In this blog I will not address the question of culpability on the part of the police officer who shot him, nor will I attempt to address questions about young Mr. Brown's role. These are matters that should await the results of detailed investigations.
Rather, I would like to discuss the question of how peaceful protest marches turned violent and resulted in property damage, robberies, assaults, and the like. In turn, the police made arrests, used rubber bullets, fired tear gas into crowds, and pushed crowds back, sometimes with physical force.
It is my understanding that the majority of local people who marched did so in support of Mike and his family and to raise awareness of what they believed to be improper targeting of African Americans by the local police. They were reacting to years of discrimination that was perceived to be targeted against young black men. Despite underlying chronic anger, their intent was to March peacefully and state their case for the world to see..
However, as we know, some of those protest marches turned violent. Why? One explanation is that a small number of the marchers were from out of the area, as far away as New York, and some of them had mischief on their minds. They were opportunists who took advantage of the situation. It was clear that many protesters tried to maintain the peace but were unable to.
Another factor has to do with group mentality, often referred to in social psychology as herd mentality or mob mentality. Essentially, people may act differently when part of a large group than they would alone or in a small group. There is a human tendency to "go along with" what other group members are doing. Also, an individual may lose personal inhibitions when part of a group as they feel more anonymous and may feel more justified in their actions since others are doing it too..
It is not surprising that a march that starts out peacefully can turn violent under certain circumstances. For example, in the case of these protest marches, there was an undercurrent of chronic anger that could be inflamed. One example, would be the violent example of outsiders who thereby "normalize" such behavior, and it spreads. Also, there is some concern that the police response was too military in appearance and tactics, which inflamed the mob.
While the examples here refer to bad behavior that can result from mob mentality, it is also true that such behavior can also be indifferent or even good. For example, people are more likely to engage in positive behaviors such as jogging if many other people are.
Peter M. Hartmann, MD
Psychiatry and Family Practice
