UMI/ProQuest URL	http://80-wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/fullcit/3117881
PUBLICATION NUMBER	AAT 3117881
TITLE	The age of outrage: The role of emotional and organizational factors on protest policing and political opportunity frames
AUTHOR	Sopow, Eli Lawrence
DEGREE	PhD
SCHOOL	FIELDING GRADUATE INSTITUTE
DATE	2003
PAGES	183
ADVISER	Agger-Gupta, Dorothy E.
ISBN
SOURCE	DAI-A 64/12, p. 4649, Jun 2004
SUBJECT	SOCIOLOGY, SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT (0700); PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL (0451); SOCIOLOGY, PUBLIC AND SOCIAL WELFARE (0630)
ABSTRACT	This study concludes that a major role of police in Western society has returned full circle to the arguments made 174 years ago for the establishment of police forces&mdash;to maintain order in industrial society by limiting expressions of public dissent. While the strategies of how police forces control public protest action has significantly changed since the 19<super>th</super> century, the outcome has not. The institutionalization and subsequent neutralizing effect on public protest has been accomplished in part through protest policing models that target what this study's research shows are 12 key emotional and organizational factors associated with successful protests. The 12 emotional and organizational factors were identified in a random telephone survey of 400 New York City residents 18 years of age and older. The seven organizational factors include the ability of protesters to obtain news media coverage; ensure that participating groups are united in their goals; experience in past demonstrations; having a high profile media spokesperson; flexibility and willingness to compromise; being well funded; and to effectively utilize the Internet and e-mail. Respondents who had participated in a prior protest or demonstration reported that five emotional factors played a major role in prompting them to take action. These included the belief that the underlying issue was about fairness; that it directly impacted them on a personal level; that it created uncertainty about the future; individuals were influenced by friends and family; and the issue affected their rights as citizens. Common to both the emotional and organizational factors was a correlation to factors that inspire trust. Some differences were found by age, gender, and in the case of the organizational factors, prior protest experience. The 12 emotional and organizational factors are seen as important elements in framing protests within the political opportunity structure of social movement theory. The 12 factors are also consistent with goals espoused by protest policing management models used throughout North America and Western Europe to minimize conflict and violence within public protests. However, the research suggests this emphasis on institutionalizing protest and minimizing conflict may also be minimizing the impact and effectiveness of protest actions.