The recent experience of the Rodney Kind riots in LA (1992) tells us that there is much discontent in the inner cities, and given the opportunity, the working class in this environment will express their anger and frustration with the system. It is very likely that such riots will happen again, waiting in the background for the spark that starts the fire(s). The problem with such riots, or rebellions, is they are chaotic, uncoordinated, and offer no solutions to the basic problems that led to the riot in the first place.
Activists and concerned people who are present during riots can do a number of things.
The people participating in the riots are often open to new ideasand suggestions. Suggestions for strategy are a good idea. What do the rioters wish to accomplish? What are the problems that led them toriot in the first place?
Discuss with people the idea of an ultimate result of the rebellion... perhaps you want to issue some demands to the government: better housing, less police brutality, better health services, etc. But think about this: pleading with the government for more help, which is often the first thought most people have when trying to deal with social problems, is not really, based on history, likely to be effective.What is most needed is to appeal to the average, working class person -to motivate them to try to change the system in some significant way.The real power rests with the people, not with leaders. So, your goals should be directed at what the people can do. Note that these are all short-term goals.
Long term goals include eliminating poverty & racism, and generally making a better world, based on the common people, and not the rich or powerful. You might want to set up a coalition of groups that observe the police (like CopWatch), and make sure they do not brutalize people they are arresting. You might want to take action to free some political prisoner from jail or death row (like Leonard Peltier or Mumia Abu-Jamal). You might want to bring food to the homeless and hungry (like Food Not Bombs). You might want to stage a general strike tohalt production and transportation with the goal of fundamentally challenging the system (like the Industrial Workers of the World). And, if the rebellion is big enough, you might want to occupy the places of power and the main roads into the city in an attempt to stop theforces of order from regaining control. (They will likely send in theNational Guard, but, you can stop them if enough people blockade the roadsand bring the city to a halt). In this case, the riot or rebellionbecomes an organized insurrection... and will probably go down in the history books.
Organization is the key A lot of the success of a rebellion or insurrection depends on how organized people are ahead of time. The sources of social organization form the basis of the new desired result... they are the entities people can turn to for support, and living needs during the time of crisis. The organizations that effect people at the bottom of the economic ladder include: schools, the church, labor unions (though the organized labor movement is small right now), youth groups, street gangs, single-issue campaign organizations (for things like the environment, black and latino rights, women's rights, gay rights,and so on), and any community groups where people meet (like town meetings). And free-media groups (a community newspaper, micropower radio station, or community cable TV station). Organizations can offer services like food, shelter, a place to hold meetings, andfacilities for xeroxing and copying leaflets and pamphlets for distribution tothe general public. You should be organizing within such groups longbefore a rebellion happens, and have a contingency plan for what to dowhen one occurs.
Riots are characterized by the corporate media as being all about violence. People see and hear about smoke, fires, people running around yelling, smashing windows, turning over cars (including police cars), and the like on TV and radio. During the Rodney King rebellion, the media focussed on the looting, and especially the beating of a white person by black rioters, Reginald Denny. This led to a negative reaction to the rebellion by the general public, and calls from Rodney King for everyone to "Just get along.". Nothing constructive was accomplished, and nothing changed. You should consider having individuals among the crowds of rebellious people who make sure violent acts are not committed against other people and property. While the rebellion is often one AGAINST the institution of property, and thus people show their anger toward it by smashing it (normally, people feel powerless in a society based on material wealth of a few over the many), it does no good to destroy one's own neighborhood. A lot of the acts against small business (smashing windows and the like) are racist in nature and counter-productive. They turn people who might sympathize with the rioters against them. It is another story when people are attacking police stations, malls, or government institutions they believe are responsible for their problems... a lot of people might sympathizewith this. It is important to discuss the merits of violence with peoplebefore and during a riot. Help people understand the fundamentals oftactics and what the end-result of there actions will be, and how they will appear to the world. Forming an urban people's militia might be agood idea, where people can discuss tactics, goals, and organization.Remember, a riot is an act of the spontaneous will of the people, and itcanhave a negative outcome, or a positive one, depending on if you are prepared for it.