Crowds and Riots

One of the most vexing problems associated with American cities is how to maintain control when large masses of people congregate for any purpose. Given the space limitations, ethnic and racial diversity, and problems associated with the city as a whole, tensions often overflow into violence. As the mob swells, so too does the need for a response that will settle things. Historically, violence also has been a key part of public demonstrations. It has been noted that riots are not necessarily a breakdown of the democratic process, but simply conduit by other means within American society.

American history is filled with instances of people forming crowds that have then acted violently when events did not turn out as they had originally wished. Unfortunately, mob action also has fueled situations that may otherwise have ended peacefully. One of the earliest events in American history to feature a crowd turning violent was the Boston Massacre. By today's standards, the crowd was not that large (numbering perhaps 400 at most), but the event spiraled out of control as the crowd provoked the situation to the point where British soldiers shot the demonstrators.

Crowds were often fueled by alcohol or old hatreds. The infamous Aster House Riot of 1849, in New York, started because the Aster House Theatre was featuring an English actor of Shakespeare, William McCready, when the crowd was mostly of Irish origin and felt that their own Irish Shakespearian actor was far more talented. Since theaters served as gambling, drinking, and prostitution facilities as well, the mix of bravado, alcohol, and old tensions spilled over, and mayhem ensued. The police were unable to contain the violence, and eventually the state militia was called in. A squadron of infantry, armed with rifles and artillery pieces, ended the riot, in which 22 people were killed.

The same issues of ethnicity and alcohol consumption fueled the Lager Riot of 1855, in Chicago. Mayor Levi Boone, a nativist, railed against the Irish and Germans who congregated and drank beer on Sundays by raising liquor licenses by 200 percent so that drinking would be curtailed. In the end, the massive Irish and German groups swarmed into downtown, and although loss of life was minimal, the riot ended a volunteer constabulary in Chicago, as well as Boone's mayoral career. The first professional police departments were created to cope with the increasing problems associated with many people congregating in small areas.

Crowds often swarm based on information that may be erroneous or that is ethnically charged. The New York Draft Riots of 1863 centered on the facts that the rich could buy their way out of the army and that whites were fighting for blacks. While the issue of race was the main point of contention, victims came from a variety of social, economic, and racial classes. In fact, race has been a driving force in many of the crowd actions that have ended in bloodshed. Mob actions in, for instance, the Tulsa Riot of 1921, the Zoot Suit Riot of 1943 in Los Angeles, and the volatile riots of the 1960s were in some form inflamed by racial mistreatment or rumors of racial injustice (most often false allegations of wrongdoing by African American males against white women).

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