Mandatory Supplementary Video (M2-B):

The colonial frontier was a very dangerous place. This video explains how and why under-policed communities sought extralegal means of justice to deal with crime and social control in their communities and how this tradition, unchecked by state, local, or federal authorities, evolved to embrace gross abuses of human and and civil rights in many cases. Think about just how far removed people were from any sense of government law, order, and public safety when vigilantism began and, then, what factors shifted the original intent of vigilantism to the point people were targeted for who they were not for what they did. What does this say about formal and informal power in communities (and lack thereof)? How did the rise of the very concept of modern policing and police professionalism and the subsequent existence police organizations on the local, state, and federal levels change the game here? At what costs? How will current de-policing and defunding of police efforts in large cities impact a possible rise in vigilantism as police services become less or no longer available for protecting life and property, maintaining order, and keeping the peace?

Canvas copy here (not CC'd; please seek assistance from SDSU's Student Ability Success Center):