Why is it that a protest demonstration that began peacefully becomes a mob and clashes with the police?



On May 25, 2020, a

riot triggered by the death of a black policeman George Floyd detained in police in Minneapolis, Minnesota resulted in a violent clash between police and mob protesters. It is unfolding. In this way, FiveThirtyEight, a news site focusing on politics and public opinion formation, is examining 'Why does a peaceful demonstration develop into a violent exchange?'

De-escalation Keeps Protesters And Police Safer. Departments Respond With Force Anyway. | FiveThirtyEight
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/de-escalation-keeps-protesters-and-police-safer-heres-why-departments-respond-with-force-anyway/

Edward Maguire, a professor of criminology at Arizona State University, said from a study (PDF file) of cases of riots and police suppression that has accumulated over the last 50 years or so: If you do so, you will escalate peaceful protests.' Despite these facts, it is still common for the police to use a tear bomb and weapons to suppress the situation and the protesters will respond to it with violence and arson. It is said that both protesters have a cause.



According to Mr. Maguire, police did not have a high-pressure strategy to provoke protesters between the 1980s and the 1990s, but instead responded by other means. ``There used to be a simpler scenario in the past,'' said Ronald Serpas, a former police chief in New Orleans, Louisiana and Nashville, Tennessee, who retired and was a professor of criminology at Loyola University in New Orleans. The police met with the protesters and put together rules to justify their right to protest,' he added.

It was the collision of police and civil society at

the Third World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference held in 1999 in Seattle, USA that triggered the collapse of the relationship of trust between the police and the protesters. At this time, protesters blocked traffic and blocked traffic of concerned parties, destroyed windows of the building, and engaged in violent protest activities that set it apart from the past, resulting in confusion in the ministerial conference and trade negotiations. Has broken up. At this time, the police also enforced crackdown using tear gas and rubber bullets. Since this one, also known as the 'Battle of Seattle,' the relationship of trust between the police and the protesters has been lost.


by Steve Kaiser

The police said that they would be wary with heavy equipment from the beginning: “It is difficult to estimate the appropriate range of force because there is no guarantee that the demonstration will end in peace and protests may develop in an unpredictable direction. That is also one of the factors. 'Because demos aren't a place to make friends, we don't just have to be friendly,' said Scott Thomson, a former police chief in Camden, NJ.

There are also some voices from the scene who point out that dialogue is impossible unless the police and the protesters are cultivated on a regular basis. James Ginger, a former police officer in Evansville, Indiana, said, 'Frankly speaking, it's not a good idea to go out and find someone who can talk to you after the demonstration. Before you can plant, you must first plow the soil.'

However, it is not easy for police to turn to a chest opening strategy. For example, the Atlanta Police Department chief Erica Shields, wearing a short-sleeved uniform in front of the crowd, listened to protests during the riot that occurred on May 30. At this time, Shields sent a message that empathized with the position of African Americans suffering from racism, and said, 'It is important to train police officers and eliminate bad police officers,' He showed the idea of changing the awareness of police officers.



The action of Chief Shields has received great praise centered on SNS, and it seemed that the riotousness of the Atlanta police and the protesters would be resolved. However, in Atlanta on the same day 'as being in possession of a gun, police officers in Atlanta police station but it was restrained by dragged the men and women of young college students in the stun gun from the car, the gun was not seized' that the incident occurred and , The trust that was born between Chief Shields and the citizens has become a bubble.

In this way, there is a big difference in consciousness among police stations, because there is a great disconnection between police officers of different ranks and between executives, so there is a climate that the organization can not unite in the police station. It is said that it is spread.

Former police chief in Madison, Wisconsin, David Cooper advocates a ``Madison model,'' where police and protesters communicate by listening to protesters and dispatching empathetic police officers. I will. In his book, Mr. Cooper said, 'The Madison model is a way to maintain democracy, by eradicating police officers who say,'We're kicking our ass, so order is kept.' If you are not convinced, I'm sorry but look for another job.”

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