Essay On Rioting And Urban Violence

This last essay aims to shed some light on the issue of rioting and urban violence in American cities and the role it played in shaping the public opinion on race relations. This essay will use the discussion from class and the article by Melissa Hickman Barlow to achieve soundness while addressing the issue of urban violence. Rioting and urban violence are ways for individuals to show their opposition to government policies or practices. During the Civil Right Movement in America, there were lots of protests and riots which were for the equal rights and freedoms for the black community. Reports on rioting normally portray it as single event unrelated to the larger issue which led the urban violence to initiate. Rioting in America has normally been conducted by African Americans and other minorities who are protesting and when the protesting turns violent, rioting begins. The following are major riots which have occurred in the United States and in all of the authorities and agents of the government have the reason for the commencement of …show more content…
Rioting is never posed as positive and this is especially when the rioters are racial minorities and the individuals impacted are the majority, white population, this speaks to the broader issue of race relations and crime reporting. Rioting is never shown in the media as civil disobedience, community solidarity or empowerment by the people who are suffering unequal treatment due to current practices in place, such as; police brutality or racism. Furthermore, media corporations are reluctant to address the positive impact social unrest might bring for the group who is rioting. For example, the rioting in Ferguson was seen as large scale urban violence conducted by African Americans, but it fails to acknowledge the issues which have come to attention as a result; police racism towards black