Policing Race in Baltimore: Precursors and Legacies of the '68 Riot

• In Event: Poverty, Inequality and Despair as Criminogenic

Abstract

Riots serve as unique windows into the social contexts from which they emerge. They are often powerful, even violent, expressions of collective frustration with perceived social inequality and unjust government practices. Though they are relatively infrequent, they are quite common geographically; many urban centers in the United States have experienced a riot on some scale. Riots are often dramatic catalysts for social change in both governance and policing. They have been instrumental in clarifying citizens’ expectations, government responsibilities, and policing functions. In the 1960s, Black residents of Baltimore found themselves coping with a broad range of troubling social conditions. In 1968, frustration over these conditions was exacerbated by the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Like dozens of other cities, Baltimoreans responded by rioting. The riots brought renewed attention to the existing racial inequality and community-police tensions. Using archival research and interview data, this paper explores the racial climate and the context of police-community relations prior to and in the aftermath of the 1968 Baltimore riots.

Author

• Elyshia Aseltine, Towson University