Black Ghetto Violence: A Case Study Inquiry into the Spatial Pattern of Four Los Angeles Riot Event-Types

A riot is not “all hell breaking loose,” but a complex sociopolitical process. Patterns not apparent on the surface characterize different forms of riotous behavior, can be uncovered through systematic analysis, and do shed new light on the rioting phenomenon. Nearly 2,000 Los Angeles riot events of four discrete classes have been coded by census tract location. Stepwise multiple regression analysis employing sociodemographic and retail-establishment-location variables has revealed remarkably ordered and structured patterns. Looting emerges as a qualitatively different phenomenon from the other riot event-types considered, calling into question the simplistic characterization of “rioting mainly for fun and profit” drawn by Banfield, and suggesting that what is needed are studies which address rioting in some measure of its true complexity. Two sociodemographic variables consistently emerge as highly predictive of riot event spatial patterns, allowing speculation concerning the sociodemographic fertile ground for violent political protest.