Civil Disorder

By Kevin Penn

CRJS305

Unit 2 ~ IP

American InterContinental University

February 21, 2013

Abstract

In this assignment I will be looking at and giving examples of three totally different types of and yet still civil disorder researching and describing what happens when a situation with civil disorder happens within the United States, what plans are in place and how civil disorder is handled in this country. I will look at the different countries of China, and Saudi Arabia, as to how they handle civil disorder as well as show their contrasting methods of handling civil disorder.

I feel that it is imperative that I will give a little history to each of the countries that I have chosen to show how their methods of dealing with and handling civil disorder have come about today.

In closing I will show the similarities that all the countries have in common as well as make a brief statement on the country that I feel holds the civil rights of people closest to the United States.

The United States (U.S.) would deal with problems related to civil order control in two or three different ways depending on the size of the civil disorder. In a worst case scenario; in order for the United States to maintain civil order and control they must use The United States Civil Disturbance Plan (Operation Garden Plot). The U.S. Civil Disturbance Plan known as Operation Garden Plot it reads “If any civil disturbance by a resistance group, religious organization, or other persons considered to be non-conformist takes place, under Appendix 3 to Annex B of Plan 55-2 hereby gives all Federal forces total power over the situation if local and state authorities cannot put down said dissenters.” This plan calls for the direct support of the Army, USAF, Navy, and Marine Corp, in order to control civil disturbances. It is allowed to use all the services brought to bear of the military i.e. Airlift force, Organic Airlift Resources, airlift capable aircraft of all other USAF major commands, and all other aerial reconnaissance and Airborne Psychological Operations, to include control communications systems, aeromedical evacuation, helicopter and Weather Support Systems. (Operation Garden Plot) This plan would be put into action for specific situations like if there were a group(s) of dissidents who plan to incite purposeful acts of violence or civil disorder designed to disrupt social order. (Civil Disorder)

Another way the U.S. could handle civil disorder would be to call on the National Guard to gain control of the disturbance along with Federal Law Enforcement such as the F.B.I., U.S. Marshal’s office, A.T.F. and the DEA to assist in any type of civil uprisings. Here are some examples of civil disorder where these types of resources were used are June 11 1963 when then Alabama Gov. George Wallace stood at the door of Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama in a symbolic attempt to block two black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, from enrolling at the school. The drama of the nation's division over desegregation came sharply into focus. Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach told Wallace he simply wanted him to abide by the federal court order. Wallace refused, citing the constitutional right of states to operate public schools, colleges and universities. Katzenbach called President Kennedy, who federalized the Alabama National Guard to help with the crisis. (Wallace in the Schoolhouse Door)

There is another case that may have changed how the U.S. dealt with Civil Disturbances forever that is the Kent State demonstrations of 1970. On May 4 1970 the students of Kent State University were holding demonstrations against the war in Vietnam. The National Guard were call four(4) students lost their lives another nine (9) were injured as a direct result of the shots that were fired by the National Guards into the crowd. Student across the country refused to attend classes after they heard what had happen at Kent State causing universities and colleges temporarily closed. This was a new and dramatic type of civil disorder that the government had no answer for. (Kent State University)

Rarely do we see local police get involved in Civil Disturbances unless they are a specialized unit trained for this type of situation. Which leads me into my third and final example of how the U.S. deals with Civil Disturbances is February 8, 1993 Waco, TX where the National Guards along with ATF, DEA, FBI, and U.S Marshals to assist in handling this situation. Only after a Fifty one (51) day standoff of all of these Federal Law Enforcement Agencies and local police S.W.A.T. teams. On April 19, 1993 United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) along with a news crew, attempted to enter the premises of what was then called the Branch Davidian with a search warrant that had been issued to them. They were denied access to the premises; at that point there was an exchange of gun shots for almost two hours. Four (4) Federal agents were killed during the gun battle, as well as six (6) people from the Branch Davidian. Due to the ATF’s inability to issue the search warrant, the FBI took over from there and began a siege of the premises. (Waco Siege)

We must not forget that the meaning of civil order control is not just acts of violence and violent crimes, there can also be disasters like Super Storm Sandy, or a national emergencies as well as non-violent and peaceful demonstrations or protest like they are having on Wall Street and in front of the White House right now about the oil pipeline.

To look at how does civil order control methods compare and contrast with other countries such as Saudi Arabia, Japan, England, and China? When looking for comparison there was only one (1) other country that held the civil rights of the people equal to that of the U.S. that was England. Another similarity that I found in all of the countries was, they were more than willing to use whatever force necessary to maintain the sovereignty of their country.

When looking at the differences of other countries and how they deal with Civil Disturbances, China stuck out the most. Countries like China do not have any provisions for equal rights or freedom to gather and protest. China has been a major world civilization with records dating back about 3,500 years, making China the oldest continuous world civilization. With successive dynasties the farm-based Chinese developed a system of bureaucratic control, which gave them an advantage over neighboring nomadic hill cultures. The development of a Confucian state philosophy along with a common written language forged a union of the many local languages and dialects, which only fortified this ancient civilization.

