Psychosocial Profile of Riot Arrestees

Abstract

With the aid of a 61-item questionnaire, 100 male Negroes charged with participation in the Detroit riot of July, 1967, were interviewed shortly after detention in the prison situation. Interviewers were Negro males; respondent participation was voluntary. Most riot participants were under age 29, had some high school training or higher (ninth grade minimum), were employed, belonged to no political or civil rights organizations, selected as a role model a person of the Negro race, believed that the Negro will someday have everything the white man has, and knew primarily through television and newspapers that other cities had experienced riots. A large proportion were born in the south (49%), and Martin Luther King was mentioned as favorite Negro leader (32%) more often than any other person. Results formulated as hypotheses are discussed and the values and shortcomings of the research are considered.