PROTEST, Rioting, and ORDER Why are riots and demonstrations the exception in large Latin American cities?

Large Scale Rioting since World War II Colombia History of violence Conservative & Liberal political parties Millions of deaths in nineteenth century Liberals become dominant political party in the wake of Great Depression

BOGOTA: 1948 Assassination of popular Liberal party leader OAS meeting in Bogotá Jorge Gaitan – idol of the masses Set in motion Colombia’s only military government of twentieth century

Bogotazo: April 9, 1948

Large Scale Rioting since World War II: Caracas 1989 Rise in transportation fares triggers rioting in ranchos Spreads to the ten largest cities; lasts for three days Hundreds (thousands?) are killed during the restoration of order Military suppression of rioting signaled the unraveling of the political regime

Caracas 1989 : CAUSES Decade-long economic downturn Frustration of expectations immediately following an election campaign Failure of government to explain policies

Middle Class Demonstrations: Caracas (2002) Different from urban rioting Middle Class Generally not anomic violence

Middle Class Demonstrations in Caracas: The Demonstrators

Return to the central Question: Why Has Rioting Been So Rare in Urban Latin America? Factors Mitigating Against Urban Rioting Community Attitudes Clientilism Co-option of Leaders Fear of Repression

COMMUNITY ATTITUDES Slum radicalism is a myth Nature of urban life compounds conservative attitudes Desire upward social and economic mobility Prevailing Ethos: Work hard and keep out of trouble

CLIENTILISM: What is it? Politicians trade goods and services for political support Examples Self-help housing materials Subsidized public transportation Water and electricity Jobs

CLIENTILISM: Costs & Benefits Denial of merit leads to inefficient service delivery Allocations seldom live up to expectation Provides channel of upward mobility for the urban poor OVERALL: some progress made in reducing most blatant excesses of clientilism

Role of Leadership among the Urban Poor Successful mass movements depend on leadership Anomic violence likely if leadership is weak or non-existent Political authorities foster the emergence of leadership among the urban poor

CO-OPTITION OF LEADERS Offers of jobs in the bureaucracy In return for orienting the community toward the official resource allocation system In return for social peace Is cooption undesirable (something evil)?

FEAR and REPRESSION Aftermath of “Second Reverse Wave of Authoritarianism” (1965-85) Neighborhood organizations of political parties decimated Recalcitrant leaders marginalized or imprisoned Workers and peasant organizations co-opted

FEAR and REPRESSION Widespread use of state repressive apparatus Formal Denial of political rights Exile Trials and jail for hard-line opponents of the authorities Informal Formation of paramilitary units to do the unspeakable Drug gangs sometimes cooperate with police to maintain control in the shantytowns

Contemporary Social Movements & Community Organizations can provide channels for Effective participation Among the poor Squatter associations Political Action Committees Ecclesiastical Base Communities Middle class watchdog groups Organization of civil society capable of fostering effective participation remains the exception