The analysis considers the methodological and theoretical assumptions of network analysis, its contribution to the understanding of protest behavior, and its use in studying society's response to organized crime. The research then applies this approach to restaurant and bar owners of German, Greek, Italian, and Turkish ethnic origin in Germany. Data were collected by means of telephone interviews of 4,393 restaurateurs and barkeepers and an anonymous mail survey of 3,493 restaurateurs and barkeepers. Responses came from about 35 percent of those in the telephone survey and about 11 percent of those mailed the questionnaire. The questions focused on their personal knowledge of others' extortion or interactions with corrupt public officials and their estimates of the rate of victimization of restaurateurs and barkeepers of the same ethnic origin in their city or town. Results indicated that corruption has more influence than extortion on trust in democracy and that perception has more effect than does personal relationships with victims. The research also suggested that a shift in perspective by means of using deviant behavior as an independent variable rather than a dependent variable will enrich the possibilities of understanding societal dynamics. Figures, table, lists of publications, and 47 references