Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-2018
Keywords
Kerner Commission, National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, Democratic policing, Protest, Riots, Ferguson
Abstract
The Kerner Commission identified factors contributing to police ineffectiveness during the 1960s civil disorders. Since release of the Kerner report, the frequency and intensity of civil disorders has declined and the policing of disorders has changed. Using the report recommendations as a framework, we analyze changes in police disorder management during the 2014 events in Ferguson as these involve operational planning and equipment. Data for the Ferguson case are constructed from media reports, police and activist accounts, after action reports, and field observations. We link changes seen in Ferguson to larger institutional changes in law enforcement over the last fifty years. We conclude with discussions on what did and did not work in the policing of Ferguson and highlight implications for policing of protest and disorder in the twenty-first century.
Publication Title
RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences
Volume
4
Issue
6
First Page
122
Last Page
143
DOI
10.7758/RSF.2018.4.6.06
Required Publisher's Statement
This is an open access article published by RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences September 2018, 4 (6) 122-143; DOI: https://doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2018.4.6.06
Link to the online article: https://www.rsfjournal.org/content/4/6/122
Recommended Citation
Gillham, Patrick and Gary T. Marx. “Change and Continuity in the Policing of Civil Disorders Since Release of the 1968 Kerner Report: A Case Study of Ferguson, MO Protests, 2014.” Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 4(6):122-143.
Subjects - Topical (LCSH)
Riots--Missouri--Ferguson--Research; Law enforcement--United States--History--20th century
Subjects - Names (LCNAF)
United States. National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders; Ferguson (Mo.). Police Department
Geographic Coverage
Ferguson (Mo.); United States
Genre/Form
articles
Type
Text
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
