There are several major factors that drive the risk of civil unrest on any particular day:
- Nationalized Incidents - Events on the other side of the country have the possibility of triggering disruptions here in Richmond. The risk of volatility can be determined by national media coverage, social media trends and reactions in other cities across the country.
- Political Incidents - High profile political incidents can drive emotions across the country and draw demonstrators to the streets to protest in outrage.
- Local or State Events - Demonstrations can arise very rapidly based on developments that happen in our region. For example demonstrations can rapidly form in response to perceived injustices performed by law enforcement -- especially in today's environment where social media videos spread in minutes.
We monitor a multitude of sources for indications of unrest and the ability to organize and mobilize demonstrators for these events. We look for chatter, trends and sentiment towards turnout as well as the tone of communications directed towards the mobilization.