Legal Definitions - civil disorder

Civil disorder describes a significant public disturbance where a group of three or more individuals engages in violent actions. These actions must create an immediate risk of harm or actual damage to people or property.

• Imagine a large public protest against a new city ordinance. While most participants are peaceful, a small faction of about ten individuals breaks away, begins throwing objects at storefronts, and attempts to overturn a parked vehicle. This situation would constitute civil disorder because it involves more than three people committing violent acts that cause immediate danger to property and bystanders.

• Consider a scenario following a major sporting event where a crowd gathers in the streets. A group of five or six individuals, fueled by alcohol, starts smashing car windows, setting small trash fires, and confronting passersby aggressively. This behavior fits the definition of civil disorder due to the involvement of multiple people in violent acts causing immediate property damage and creating a dangerous environment.

• In a correctional facility, a group of inmates in a common area suddenly refuses to comply with orders, barricades a door, and begins destroying furniture and assaulting correctional officers. This internal disturbance, involving several individuals in violent acts causing injury to people and damage to property, would also be classified as civil disorder.