Collective Behavior

& The L.A. Riots Essay, Research Paper

On April 29th, 1992 night was turned into day by over 5000 fires set by an mob of protesters in response to the verdict of People vs. Powell. Hordes of angry citizens, mostly from the low income areas of inner-city Los Angeles, ignored social norms,

lifornia state laws, and the Los Angeles Police Department; they created utter chaos only hours after the verdicts were announced. Over the course of three days, 58 people died, millions of dollars of damage was incurred, and the citizens of Southern C

ifornia were left with a deep emotional scar. The city was transformed from a relatively peaceful metropolis into a state of anarchy and pandemonium. The actions of the crowd during the Los Angeles riots displayed the classic characteristics of collect

e behavior; these actions were spontaneous and unplanned, with a lack of individual accountability.

The fear and tension about the mayhem that had erupted spread to many neighborhoods as well. There was a curfew enacted, from 7 am to 7 pm, and the subject of many conversations centered around whether or not the looting would spread.

Parents refused to let their children out, and the increased police presence was noticeable. Streets were eerily silent, and the normally crowded malls and coffee shops went empty when the sun went down.

Gustav Lebon’s definition of collective behavior states that the ego and the super ego disappear and behavior is controlled only by the id, “the part of the psyche associated with instinctual needs and drives.” His theory deals with the unconscious be

vioral takeover which occurs within the people of the crowd. According to Lebon, a crowd is defined as a group of people that are acting together and not just caught up in their own thoughts. The crowd has no spirit, reason, or judgment. It sees noth

g as impossible, will believe anything, and can even hallucinate. It provides a haven for people who are feeling insignificant and insecure, giving them a false sense of strength and invincibility. All personal feelings are replaced by the suggestion

and ideas of the crowd, causing the crowd to be “controlled by force, not reason.” Animal instincts simply take over. The crowd “goes to the extreme and ignores all evidence to the contrary,” eliminating the free will of the individual. A crowd effec

intelligence and emotions, allowing the individual, who would normally know they are responsible for their actions, to act without check.After the Los Angeles riots in spring of 1992, almost everyone in the country tried to explain why riots occur. W

can easily see how riots evolve from simple crowds to chaotic masses by applying LeBon’s theory of collective behavior to the stages of developing riots. We are able to answer the question of why the Los Angeles riots occurred from a sociological point

f view by utilizing his theory. Several precipitating factors and pre-existing conditions permitted the riots to transpire: why the crowd assembled, the generative stage of the crowd, how the crowd developed into a riot, police responsiveness, an

the socio-economic status of crowd participants.

Once the verdict was issued, throngs of people gathered in the streets. However, this did not necessarily mean that a riot was imminent. A crowd is not a potential riot solely because it assembles a great number of people. If people are caught up in

heir own thoughts it is not a crowd. Yet, the people were experiencing common emotions of anger and betrayal. They had all repeatedly seen the tape of Rodney King get savagely beaten; he had been clubbed by the police a total of 56 times. Nevertheles

the jury of 10 caucasians, one asian, and one hispanic decided that no law had been broken.

The potential for a riot was created when the trial concluded with a highly controversial verdict. Thomas Schelling, author of The Strategy of Conflict, presented what has come to be known as a “Schelling incident,” which examines the reasons for a ri

ous crowd to gather. He wrote, “it is usually the essence of mob formation that the potential members have to know not only where and when to meet but just when to act so that they act in concert.1″ Many people believe that media coverage was instrume

al in magnifying the problem. News coverage closely followed the developments at the corner of Florence and Normandie, where the riots began. By telling the public exactly where the crowds were, the media was guilty of helping the crowds to grow even

rger.

Still, not every crowd will become a riot, and this crowd was no exception. In fact, people inclined to be involved in criminal acts usually do not want lots of witnesses and the possibility of disapproving bystanders being around when they commit cri

s. Therefore, the mentality of the crowd’s members is extremely important. There has to be a “critical mass of people in the crowd who are making accurate judgments, not about their own desires and intentions, but about the riotous desires and intentio

of other members of the crowd.1″ In other words, a majority of the crowd’s members must expect and desire that the crowd will become riotous.

As the crowds swelled, thanks to aggressive media coverage, the LAPD was noticeably absent

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