Why Aren't U.S. Cities Burning?

The summer of 2007 marks the fortieth anniversary of America's worst season of urban disorder. The most famous riots happened in Newark and Detroit. But "nearly 150 cities reported disorders in Negro—and in some instances Puerto Rican—neighborhoods," reported the 1968 National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders. Today, the most intriguing question is not why the riots occurred but why they have not recurred. With the exception of Liberty City, Miami, in 1980, and South-central Los Angeles in 1992, American cities have not burned since the early 1970s. Even the botched response to Hurricane Katrina did not provoke civil violence.