Overview

 In one case a local judge declared a five-year-old sexual assault victim         a ""particularly promiscuous young lady."" In another, an innocent         black man died in police custody. In these cases and two others, outraged         citizens banded together to protest and seek redress for the injustices.       Through in-depth interviews with activists, Laura Woliver examines these         community actions, studying the groups involved and linking her conclusions         to larger questions of political power and the impact of social movements.         Her findings will make fascinating reading for those interested in the         rise and fall of grass-roots interest groups, the nature of dissent, and         the reasons why people volunteer countless hours, sometimes in the face         of community opposition and isolation, to dedicate themselves to a cause.       The ad hoc interest groups studied are the Committee to Recall Judge         Archie Simonson (Madison), the Coalition for Justice for Ernest Lacy (Milwaukee),         Concerned Citizens for Children (Grant County, Wisconsin), and Citizens         Taking Action (Madison). Woliver relates the community responses in these         cases to those in the Jeffrey Dahmer mass murder case and the beating         by Los Angeles police of Rodney King.       ""A pioneering investigation of local, ad hoc interest groups that         are launched by a blatant injustice. . . . Explores the impressive defensive         capabilities against change of established social groups and portrays         the complex consequences of 'sputtering interests' for attitudes (such         as consciousness raising), for action, and for future policy. An important         and innovative contribution.""         -- Mary Edelman, author of The Symbolic Uses of Politics       ""A truly humanistic piece of social science research, offering fascinating         insights on grassroots participants, their feelings, and their fates.""         -- Janet K. Boles, author of American Feminism: New Issues for         a Mature Movement  

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Splendid... Using interviews with activists and reviews of the print media's coverage of the triggering events and subsequent protests. Woliver provides a 'thick description' of the Committee to Recall Judge Archie Simonson, the Coalition for Justice for Ernest Lacey, Concerned Citizens for Children, and Citizens Taking Action... Readable and stimulating. -- Policy Currents

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