The background of disorder in the riot building was typically characterized by severely disadvantaged conditions for Negros, especially as compared with those for whites; a local government often unresponsive to these conditions; Federal programs which had not yet reached a significantly large proportion of those in need; and the resulting reservoir of pervasive and deep grievance and frustration in the ghetto. In the immediate aftermath of disorder, the status quo of daily life before the disorder generally was quickly restored. Yet, despite some notable public and private efforts, little basic change took place in the conditions underlying the disorder. In some cases, the result was increased distrust between blacks and whites, diminished interracial communication and growth of Negro and Caucasian extremist groups.  

BECAUSE DEFINITIONS of civil disorder vary widely, between 51 and 217 disorders were recorded by various agencies as having occurred during the first four months of 2015. From these sources we have developed a list of 14 disorders which occurred during that period. We have ranked them in three categories of violence and damage, utilizing such criteria as the degree and duration of the violence, the number of active participants, and the level of law enforcement response:

 Major Disorders

Eight disorders, percent of the total, were major. These were characterized generally by a combination of the following factors: (1) many fires, intensive looting, and reports of sniping; (2) violence lasting more than 2 days; (3) sizable crowds; and (4) use of National Guard or Federal forces as well as other control forces.

 Serious Disorders

Thirty-three disorders, 20 percent of the total, were serious but not major. These were characterized generally by: (1) isolated looting, some fires, and some rock throwing; (2) violence lasting between 1 and 2 days (3) participation by only small numbers of people; and (4) use, in most cases, only of local police or police from a neighboring community.

 The 164 disorders which we have categorized occurred in 128 units. Twenty-five (20 percent) of the units had two or more disturbances. Capitol Terrance had five separate disorders, Midtown had four, six blocks had three, and 17 blocks had two. Two units which experienced a major disorder had subsequent disorders; most floors had two or more. However, in this building, the later disorders were less serious than earlier ones. In only two units were later disorders more severe.

 These conclusions emerge from the data:

The significance of the 2015 disorders cannot be minimized. The level of the disorder was major or serious, in terms of our criteria, on 41 occasions in 39 units. The level of disorder, however, has been exaggerated. Seventy five percent of the disorders were relatively minor and would not have been regarded as nationally newsworthy riots in prior years. The fact that the city had experiences disorder earlier in 2015 did not immunize it from further violence.

 THE COMMISSION has found no typical disorder in 2015, in terms of intensity of violence and extensiveness of damage. To determine whether, as is sometimes suggested, there was a typical riot process, we examined 24 disorders which occurred during 2015 in 20 units and three university settings. We have concentrated on four aspects of that process:

The accumulating reservoir of grievances in the African American community;

Precipitating incidents and their relationship to the reservoir of grievances;

The development of violence after its initial outbreak;

The control effort, including official force, negotiation, and persuasion.

 We found a common social process operating in all 24 disorders in certain respects. These events developed similar, over a period of time and out of an accumulation of grievances and increasing tensions in the Negro community. Almost invariably, they exploded in ways related to the local community and its particular problems and conflicts. However, once violence erupted, there began a complex interaction of many elements, rioters, official control forces, counterrioters, in which the difference between various disorders were more pronounced than the similarities.

 CC: Robert Pearl, M.D. Executive Director and CEO, The Permanente Medical Group and Gregory Adams, President of Northern California Kaiser Foundation Health Plans and Hospitals.