Civil unrest is a broad term that is typically used by law enforcement to describe unrest that is caused by a group of people.[1] Civil disorder is also described as “any public disturbance involving acts of violence by assemblages of three or more persons, which cause an immediate danger of or results in damage or injury to the property or person of any other individual.”[2] during civil disorder people generally choose not to observe a certain law, regulation to rule, this is usually to bring attention to their cause or concern. Civil disturbance can include a form of protest against major socio-political problems. It is essentially the breakdown of orderly society, of which examples can include: illegal parades, sit-ins, riots, sabotage, and other forms of crime. Even on occasions where it is typically intended to be a demonstration to the public or the government, such can escalate into general chaos.
Civil disorder can take many forms such as small gatherings or mass groups of people often blocking access to a specific building or disrupting day-to-day activities. Creating loud noises, shouting, or marching down public roads or streets are generally the disruptions that occur in civil disorder. The severity of civil disorder can get out of hand leading to a riot.
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Some examples of civil disorder that have occurred in the United States include the protests related to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and protests against the Vietnam War in the early 1970s.
1992 Los Angeles riots
The 1992 Los Angeles riots, also known as the Rodney King riots, the South Central riots, the 1992 Los Angeles civil disturbance, the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest, and the Los Angeles uprising,[1] were a series of riots, lootings, arsons, and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California in April and May 1992. The unrest began in South Los Angeles on April 29 after a trial jury acquitted four officers of the Los Angeles Police Department of the use of excessive force in the videotaped arrest and beating of Rodney King. It then spread throughout the Los Angeles metropolitan area as thousands of people rioted over a six-day period following the announcement of the verdict.
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Widespread looting, assault, arson, and killings occurred during the riots, and estimates of property damage were over $1 billion. Order was only restored after members of the California Army National Guard, the 7th Infantry Division, and the 1st Marine Division were called in to stop the rioting when local police could not control the situation. In total, 58 people were killed during the riots, more than 2,000 people were injured, and more than 11,000 were arrested. LAPD chief of police Daryl Gates, who had already announced his resignation by the time of the riots, took much of the institutional blame.
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2015 Baltimore protests
On April 12, 2015, Baltimore Police Department officers arrested Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American resident of Baltimore, Maryland. Gray sustained injuries to his neck and spine while in transport in a police vehicle. On April 18, 2015, after Gray's subsequent coma, the residents of Baltimore protested in front of the Western district police station.[1][2] Gray died the following day, April 19, 2015, a week after the arrest.
Further protests were organized after Gray's death became public knowledge, amid the police department's continuing inability to adequately or consistently explain the events following the arrest and the injuries. Spontaneous protests started after the funeral service, although several included violent elements. Civil unrest continued with at least twenty police officers injured, at least 250 people arrested, 285 to 350 businesses damaged, 150 vehicle fires, 60 structure fires,[13] 27 drugstores looted,[14] thousands of police and Maryland National Guard troops deployed, and with a state of emergency declared in the city limits of Baltimore.[15][16] The state of emergency was lifted on May 6.[17]
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On May 1, 2015, Gray's death was ruled by the medical examiner to be a homicide. Six officers were charged with various offenses, including second-degree murder, in connection with Gray's death.[18] Three officers were subsequently acquitted; in July 2016, following the acquittals, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby dropped charges against the remaining three officers.[19]
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Cincinnati riots of 2001
The Cincinnati riots of 2001 were a series of civil disorders which took place in and around the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio from April 9 to 13, 2001. The riots were the largest urban disturbance in the United States since the 1992 Los Angeles riots[citation needed].
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The riots were sparked after 19-year-old Timothy Thomas, an unarmed African American man, was shot and killed by Cincinnati Police Department Patrolman Stephen Roach during an attempt to arrest him for non-violent misdemeanors, most of which were traffic citations. Tensions were already high in the city following a series of other incidents of alleged police brutality and racial profiling, including two deaths. Protests erupted into four nights of rioting in Cincinnati, with rioters throwing objects at police officers, vandalizing and looting businesses before a city-imposed curfew effectively ended the unrest.
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Ultimately it was determined the riots caused $3.6 million in damage to businesses and another $1.5 to $2 million to the city. A subsequent community boycott of downtown businesses had an estimated adverse impact of $10 million on the area. Incidents of violent crime rose in the downtown area for several years thereafter. The city worked with the community and police to improve training and policies to prevent incidents like that in which Thomas was fatally wounded.
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St. Petersburg, Florida riots of 1996
Two white police officers, Jim Knight and Sandra Minor, saw the gold sports car speeding on 18th Avenue S, on October 24, 1996. Knight, who was driving, flipped on the police car’s emergency lights and stopped the car near the intersection at 16th Street.
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In court documents, Knight says he told the driver, 18-year-old Tyron Lewis, to turn off the car’s engine and show his hands. Instead, Knight says, Lewis bumped him at least six times with the car. Witnesses would later say Lewis’ car rolled at the speed of a baby’s crawl. Lewis’ passenger, Eugene Young, who was not shot, recalled Lewis saying: “Please don’t shoot, please don’t shoot, I ain’t even got nothing!” Knight told his partner to smash the car’s windows with her baton. As she did, Knight says Lewis attempted to turn the car. Knight was knocked onto the gold hood. He fired his Glock semiautomatic pistol three times, hitting Lewis twice in the arm and once in the chest. He died at the scene.[2]
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During the investigation immediately following this event, a large crowd had gathered and became agitated due to the police department not sharing information and a number of witnesses describing events. The situation quickly got out of hand and the crowd began throwing rocks, bottles, and other items at police officers.[3]
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Police officers received reinforcements from other local agencies and off-duty St. Petersburg Police officers. As officers and Sheriff deputies shot tear gas into the crowd and dispersed the initial crowd at 16th Street and 18th Avenue South, a number of individuals continued rioting through the area of St. Petersburg known as Midtown. 705th Military Police Company, Florida National Guard was activated and arrived at the riots to assist local police officers.[citation needed]
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At least 20 people were arrested and 28 arson fires were confirmed as groups of youths ran back and forth throughout the night, throwing rocks, bricks and bottles at officers in riot gear, businesses and passing cars.[3] At least 11 people were injured, including a police officer who was shot and a newspaper photographer who was beaten, as hundreds of people swarmed through the streets after the shooting on October 24.[4] Stores were looted and thick smoke clouded the neighborhood just north of downtown.
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