Protest Communication Ecology and Community Racial Crisis: The Case of the Michael Brown Shooting Death

• In Event: Protest Communication and Communication of Protest

Abstract

On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old African American, was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a Caucasian police officer, in Ferguson, Missouri. The shooting was followed by a vigil and peaceful protests in Ferguson that at times gave way to rioting and destruction of property. Overall these events represent a community racial crisis. Using a survey of 1,014 St. Louis residents, this study examines communication resource use related to this community crisis among community members who did and did not choose to participate in protest, and explores the influence of this communication resource use on attitudes about Ferguson people and events and overall Ferguson attitude polarization. Our results indicate a robust protest communication ecology that includes local mediated communication sources, opinion expression via social media, and in-person conversations with discordant others. A smaller non-protest communication ecology is also identified.

Authors

• J. Brian Houston, U of Missouri

• Esther Thorson, Michigan State U

• Cynthia Marie Frisby, Missouri

• Rocio Galarza Molina, U of Missouri - Columbia

• Jennifer First, U of Missouri