Eps 7: A History of Riots In The United States
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Corey Hopkins
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One of the most recent and deadly riots was the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN. This event has shaken many Americans to the core and brought up memories of other riots that have occurred in U.S. cities over the past several decades. In the 1960s, several riots erupted across America due to issues like civil rights and police brutality that affected African Americans.
These riots were a direct reaction to the long history of racism and oppression that African Americans had faced for centuries. Since the end of the Civil War, white mobs had committed thousands of lynchings and other violent acts against African Americans in an effort to maintain power and control. The civil rights movement was a struggle for organized labor, educational equity, voting rights, and access to public spaces. As these movements grew in popularity, so did the number of riots across America. Race riots were common in cities like Detroit and Los Angeles as people protested police brutality against minority communities. The Trump administration has also been linked to race-related violence.
The United States has seen a long history of riots, with considerable deaths and property damage. In the early 1900s, large numbers of African Americans were lynched in predominantly black areas. This sparked a series of riots that erupted in African American areas, resulting in rioting and violence. The most famous of these was the 1992 Los Angeles riots which resulted from resentment over the acquittal of four police officers who had been charged with beating an African American motorist. The violence resulted in injuries, deaths and thousands of arrests. One of the worst such cases was when thousands of people were killed during the 1967 Detroit riots. This stand off resulted in deaths, arrests and injuries as well as destroyed large numbers homes.
This event is known as the New York City Riots, which unfolded its own riots in other places in the USA. The Memphis unrest of 1866 was one such place riot that was inspired by the New York City Riots. It was caused by a brawl between a Black and White men, which resulted in the deaths of 46 people and inspired similar violence in nearby city. The Astor Place Riot of 1849, centered around an acting troupe from England performing at the Astor Place Opera House, also led to fatalities and injuries when protesters lost control over their emotions. Rioting remained prevalent throughout the United States during and following the civil war; it even reached as far as New Orleans in 1866. This further damaged businesses and city image for these cities including New York. As times have changed, so has our way of responding to violence.
1965 was the year of some of the worst riots in American history. Race riots began in Watts, Los Angeles and spread across several other cities. Property damage was widespread and left Los Angeles neighborhoods devastated. Even New Jersey had its share of riots during this time, though they were not as severe as those in Los Angeles. The Watts Riots lasted for several days and left the city in disarray for years to come.
This was one of the earliest examples of a more generalized riot in the United States, which affected city's poor immigrants and the black community. During the American Civil War, there were city draft riots in New York City, which were mostly led by poor white Democrats. These riots were triggered by anger over conscription policies that favored wealthier men and caused resentment among poorer citizens. The Rodney King Riots in 1992 was a protest against white police brutality and sparked outrage throughout the country. It was sparked after a jury acquitted four white police officers accused of beating an African-American man named Rodney King.
On July 12, 1991, a rumor spread throughout Harlem that two white police officers had beaten a black taxi driver. This sparked riots in Harlem, as well as New Jersey in the city of Newark. On July 13, 1991, Lino Rivera was arrested by two white police officers after they pulled him over for driving his motor vehicle erratically. This incident sparked more rioting and looting.
The 1943 Detroit Riot started when a mob of white people attacked businesses and residents in the area. Chicago and Detroit experienced some of the largest riots in US history. The Detroit Riot took place when three African Americans were hired to work in the Packard Motor Company. This caused economic competition amongst poor working class whites who had lost 25 war-related jobs. It quickly escalated into a riot that involved thousands of people and hundreds of businesses being vandalized and looted. The riot lasted for four days, resulting in $2 million worth of damage, two deaths, 1,800 arrests, and hundreds of injuries. It was one of the deadliest riots in US history as it took tens of thousands to quell it.
This famous riot took place in 1943, during World War II. Racial tensions were high, and it made black people in Detroit vulnerable to attack. It all started when a group of white sailors attacked some black residents. This sparked off a wave of rioting where white owned homes were looted and set on fire. The city suffered 75 percent of its damage before the riot was quelled by the army and police forces. The 2017 movie 'Detroit' was hailed as one of the best films of that year, depicting the events that took place during the 1943 Detroit race riots. It showed how tension between blacks and whites had been building up for decades before culminating into this devastating riot. Thousands were arrested, many died or were injured, but no one was ever convicted for any crime related to this incident.
The Rodney King riots of April 4, 1992 were one of the most destructive and deadliest in American history. It started when four white LAPD officers were acquitted after a high-speed chase and assault on African American Rodney King. This sparked riots in more than 100 major American cities and saw 44 people dead, 11 of whom died in Los Angeles. The Haymarket riot of 1886 was one of the earliest instances where people put riot to use in an organized fashion. It was least deadly among riots as only seven people died during this incident. Throughout American history, times have seen many protests turn into full-blown riots that have touched upon civil rights issues such as Rodney King Jr.'s case.