993, p. 4).

The strength or the dominance of a party encompasses all facets that address issues affecting the governed. In this way, over time, it outshines other parties by gaining significant appreciation of the society. The dominance of a party is further anchored in its principles based on its political development. According to Peretz and Gideon (1997), the material and sociological factors of a party are the facets in which a political party is identified within the society (p. 74).

Sharfman (1993, p. 60) discussed in detail the social inequality that existed in Israel during this time. He stated that 11% of Israel households were extremely poor. Sharfman’s words were in contrast to how his colleagues viewed Israel as a nation. His colleagues regarded Israel as a country embracing democracy and equity (p. 58).

During the writing of the Sinai report, the poverty gap was slightly lower than in the present situation. Inequality persisted in society. Huge gaps existed in relation to salaries and other basic utilities advanced (Shafi & Yoavi, 2000, p. 124). The salaries of government employees were slightly higher than other paid employees at the time. When newspapers reported that Mapai owned a three-and-a-half room apartment, the party echelon almost killed him (Sinai, 2008).

To a larger extent, the discrimination and misery of transit camps tailored to North African immigrants contributed to the Wadi Salib rebellion. However, the formation of the Black Panthers in the 1970s provided an opportunity for equality (Sinai, 2008). The state showed signs of austerity and rationing, which were fashioned to ensure equality.

Every member of society received an equal share of margarine and oil, shoes, and furniture, and the same quantity of foreign currency (Sinai, 2008). According to Sharfman (1993), the process to create employment in the 1960s was boosted by building infrastructures such as the national water carrier, thereby improving the lives of Israel’s middle class (p. 57).

Immigrants to Israel (mostly from Northern Africa and Europe) arriving with nothing more than 20 years earlier now overwhelmingly had become homeowners—75% in the mid-1980s had cleared off their mortgages and bank debts thanks to the outcomes of the Wadi Salib rebellion (Peretz & Gideon, 1997, p. 148).

The widening gap in opportunities and lack of upward mobility led to a feeling of alienation among immigrants. The recession in 1966 contributed to the weakening of Ashkenazim and provided opportunities for immigrants from the Middle East (Kimmerling, 2005, p. 6).

According to Pedahzu (2002), after the riots, Israel society made a tremendous commitment to nation building and the recognition of immigrants (2002,p. 112). The formation of state welfare organizations was initially established in 1954; safety initiatives were also formed, creating a scheme to fold the economic gap and propel the country until the present day.

Moreover, the war of 1967, which lasted for more than four years, led to a decrease in poverty, narrowing the social voids (Pedahzu, 2002, p. 32). This is attributed to social reforms such as unemployment insurance, child allowances, disability allowances, and old-age allowances, which played an important role in lifting the living standards above the poverty line.

The consociation democracy and dominant party theory models are relevant in analyzing this case. The consociation theory outlines the formation of cleavages and groupings in which each group champions its recognition and rights in an open, democratic state. Cleavages provide a challenge for governance, as in the case of Israel.

We see the consociation theory in practice during the time of the riots. Meanwhile, the dominant party theory model encourages fuller participation of the party with greater influence in making important decisions. Thus, because of the comprehensive structure and system of organizations, the dominant party theory model represents the wider needs of the society, gaining the support it needs as evident in the Mapai Party.

However, because Israel was an emerging or young democracy, in which established structures were not strong, the theories mentioned failed to appropriately meet the required threshold of society. This may have occurred because of the weak party and ideology structures, leadership rivalry, and limited support from the wider society.

Both theories fell short of encompassing wider societal participation in the political process, thereby restricting space for special interest groups to be represented in Israel. These fixed powerful party structures failed to meet the threshold of the society in terms of security, rights, and freedom of minorities against the will of majority. A system that could address these issues would be beneficial in this case.

Conclusion

Lijphart (1969, p.207) presents three types of democracies, which are the cornerstone of modern democracies in the world. They are; Anglo-American political, continental European and the political systems practiced by the Scandinavian and small nations. Besides, Duverger (1963) affirmed that the dominance of a party is greatly influenced by its policies and ideologies rather than its own strength. These issues are measured by public opinions, which determine its legitimacy to govern or rule

Reference List

Duverger, M. (1963). Political Parties: Their Organization and Activity in the Modern State. London: Taylor & Francis.

