“I Will Be Out There Every Day Strong!” Protest Policing and Future Activism Among Ferguson and Baltimore Protesters

Abstract

An established body of literature shows that people engage in protest events for a number of reasons, including grievances, collective identity, increased efficacy, and emotions. However, it is unclear what happens to individuals’ motivation toward protest participation as they experience the reality of repressive policing. This study contributes to the theoretical body of knowledge of protest policing and social movements by investigating the microlevel processes that affect protest participation. Specifically, we build from the insights of previous research by examining how 102 Ferguson and Baltimore protesters with varying levels of commitment—revolutionary, intermittent, tourist—experienced repressive policing and how such tactics affected their subsequent decision to engage in future activism. Our findings suggest that those with the strongest commitment toward protest goals experienced the most repressive tactics, and yet did not seem to be deterred in their motivation to be engaged in future protests. In contrast, while repressive tactics appeared to deter the less committed individuals from street protests, they remained motivated to engage in other forms of civic engagement.

Protesting During a Pandemic: Narratives on Risk Taking and Motivation to Participating in the 2020 March on Washington

“…A cursory glance of the findings from the current study suggests that participation in the 2020 March on Washington did not seem to present any new risks to protesting police violence that has not been documented by the previous literature. That is, the motivations that the participants listed—such as connection to shared history, protesting to achieve racial justice, and a desire for a better future—were not markedly different from that of previous studies on BLM (Cobbina, 2019; Cobbina et al, 2019; Tillery, 2019) or that of other movements that linked participation to identity and grievances (Armstrong & Bernstein, 2008; Klandermans, 1997; Klandermans & de Weerd, 2000; Van Stekelenburg & Klandermans, 2013).…”

“…However, not all social movements are homogenous (Wiltfang & McAdam, 1991). Movement participation can take various forms from donations, writing to politicians, and street-level protests (Cobbina et al, 2019; Wiltfang & McAdam, 1991). As such, engagement in social movements are not just limited to life-long activists and are much more mainstream experiences (Corigall-Brown, 2011).…”

“Big Brother’s Bigger Brother”: The Visual Politics of (Counter) Surveillance in Baltimore

“…This is linked, in part, to the death of Freddie Gray, a young Black resident of West Baltimore, who was subjected to a stop‐and‐frisk and allegedly given a “rough ride” in a paddy wagon that severed his spinal cord. The uprising over Gray’s death was contained through brutal tactics that further damaged community relations with police (Cobbina et al 2019). After the uprising, some have suggested that the BPD engaged in a “slowdown”—withdrawing their services and allowing violence to spike (Heath 2018).…”

No Justice, No Peace? Protest Participation for People with Criminal Legal Contact

“…This trajectory of policing protests has led to the modern-day tactic of “strategic incapacitation,” (also called “command and control”) or the tactic of isolating and neutralizing potentially disruptive actions or events, showing how the bar for arrest no longer requires a criminalized action, but simply the potential of one (Gillham 2011; Gillham and Noakes 2007; Vitale 2006). These arrests are utilized as acts of intimidation to deter people from engaging in protests, and the effect may be particularly high for people who are already made vulnerable by previous CL contact (Cobbina et al 2019). Furthermore, risk at protests is often racialized, putting Black people at higher risk of being monitored or arrested (Davenport, Soule, and Armstrong 2011).…”

“…In more direct encounters, people who experience unjust policing often are likely to respond to this injustice by engaging in political action (Rios 2011). Here, personal commitment to the cause is important, as repressive policing can discourage people who are less committed from engaging in future protests (Cobbina et al 2019). Following this argument and the previously reviewed literature on collective identity, it is likely that Black people with CL contact would be more motivated to protest than other groups.…”