This paper draws on a literature review to provide a comparative analysis of the short-term and long-term consequences of urban riots in France and the United States from the 1960s to the present. It explores how these events influence politics, public opinion, and policy. While the 1960s riots in the US catalyzed a conservative realignment and the rise of a law-and-order agenda, the riots happening along the recent Black Lives Matter protests have strengthened anti-racist activism. In France, riots have resulted in ambiguous policy and political outcomes. We conclude with a comparative discussion of the conditions for police behavior to become challenged in public debates.