On October 24, 1996, an 18-year-old black man, TyRon Lewis, was stopped for speeding in St. Petersburg, Florida. Witnesses claimed that a white police officer, James Knight, had pointed a gun at Lewis during the stop. Knight told Lewis to get out of his car and … Read MoreSt. Petersburg, Florida Riot, 1996
On August 28, 1964, a black couple, Rush and Odessa Bradford, engaged in a domestic dispute while driving through the intersection of 22nd Street and Colombia Avenue in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a predominantly black neighborhood. While this was the event that sparked the uprising, it was certainly … Read MorePhiladelphia Race Riot (1964)
The 1967 Flint, Michigan Riot was among the over 150 urban disturbances that arose during what has been coined as the “long hot summer” of 1967. Prior racial tensions and underlying resentments were an unfortunate common theme shared in many of these instances of civil unrest. In Flint, … Read MoreFlint, Michigan Riot (1967)
Cleveland’s Hough Riots of 1966 was the first major racial uprising of the decade in an Ohio city but preceded by two years the much more extensive uprising there in the aftermath of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in April 1968. It was, however, a continuation of a … Read MoreCleveland’s Hough Riots of 1966
Racism and economic tensions fulminated in Cincinnati, Ohio in August of 1829, resulting in white violence against African Americans over a two-week period in August 17-22. White mobs estimated at times at 200 to 300 led by Irish immigrants invaded the riverfront area where African Americans lived with the … Read MoreCincinnati Riots of 1829
The event labeled as the Houston Riot occurred on the Texas Southern University (TSU) campus in Houston, Texas in 1967. As with many other civil disturbances during the 1960s, underlying racial resentments prior to the event finally reached a tipping point. In this instance, however, much of the anger … Read MoreHouston (TSU) Riot (1967)
Rochester, New York’s uprising began on July 24, 1964. It occurred less than a week after the Harlem Riot. The Rochester Rebellion came as a surprise to many white residents because of the city’s history of progressive 19th century politics. A large part of that history revolved around the Underground … Read MoreRochester Rebellion (July 1964)
The 1964 Harlem Riot was one of a number of race-based uprisings/ protests that took place in multiple cities across the United States during the 1960s. As elsewhere Harlem blacks reacted to racial discrimination, segregation, police brutality and social injustices that dominated their lives. They resorted to violence … Read MoreThe Harlem Race Riot of 1964
The Chicago Race Riot of 1964 was actually centered in Dixmoor, Illinois, a suburb southwest of the city. By 1960 Dixmoor had less than 4,000 residents. Of that population over 50 percent of its residents were black. A large portion of Dixmoor’s black population were recently arrived migrants … Read MoreChicago Riots (1964)
The 1964 Jersey City, New Jersey Uprising began August 2 and lasted three nights until the morning of August 5. The uprising began in the predominantly black neighborhood of Lafayette in Jersey City after police arrested 26-year-old African American Delores Shannon for disorderly conduct and being drunk in … Read MoreThe Jersey City Uprising (1964)
