Mob Violence

Defined

Mob violence occurs when a crowd is "set off," which causes them to spiral out of control toward a common  goal; a goal achieved through aggression and violence. Two examples of mob violence are riots and lynchings.

Why? 

Humans are emotional beings, and whether or not we acknowledge it, we are perceptive to the emotions of those around us. When people with a common mind set gather together, like fans at a sporting event, it is easy for anger to trigger spontaneous outbursts. These outbursts, when experienced within a like-minded group, can cause large groups of people to cope or react using mob violence.

Mob Violence in Missouri

Mob violence in the state of Missouri seems to be a relatively frequent occurrence, especially in the last 5 years. Unfortunately, many of these instances of mob violence go unpunished as victims are usually overpowered and unable to seek help for the offenders flee. I did find one particular case of mob violence that resulted in at least the apprehension of two suspects.

On April 2, 2012, KMOV.com reported that the St. Louis Metropolitan Police were investigating an attack on two men in a downtown park. Two men, ages 53 and 62, were assaulted by 15 teen boys and girls. The suspect even changed targets and stole an iPod from another teen who was present. Police were quoted saying the following: “We don’t believe that their intent necessarily was to commit crimes, but then it almost appears they started feeding off each other, each one encouraging the other one and saying, ‘hey we can do this’ and they started seeing some people they felt they could take advantage of.” 13 of the fifteen suspects were booked and released to their parents, one was taking into the juvenile justice system, and one 18-year-old was kept in custody. As the three victims only suffered minor injuries, no formal charges were filed at the time of this story. Video can be seen here.

Societal Conditions

The victims of this crime were minding their own business when the offenders, a group of bored teens, decided to launch an unprovoked attack.

Media Discussion

The offenders of mob violence in Missouri, not just in this instance, are overwhelmingly comprised of young adults ranging in ages from 11-18. The victims on the other hand come from a diverse variety of backgrounds. The one thing the victims have in common is that they are innocent and vulnerable.

Media

Public service announcements are a great way to make sure a message reaches are large population, especially when used on television. According to examiner.com, this is exactly what happened in 2011 when a local Fox network in Philadelphia began running PSAs in an effort to raise awareness about mob violence and encourage parents to keep track of their children.

Books, while becoming dated in their traditional form, are still extremely useful in conveying information of any kind to those who seek the knowledge. The book "White Girl Bleed A Lot" by author Colin Flaherty focuses on mob violence in America. The book looks specifically at black-on-white violence in over 75 American cities and how the media and local governments choose to ignore it.