1. Mya McMillon
Dr.Jungleib
Socail Movements
11/25/2014
WithRacial Intentions: Criminalization, Police Violence, andthe2014
Ferguson Uprising
Michael Brownwas an 18-year-old African American male who
was unarmedand shotdowninFerguson,Missouri byan ondutypolice
officer bythename ofOfficer Darren Wilson.This tragic eventtook
place onAugust9,2014.Michael Brown wasa teenagedmale whohad
fewrun-ins withthelaw,was a highschoolgraduate, and hadintentions
ongoingtocollege. Michael Brown's murderand theensuing events in
Ferguson have convertedintoa nationwide controversy.
TheFerguson uprising has becomea form ofprotestin which
citizens are challenging and contestingtheauthority ofthelaw
enforcement and theAmerican legal structure,as well asthe cultural

2. hegemony ofBlack criminalization. This movement is exceptionally
importantas we recognize thatthereexists a correlation between
African Americans andlaw enforcement with anextensive historyof
violence, abuse ofpower,andinjustice.
Methodologically, theproposedresearch uses a combination of
qualitative and quantitativeanalysis ofmass media coverage from local
news reportersof theFergusonuprising, census dataonvarious
demographic variables in Ferguson,and theproliferation of social media
discourses surrounding theevent.
Defining theterm social movement can bechallenging asthere are
many variations of social movements. Social Movements can vary and
may appear intheform ofa simple and subtledemonstration,or amore
intricate, complex, andintense movement. Accordingto SnowandSoul,
social movements are actions ofagroupthat “arise outofdeep

3. aggrieved feelings abouta conditionthatis contrary totheinterest,
rights,morals, orprincipals orwell-being of themselves or others”(Sow
andSoule pg.642010).Thisis betterknownasmobilizing grievances.
People betterdistinguishes asocial movement byitsmain parts.
Asocial movement is unavoidablycomposed ofeither challengers whomare
individuals thatare challenging theauthoritysuch as thelaw,ordefenders, whomare
individuals preserving authority.Theseindividuals
are perceived as beingcombined rather thansingular. Each individual
typically collectively acts indissimilar progressions whilethey are on
theoutside ofa presentrecognized ororganizational arrangements. In
example there may benumerous peopleparading while thereare others
whochantand onblowhorns.
Correspondingly, social movements tendtofunction witha
quantityoforganization andthe spanofthe demonstrationis normally
donewithendurance and passion.Asocial movement’s main goalis for
protestorsandactivists toinfluence, oralter public opinionas a

4. consequence ofchange topolitical policies.
TheFergusson uprising can beconsidered a social movement as it
has all thefive keyelements. Thereare challengers all across the nation
whomare challenging systems of authority,inparticular, the law
enforcement. Theindividuals actin collectiveness rather thanin single
initiatives. Furthermore, individuals are acting invariable positions
outsideexisting established organizational arrangements. For example,
some are rioting,others are marching while holdingupsigns,many are
chanting,andthere are thosewhom are demonstrating.
These movements are organized andprotestorshave previously plannedroutes and
strategies. Finally, this movement hashad somecontinuity as ithas begunseveral monthsago
andstill continues toproceed.
OnAugust,9,2014thismovement emerged throughaggrieved
feelings of minorities (African Americans) in particular whomwere
subjectedtoinequality andhave beensubordinated,marginalized, and
devalued fordecades in ordertoholdintoplace the white-dominated

5. orderand racial hierarchy ofAmerican society andthemoral panic
aroundtheso-called African American criminal menace acutely reveals
thisgeneralized sociological condition.Moreover, historically, thenews
media andother forms ofpopularculture have portrayedracial
minorities, particularly African American men, ascriminals withinthe
American justice system.In modernU.S.economyand society,African
American andLatinomales are disproportionatelyunderemployed and
unemployed,andsubject toextremely despotic sentencing versus
dissimilar criminal populations (Kansal 2005).
Social science research has demonstratedthatthe criminal justice
system is biasedtowardsminorities and thatpolice violence is more
prevalent among African American men. There is ahegemonic
connection betweenracialization and criminalization in thecontextof
thecollective subordinationof theAfrican American community inthe

6. UnitedStates.Furthermore, a socio-spatial relationship exists between
segregation, over-policing anddehumanization which conditionedboth
thestate-sanctioned murderof anunarmed African American teenager,
theAfrican American community’s uprisingand thenational media
coverage ofthe events.Combining race theory andsocial movement
analysis, it is revealed how“theracial state” becomes animportant
element in themobilization and organization ofcollective opposition
among anaggrieved racialized population(Omiand Winant2014;
VanDyke,Soule,Taylor 2004).
Asthe proverbial laststraw thatbrokethecamel’s back,thefatal
shootingofunarmed African American teenager Michael Brown
sparkeda sustained political oppositionagainst thesystemic inequalities
ofsegregation, racial profiling,and police violence. Accordingtosocial
movement scholars, subordinateclasses whohave beenexcluded from
theformal political processhave often resortedtoextra-legal protests
suchas rioting (Scott1992).

7. Grievances are framed in theformof citizens challenging and
contestingthe authorityoflaw enforcement and theAmerican legal
structure.Demands are beingmade and protestorsare insistent that
some form ofjustice is served.The movement seeks tochallenge political
officials andoffers 19rules ofengagement.Similarly, protestorsare
combatingin attemptsthatpolitical officials will generate alaw that
requires each andevery individual thatis ondutyandwhomworksfor
thenation’s police force towear a fullyfunctional and operatingbody
camera thatis onduringtheduration of their entire shift.
Directly after Michaels Brown’s death,protestsbegan.For days,
individuals troopedandchanted incadence alongstarting alongWest
Florissant Avenuewhich wasnotfar from wherethe murderhadtaken
place. Protestattime grew violent and otherswere peaceful. Individuals
vandalized andripped-off stores,threwgasoline bombsandsetfires.
Organizational groupsare holdingmasses oftraining meetings and
demonstrators are givenlists of objectstokeeptobe preparedsuch as:

8. gloves,plans, demonstratorteam names and numbers,health supplies
anda confinement care number, inthe situationof anarrest. Leaders
have tradedtextalert numbers toremain in continuouscontact.They
have proclaimed safe places in local churches where leaders say
protesters cangetwarm while staying awayfrom thepolice.
Othertactics include theuse ofhotspotlocations aroundFerguson where demonstrations are
plannedtooccur. Themovement is still in progressand therefore therehas beenno sufficient
outcomeof results.Althoughit isstill very early within the movement and hardtodetermine
theoutcome,I hopetosee change that will benefitall of America, citizens as well as thelaw.