Understanding Urban Unrest

From Reverend King to Rodney King

Mob violence--often an interracial expression of the urban poverty found in major cities in the United States--is a phenomenon that has plagued this country repeatedly in the 20th century. From Reverend King to Rodney King, historical figures and incidents have shed new light on circumstances that bring about violence and the political context in which federal policy responds to the seemingly intractable social and economic problems that underlie the violence. In Understanding Urban Unrest, author Dennis E. Gale compares the federal programs that have been tested since 1966 and makes observations about the probable political response to urban interracial violence and poverty in the future. In addition, he contends that place-based patchwork policies are not effective and that only fundamental changes in the United States's economic structure and federal policy agenda can offer any real solutions for the nation's cities and its poor. Students and professionals in urban studies, political science, and sociology will find Understanding Urban Unrest both engaging and extremely accessible. "Understanding Urban Unrest is an outstanding example of effective political science. Dennis E. Gale takes a major public phenomenon--contemporary American urban riots from Newark to Los Angeles--and shows the interaction between tragic events and legislative response. He provides an authoritative history of the struggle to provide a workable national urban policy. This is a book that general audiences will find instructive and professional and academic readers will find essential." --Robert Wood, University of Massachusetts, Boston