Given the present-day threats to American democracy, Teachers College Press is publishing this federal report with new introductions by U.S. Senator Cory Booker and American historian Elizabeth Hinton. This complete edition of the Kerner report includes the full text, as well as important graphs, statistics, and supporting materials. The subject of "The Riot Report," a recent episode of the PBS documentary series American Experience, the Kerner Commission report was issued to address the urban riots during the summer of 1967, and to provide suggestions for improving race relations. Contrary to commonly held beliefs that largely blamed young Black men for the riots, this groundbreaking report pointed to a lack of economic opportunity, disastrous social service programs, white racism, police violence, and a biased national media. This federal report is being reissued to accompany the new book edited by Alan Curtis, Creating Justice in a Multiracial Democracy, in which foremost thought leaders examine what, if any, progress has been made and provide recommendations for policy initiatives.
Chaired by Governor Otto Kerner Jr. of Illinois, the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders was established by President Lyndon B. Johnson to determine the causes of urban riots during the summer of 1967 and to provide suggestions for improving race relations.
Contents The National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders ?v Foreword to the 2024 Edition by Cory Booker ?ix Foreword to the 2024 Edition by Elizabeth Hinton ?xv Original Introduction ?xix Original Preface ?xlvii Part I. What happened? 1. ?Profiles of Disorder ?3 2. ?Patterns of Disorder ?62 3. ?Organized Activity ?103 Part II. Why Did It Happen? 4. ?The Basic Causes ?107 5. ?Rejection and Protest: An Historical Sketch ?110 6. ?The Formation of the Racial Ghettos ?133 7. ?Unemployment, Family Structure, and Social Disorganization ?147 8. ?Conditions of Life in the Racial Ghetto ?161 9. ?Comparing the Immigrant and Negro Experiences ?172 Part III. What Can Be Done? 10. ?The Community Response ?179 11. ?Police and the Community ?193 12. ?Control of Disorder ?216 13. ?The Administration of Justice Under Emergency Conditions ?228 14. ?Damages: Repair and Compensation ?246 15. ?The News Media and the Disorders ?250 16. ?The Future of the Cities ?273 17. ?Recommendations for National Action ?289 Conclusion ?350 Link to Online Material ?351 Notes ?353 Index ?414 Biographical Materials on Commissioners ?426