Elazar, D. J. (1989). The Other Jews: The Sephardim Today. New York: Basic Books.

Kimmerling, B. (2005). The Invention and Decline of Israeliness: State, Society, and the Military. California: University of California Press

Krausz, E., & Glanz, D. (1985). Politics and Society in Israel. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers.

Lijphart, A. (1969).Consociational Democracy, World politics, 21 (2), pp. 207-225

Mapai, (n.d). Mapai. Web.

Pedahzu, A. (2002). The Israeli Response to Jewish Extremism and Violence: Defending Democracy. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

Peretz, D., & Gideon, D. (1997). The Government and Politics of Israel. Colorado: Westview Press.

Reich, B., & Gershon, R. K. (1993). Israel, Land of Tradition and Conflict. Colorado: Westview Press.

Shafi, G., & Yoav, P. (2000). The New Israel: Peacemaking and Liberalization. Colorado: Westview Press.

Sharfman, D. (1993). Living Without a Constitution: Civil Rights In Israel. New York: M. E. Sharpe.

Sinai, R. (2008). When Equality Was A Goal. Web.

Smooha, S., (1978). Israel, Pluralism and Conflict. London: Taylor & Francis.

Yiftachel, O., & Meir, A. (1998). Ethnic Frontiers and Peripheries: Landscapes of Development and Inequality In Israel. Colorado: Westview Press.

The issue of inmate riots and disturbances is still urgent for the prison environment in spite of the constant focus on the problem’s causes and on the administration’s preventive actions. The problem is in the fact that it is necessary to concentrate on the particular features of the prison environment’s development because it develops and changes according to the specific rules.

That is why, it is important to focus on the latest research results and approaches to discussing the question of the inmate riots and disturbances. Although there are several categories according to which inmate riots and disturbances are classified, it is possible to work out management policies and preventive actions and techniques which can be successfully used to regulate the prison environment.

The factors which cause inmate riots and disturbances can be divided into three groups. It is important to determine such general factors as the specifics of the prison environment and the antisocial background of prisoners. The second group of factors is associated with the peculiarities of the prison management which can be effective or ineffective to control the development of riots and disturbances.

The third group of factors includes situational factors which are based on the specifics of the prisoners’ interactions with each other (Homel & Thomson, 2005, p. 103). From this point, it is necessary to refer to the figures of leaders among the prisoners who organize the bands and can act against the prison administrators in order to achieve the definite goals which are often connected with changing the conditions of imprisonment.

Thus, the riots or disturbances can be caused by stress affected by the situation of being imprisoned; can be planned to achieve the definite goal and weaken the authority of the prison administrators; can be based on the interpersonal conflicts and certain political or racial issues; and can be provoked in response to the inadequate actions of the prison administrators (Seiter, 2011). That is why, the methods of preventing and regulating the riots and disturbances should be also based on the factor caused the violence.

Prison administrators use a range of actions to control the dynamic prison environment and prevent the violent riots. The main methods are associated with improving the supervision of prisoners and increasing the level of the general security. Moreover, the management style and models used by the staff should fit the major requirements to the staff position because the inadequate staff’s practices as well as excessive restrictions can provoke the further riots and contribute to increasing the level of unrest in prison.

To prevent riots and disturbances, prison administrators can operate the system of rewards for prisoners, intensify the security measures, provide the treatment programs, and guarantee the usage of education and vocational programs (Homel & Thomson, 2005, p. 104). These measures can be successfully used to reduce the development of violence within the prison environment. Furthermore, it is important to control the tendency according to which prisoners are inclined to form bands basing on their background and antisocial experience.

The factors which cause violent inmate riots and disturbances are closely connected with the particular features of the prison environment and with situations because of which people were imprisoned. Moreover, any conflict situation in prison can result in a significant riot. Thus, prison administrators focus on the treatment programs, effective management styles, and security measures in order to prevent the growth of violence in prison.

References

Homel, R., & Thomson, C. (2005). Causes and prevention of violence in prisons. In S. O’Toole & S. Eyland (Eds.), Corrections criminology (pp. 101-108). Sydney: Hawkins Press.

