NCJ Number
82777
Date Published
1971
Length
72 pages
Annotation
This report reviews all the data on race-related civil disorders for the years 1967 to 1969 in the form of a comparative analysis; the primary data sources are newspaper accounts.
Abstract
Data are analyzed from three separate perspectives: yearly incidence of disorders, racial/ethnic identification of civilian participants, and the seriousness of the violence. Within each perspective, attention is focused on such disorder characteristics as temporal and geographic distribution of events, characteristics of the cities in which disorders occur, relationship between school-related and nonschool events, social and economic costs of disorders, and governmental response to events. Data reveal that between 1967 and 1969, cities throughout the country were torn by outbursts of race-related civil disorders. Even if only the most serious events, (arson, firebombing, looting, and sniping) are considered, 701 incidents are recorded for the period. In 1967, 77 percent of the disorders were attributed to blacks; by 1969, the proportion had decreased to 40 percent. Eighty-nine percent of all disorders took place in noneducational settings during 1967. In 1969, 58 percent of the civil disorders took place in schools. In 1967, disorders were concentrated in the summer months, but by 1969, they were spread throughout the entire year. Concerning the seriousness of the events, in 1967, 66 percent of the disorders involved one or more extreme acts; in 1969, only 25 percent of the events involved extremely violent acts by civilian participants. Despite the nationwide potential for disorders, the importance of local factors which prevent or provoke outbreaks, must be emphasized. Six references, figures, and tables are provided. Tabular data are appended.