Civil Rights Protest and Riots: A Disappearing Distinction

An attempt is made to analyze ghetto riots in the US in relation to theories & concepts in collective behavior, soc movements & revolutions. It is noted that the riots tend to have a certain degree of emergent org, action focused against a collective enemy, statement of pol'al demands, & negotiations rather than simply random, irrational, hostile behavior. Riot participants tend to be those with realistic grievances, to have blocked aspirations, to be relatively deprived, to be status inconsistent, to be pol'ly knowledgeable, to have participated in civil rights activites, & to exhibit a high degree of Black Consciousness & hostility toward the governing bodies & whites in general. It is concluded that ghetto riots have become a part of the developing tactics of the civil rights movement. The concept 'creative rioting' is coined to describe the use of riots as a tactic within an ongoing soc movement. AA.