Seiter, R. P. (2011). Corrections: An introduction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

In the early nineties, American society had to struggle with political and racial tensions. In part, these conflicts manifested themselves in the Los Angeles riots that broke out in 1992. This paper is aimed at discussing the way in which riots are reflected in the play Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, written by Anna Deavere Smith. In particular, this literary work illustrates the views of different characters on these events. One should demonstrate how the opinions of these people are affected by their social status, race, or gender. These are the main questions that should be examined more closely.

It should be mentioned that these riots were sparked by the trial of Rodney King. This African-American male was arrested and beaten by police. More importantly, this video was recorded and made public. The trial of this case necessitated the change of venue. In other words, it was necessary to try this case in a different location in order to ensure the impartiality of jurors. The court decided to exonerate police officers from the charges of excessive force. The defense attorneys believed that Rodney King resisted the police officers, but these moments were not captured in the video. This decision of the court led to violent protests against racial inequality in the United States.

In her play, Anna Deavere Smith attempts to illustrate various perspectives on this play. Some of these people did not want to be involved in this turmoil. For instance, one can speak about the Korean woman, Mrs. June Park. She does not understand why her husband had to “get shot” (Smith, 153). This woman stresses the idea her husband was a hard-working man; furthermore, he was always willing to donate money to various community needs. She wants to emphasize the idea that the social status of her family was achieved through hard labor. Thus, she does not know why the Korean community has to suffer from these riots. One should keep in mind that during the riots, many of the Korean stores were burned or robbed. On the whole, people like Mrs. June Park believed that their security could be threatened. So, many of them could have negative attitudes towards these protests.

Additionally, one can refer to the opinions expressed by Maxine Waters, who was a congresswoman at the time when the riots took place. Admittedly, she does not support the violent actions of the protestors. Nevertheless, she believes that these events were incited by institutional racism (Smith, 167). Her perspective is influenced by such factors as race and social status. As a black person, she is keenly aware of injustice caused by racism. She notes that African-American youth could suffer from unemployment, food insecurity, and lack of educational opportunities (Smith 168). Moreover, their needs were excluded from public discourse. This person also believes that not all of the protestors were criminals. Nevertheless, as a person, who occupies a very high social status, she does not accept violence because it can only provoke other conflicts. Thus, she tries to express a balanced opinion on this problem.

On the whole, these examples indicate that the representatives of different social groups may have various opinions on the Los Angeles riots. Some of them wanted to shield themselves against the dangers associated with these events. In turn, other people attempt to evoke sympathy for the protestors.

Works Cited

Smith, Anna. Twilght: Los Angeles, 1992, New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2014. Print.

The Chicago Race Riot was the conflict between white citizens and African-Americans on the basis of race. Due to the fact that this conflict lasted for a week, and as a result of it, thirty-eight people died, it is considered the most influential confrontation on the basis of race in the United States (Hartfield, 20). The Chicago Race Riot is an example of the racial tensions that continue to affect modern-day America.

The conflict happened in Chicago, where many of the African-Americans from the South decided to settle (Hartfield, 20). This resulted in the rapid expansion of the African-American community. The white Americans began confrontations with the ethnic minorities because the newly arrived African-Americans competed with other ethnic groups for jobs (Hartfield, 20). Moreover, the economic and social environment of the state was changing after WW I, which also contributed to the racial tensions between the two groups. The racial disagreements, interstate migration, and economic difficulties served as the basis for the conflict.

The riots began after an African-American minor died because white children threw stones at him. The event that triggered the confrontation was the death of Eugene Williams, who was 17 years old at that time (Bates). He and his friends were swimming at a segregated beach but eventually swum to the area dedicated to white people. As a result, people at this beach began throwing rocks at Williamson, which caused him to drown (Hartfield, 20). This event only heightened the racial tentions that were present before and prompted an open confrontation since black neighborhoods were attacked by a mob after Williams’ friends provided details of the incident. The negligence of the police and the local government contributed to the continuation of the protests.

