I have no complete answer to address the unrest sweeping our country. As a child of the 1960s (high school and college), I thought our generation would address these things so the riots we saw in those years would not be repeated. Change occurred, but not enough.
A Look Back at the 1960s
Harlem Riot, 1964
The Harlem Riot was a race-based uprising that began on July 16, 1964, when 15-year-old James Powell was fatally shot by a white off-duty police officer. The community of Harlem was outraged by the murder which was widely viewed as an example of police brutality.
The first two days after Powell’s death saw peaceful protesting in Harlem and other boroughs in New York City. Then on July 18, some protesters went to the Harlem Police Station, demanding that the officer be terminated. Police officers were outside of the precinct guarding the police building. Then as tensions were rising some people in the crowd began throwing bricks, bottles, and rocks at officers who started waded into the crowd using their nightsticks. When the word of the confrontation spread rioting ensued throughout Harlem and then into the Black and Puerto Rican section of Brooklyn.
The riot lasted six days including breaking windows, looting, vandalism and setting various local businesses on fire. When the riot ended on July 22, one Black resident was dead. There were more than 100 injuries, 450 arrests, and around $1 million in property damage (in 1964 dollars).
Meanwhile in Philadelphia
Shortly thereafter in Philadelphia, a riot was sparked when an officer used force to get a woman to leave her car during a traffic stop. By the time the story went around the city, the rumor was that police had killed a pregnant black woman. Hundreds of people went to the scene. They began throwing bricks, bottles and other projectiles at the officers. The riot began that Friday and continued throughout the weekend with protesters looting white-owned businesses. By Sunday two people had been killed, 350 wounded and damage to the city totaled some $4 million.
1967 Detroit Riot
In 1967 the Detroit Race Riot began in the summer and became one of the most violent urban revolts in the history of the U.S. The riots were a response to police brutality, but underlying issues such as segregated schools and rising Black unemployment also outraged the Black residents of Detroit.
On July 23, the Detroit Police Vice Squad officers raided an after-hours “blind pig,” an unlicensed bar in the center of the city’s oldest and poorest black neighborhood. A party at the bar was held that night to celebrate the return of two black servicemen from Vietnam. Officers proceeded to arrest all 82 people attending the party. As all 82 people were being transported from the scene by police, a crowd of about 200 people showed up outside, fueled by rumors that police had used excessive force during the raid. Then a little after 5 a.m. an empty bottle was thrown into the back of a police car, proceeded by a trash can thrown through a storefront window.
The riot lasted for five days and nights. It consisted of violence and looting of the businesses. Thirty-three Black people and 10 whites were killed, 1,189 were injured and more than 7,200 people were arrested. Approximately 2,500 stores were looted. Total property damage was estimated at about $32 million.
Unrest After MLK Assassination
A year later after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. unrest happened again, this time throughout the country. On April 4, 1968, King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Once news spread of his death, Black Americans from all across the country gathered to express their frustrations with this country in the streets in the form of marches and protests. However, not all these demonstrations stayed peaceful. Some of the most notable incidents of civil unrest occurred in Baltimore, Chicago, Louisville, New York City, and Washington, D.C.
King’s assassination riots added to the already high number of riots that occurred throughout the 1960s. The damage in many cities across the U.S. damaged the cities’ economies. This led to thousands of jobs lost, while crime increased, property values decreased and many black communities were even more isolated from the rest of their cities than before the violence.
Change Has Happened but More Needed
Obviously, police officers need better training. Police departments also need to do a better job of selecting personnel. And the messages of Black Lives Matter have incredible value. Those like me with white privilege need to listen and learn. We also need to understand the pandemic has had a larger toll on people of color. The Black mayor of Denver was on CNN a few minutes ago saying we all need to make ourselves vulnerable and open to change. He also said it’s taken generations for the inequities and racism to build so it may take generations for it to change.
I sincerely hope not.