Interactional Resistance During Black Lives Matter Protests: The Political Stakes of Rebelling Against the Public Order

Note: This is an unedited pre-print of a forthcoming article in Mobilization. This version has not been copy-edited. Drawing from ethnographic research, this study examines how interactions between protesters and police unfold at Black Lives Matter demonstrations in two cities with distinct policing regimes. I argue that protesters consciously resist the terms of engagement set by police in an effort to demonstrate their opposition to police violence and racism, as well as demonstrate that communities can police themselves, while also seeking to avoid arrest or police violence. I call this protesters’ interactional resistance. This resistance is predicated on protesters pushing the boundaries of rules of engagement while using their structural knowledge of the situation and likely police responses. In contrast with prior research, a focus on interactional resistance emphasizes the actions and decisions of protesters, not just the police. It also shows how protesters manage to enact resistance even when they are trying to avoid arrest. Overall, these micro-interactions both point to and shape the structures of repression.