In this Master’s Thesis Series video, Octavio Saenz interviews Christopher Barney (MA1801/1802), Battalion Chief for Portland Oregon Fire & Rescue, about the research behind his thesis “The ‘English Disease’ and Political Protest: How Social Identity Theory Can Enhance Public Safety at Crowd Events.” By investigating existing methodologies used by law enforcement to manage crowd events to ensure public safety, his thesis finds that law enforcement could effectively use social identity theory to understand differing groups’ needs and reduce protester-on-protester violence.