The Chicago race riots have an impact on the lives of people today. This was one of several race-based conflicts in the history of the United States that prompted the legislators to review the existing laws and grant freedoms to all citizens, as guaranteed by the Constitution. In 1922, a commission consisting of white and black Americans was established to investigate the true cause of the conflict (Hartfield, 20). The results showed that the tension was caused by veterans returning from WWI and not being able to return to their jobs caused this unrest. Notably, the majority of the attackers were recent immigrants, yet their worries about jobs, segregation, and black vote prompted them to engage in violence against African-Americans (Green). In his article for the New York Times, Green argues that this riot continues to impact Americans to this day by stating that “Chicago’s 1919 Race Riot was a bridge toward, as well as a break from, a racial order.” Hence, this riot was an example of racially motivated violence that serves as an example of why equality should be the central concern for contemporary society.

Overall, this paper focuses on the Chicago Race Riot of 1919. The riots were caused by the increasing tensions between the two groups. The African-Americans migrated to Chicago from the southern regions. The European immigrants and veterans of WW I were concerned about losing jobs and violently attacked the community of African-American citizens. Today, we can learn from these protests because they show that ignoring inequality and racial tentions can lead to severe consequences and violence, which is why equality should be the priority.

References

Bates, Karen. “Red Summer In Chicago: 100 Years After The Race Riots.” NPR, 2019. Web.

Hartfield, Claire. A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919. Clarion Books, 2018.

Green, Adam. “How a Brutal Race Riot Shaped Modern Chicago.” The New York Times, 2019. Web.

Introduction

The relations between white and black citizens of the United States always attract the attention of different representatives from the press and TV. One of the most significant events, which affected a lot the rights of African Americans and other not “native” citizens of America, were the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The background for those riots was the arrest of one African American man, Rodney King, by white police officers on March 3, 1992. The point is that the black man was beaten before the very arrest.

Numerous injuries and wounds, a videotape, and numerous depositions were the strongest arguments of the officers’ guilt and their carelessness. Rodney King had to pass through three plastic operations to look like a normal man, as he was before the arrest. (Smith 46) However, April 29, 1992, was the date when four of five police officers were acquitted, and only one of them, Laurence Powell, was accused. In response to such injustice, numerous riots broke out in a moment on the streets of Los Angeles.

Even if the Los Angeles riots lasted about 5-6 days, their effects were rather considerable: lots of innocent families and children faced losses; they were scared both to go outside and to stay at home because the anger of African Americans and other minorities in the United States had no limits and distinctions.

1992 LA Riots: the Beginning

In fact, at the beginning of 1992, people faced numerous problems: high unemployment, car culture, and race inequality. Any of these factors may serve as a good starting point to the rebellions and riots. People did not get opportunities to earn for living and use their potential to develop.

However, the verdict against the police officers was that very straw that evoked all anger and misunderstandings among society. The participation of the press and the publicity of the case and its details provided people with the opportunity to follow the events and analyze who was wrong and who was right.

“The LA riots erupted on 29 April 1992 after a jury acquitted four LS police officers accused in the beating of Rodney King, a black motorist who, while driving under the influence of alcohol, had led California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles Police Department officers on a high-speed chase and subsequently attempted to assault the arresting officers.” (Fastabend et al. 90)

During those days, one of the most terrible disturbances made by the civilians took place in the history of Los Angeles. At the very first day, more than two dozen rebels were admitted to the room of Martin Luther King Center; and about eight people were killed (Los Angeles Times). It was only the beginning. No one knew what would be further.

The Rising of Discontent during the 1992 LA Riots

The riots, which started on April 29, 1992, were considered to be peaceful, and the only purpose that the rebels wanted to achieve was to protest against the verdict of the courthouse. However, with some time, the crowd, gathered outside the Simi Valley (Ventura County), became angry and started swamping the LAPD representatives. Beating and screams could not be stopped from that period. People wanted justice. Rioters started setting fire to business officers and beating their owners.

They stole the cars both empty and with some people inside. Those who tried to resist were beaten. It did not matter whether there was a family, young lady, or an old man – rioters did not make distinctions.

They had the only purpose to destroy everything in their ways and demonstrate their power and rights. “The 1992 L.A. riots involved a rainbow of ethnic and racial groups as both victims and perpetrators. The multiethnic conflict punctured the myth that had been carefully nurtured by the city’s politicians and corporate executives.” (Buff 267)

Some business owners were ready to defend their properties. For example, the Korean-American store owners decided to use the same “assault weapons” against the assailants to save their products and not to allow people to hurt their families. (Pratt, 23) Because of such cruel attacks, people could not leave their houses and other building without proper protection. Mothers were worried about their children. During those several days, they thought over that terrible future, in which their children could live in.

