The Violence, Kerner, and Katzenbach commissions all departed from previous commission statements and focused on social inequity as the primary cause of both individual and collective violence. The commissions called for changes in the educational, judicial, and political systems to ensure equal opportunity for all citizens. The period after the reports was characterized by a decline in the use of collective protest to redress grievances; the achievement of economic and political progress for some; and the continuing problem of the largely black, urban poor, who were virtually untouched by the socioeconomic progress. In fact, the conditions of the urban ghetto nationally have worsened since the 1960's. In addition, prisons contain a concentration of black males and have a major potential for collective violence. Another group having the potential for collective violence contains extremeists to the right of the political spectrum, although little research has focused on this group. Recommendations include a continuation and expansion of affirmative action, the achievement of effective solutions to the problems of the urban underclass and renewed attention to the root causes of crime. Thirty-nine references are listed.