One Civil Disturbances that stands out is Tiananmen Square. Tiananmen Square is a large Public Square in Beijing, China, on the southern edge of the Inner or Tatar City. The square, named for its Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tiananmen), contains the monument to the heroes of the revolution, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum of China, and the Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall (with Mao's embalmed body). The irony of this Civil Disturbances is that Mao Zedong himself proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic in the square on Oct. 1, 1949, an anniversary still observed there. (Tiananmen Square)

In Apr., 1989 Chinese students who were joined by workers, intellectuals, and civil servants, until over a million people filled the square to begin a massive demonstration for democratic reform. Ensuing this demonstration were the demands for the rehabilitation of the former Communist Party Chairman Hu Yaobang. Martial law was declared on May 20. The protesters demanded that the leadership resign, but the government answered on June 3–4 with troops and tanks, killing thousands to quell a "counterrevolutionary rebellion. A number of the student leaders were arrested and the police continued to target minority activists this was directly administered by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS). As part of the nationwide strike hard campaign, many seeking to express legitimate political grievances or views were labeled splittists or separatists. All activities by the demonstrators were then brutally repressed along with announcing that artists, writers, performers, historians, and others who advocated separatism through art would be strike hard targets. As part of the campaign, local courts in Xinjiang meted out death sentences or long prison terms to those persons accused of separatist activity. (Tiananmen Square)

The government of China will suspend any and all protesting as well as they will arrest and detain for indefinite periods of time anyone that goes against whatever decisions the government has made. The authorities also used laws on subversion, endangering state security, and common crimes to arrest and imprison political dissidents, activists, and others. For example, political activist Wang Wanxing, originally held for trying to unfurl a banner on Tiananmen Square to commemorate the third anniversary of the June 4, 1989 massacre, was confined in a Beijing Ankang facility. (Crime and Society)

In Saudi Arabia’s government like most Middle Eastern Countries they are known for discrimination of woman, anyone whom is homosexual, as well as any religions that the government does not agree with.

In Saudi Arabia, the Government bases its legitimacy on governance according to the precepts of a rigorously conservative form of Islam. Due to neither the fact that government nor the society in general accepts the concept of separation of religion and state. Also Government prohibits the establishment of political parties and suppresses opposition views. With the absences of basic needs in education as well as services in illiteracy it can and has caused the inability to successfully create an infrastructure that would allow for political parties and the opposition of government views. In the limited public security structure inherited from the Ottoman Empire, police work was done informally and justice was administered by local or tribal authorities. Therefore the government doesn’t have the problem of dealing with Civil Disorder. (Crime and Society )

Gradually, during the reign of Abd al Aziz, modern organs of government were introduced and became responsible for maintaining public order. The General Directorate of Civil defense (GDCD) is the framework in which there civilian defense operates during peace and in time of instability. In the majority of states adopting same definition, legislations define civil protection as (The protection and rescue of mankind and his properties in all circumstances, during wars, upheavals and disasters). In Saudi Arabia, according to the functions and objectives, Civil Protection is defined as (The deterrence of natural, industrial and military hazards; and mitigation of their consequences; to unify efforts to confront threats, to keep-going-on work of important facilities, to apply appropriate measures and actions to protect lives, public and private property under all circumstances). This allows them a modern civil defense, emergency medical systems and police departments as well. Since the mid-1960s, a major effort has been made to modernize the police forces. During the 1970s, quantities of new vehicles and radio communications equipment enabled police directorates to operate sophisticated mobile units, especially in the principal cities. Helicopters were also acquired for use in urban areas. Police uniforms were similar to the khaki and olive drab worn by the army except for the distinctive red beret. Policemen usually wore a sidearm while on duty could. They also could get emergency support from the national guard or, in extremis, from the regular armed forces. (Crime and Society)

In conclusion

When looking for comparison there was only one (1) other country that held the civil rights of the people equal to that of the U.S. that was England(UK). To look at how does civil order control methods compare with other countries such as Saudi Arabia, England, and China? The one overall similarity that I found in all of the countries in which I looked at it was, they are all more than willing to use whatever force necessary to maintain the sovereignty of their country as it stands today.

References

Wallace in the Schoolhouse Door, Marking the 40th Anniversary of Alabama's Civil Rights Standoff, Retrieved February 22,2013 from 12http://www.npr.org/2003/06/11/1294680/wallace-in-the-schoolhouse-door

Kent State University, The May 4 Shootings at Kent State University: The Search for Historical Accuracy. Retrieved February 21,2013 from

http://dept.kent.edu/sociology/lewis/lewihen.htm

Civil Disorder, American UniversityWashington D.C. Retrieved February 19,2013 from

http://www.american.edu/emergency/situations/Civil-Disorder.cfm

Operation Garden Plot, The United States Civil Disturbance Plan 55-2. Retrieved February 21,2013 from

http://www.uhuh.com/control/garden.htm

"Tiananmen Square." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2013 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Tiananme.html

"Waco Siege." Dictionary of American History. 2003. Retrieved February 22, 2013 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3401804439.html

Crime and Society, A Comparative Criminology Tour of the World: Asia: Saudi Arabia. Retrieved February 20,2013 from http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/rwinslow/asia_pacific/saudi_arabia.html

Crime and Society, A Comparative Criminology Tour of the World: Asia: China. Retrieved February 20,2013 from http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/facul