People did not see another way to rebel but start beating the others to show that every person on the planet had some power and could use it any time. Children’s fights at classes flared out with an unbelievable speed. The video, where police officers beat Rodney King, was available everywhere. Both grown-ups and children could watch it.

Even the grown-ups could understand how unfair and wrong all those actions were, children, did not want to plunge into details and tried to find any possible reason to start fighting. Was it right to show the video to everybody? Hardly! People should be able to be responsible for their actions, and not every child is ready to comprehend the idea of crime and punishment.

“During the L.A. riots, as TV cameras rolled, white truck driver Reginald Denny was pulled from his cab and nearly beaten to death by what came to be known as the “L.A. 4+”, seven young black men.” (Friedman and Squire 84) It was a kind of response to the actions of March 3, 1992. The point is that almost all black people supported those actions. They underlined the fact that if white people had the right to beat and main black citizens, all offended African Americans should have the same right.

The Consequences of the 1992 LA Riots

In six days, almost all the rebels were arrested. Half of the population blamed Rodney King for such a situation. However, such fame of his was not beneficial to him and his family at all. One day he said a wonderful phrase, “Can we all just get along?” (Time) Of course, this only phrase could not stop all those angry African Americans and other dissatisfied minorities. However, with the help of armed force, the situation was changed for the better.

Rodney King won more than $3 millions from the City of Los Angeles during the case concerning the beating by the police officers. However, the great part of all this money he decided to spend on the city’s recovering. People could not continue living in such conditions, the conditions caused by his careless driving and officers’ madness.

During those six days, Los Angeles was full of fire, smog, and screaming. The losses of these days were really huge. For the city of peace and calm, 58 deaths, more than 12 000 arrests, 7 000 fires, and numerous injuries were too much. The total damage was about $717 million (Los Angeles Times).

Among the whole population of Los Angeles, the Asian representatives suffered a lot. White Americans also faced numerous losses (moral and financial). “The tragic intergroup tensions that caused a near meltdown of black-Asian Pacific relations during the 1992 Los Angeles riots can best be understood in terms of an ethnic succession model involving conflicts over neighborhood turf, business opportunities, and political preferment.” (Nakanishi and Lai 239)

Conclusion

People always can find a reason for the quarrel; the only thing they need is a desire. In 1992, the situation in Los Angeles was not simple. People did want to work and help their families. However, racial inequality and ethnicity played a crucial role, even during those times. This world may be symbolically divided into two parts: whites and blacks. Is it possible that people of any race can comprehend each other without additional force and losses?

The events of April 29, 1992, demonstrate how to own innocent breaking of set traffic regulations may lead to several day-lasting riots and deaths. There is no person in the world, who wants to break some rule. From time to time, it is inherent to any human being. However, no person in the world has the right to judge and kill.

The police officers broke lots of rule, and some families lost their members. The impact of the 1992 Los Angeles riots on families is really great, because people of different age, race, and status were involved into those actions, the actions, which cost 58 lives in 6 days.

Works Cited

Buff, Rachel. Immigrant Rights in the Shadows of Citizenship. New York: NYU Press, 2008.

Charting the Hours of Chaos. Los Angeles Times. 2002. Web.

Fastabend, David, Schnaubelt, Christopher, M., Mendel, William, W., and Munger, Murl, D. Military Aid to Civil Authorities. DIANE Publishing, 1999.

Friedman, Ellen, G. and Squire, Corinne. Morality USA. U of Minnesota Press, 1998.

Gray, Madison. The L.A. Riots: 15 Years after Rodney King. Copyright Times Inc. 2007. Web.

Nakanishi, Don, T. and Lai, James, S. Asian American Politics. Rowman & Littlefield, 2003.

Pratt, Larry. “Of Assault Weapons, Gun Control, and the Second Amendment.” The Washington Times. June 7, 1996, 23.

Smith, Anna, D. Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992. Dramatist’s Play Service, 2003.