Riots were reported in Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, and Detroit just days after the announcement of King’s death (Davey, M. p.25). Several millions of dollars in damages ensued after the riots and left neighborhoods recovering for decades (Davey, M. p.25). The riots devastated the lives and properties of many in the United
Twenty-seven years later in 1992 a riot known as both the Rodney King riots and the LA riots broke out. Both share the similar circumstances as to why the riots started. Before each riot there was some kind of tension between police officers and the African American people of Los Angeles. In both cases African Americans were still dealing with high unemployment rates, substandard housing, and inadequate schools. Add these three problems with policemen having a heavy hand and a riot will happen.
Racial Riots in America Over the past century, beginning before World War I, many incidents have occurred involving white mob assaults against entire black communities. In most of the cases these white mobs attacked the black neighborhoods, beating and killing the residents in many numbers. They also set fire and destroyed the blacks property. This was the result of the white society trying to maintain their superiority over the black communities, keeping them as the minority. These brutal confrontations are mostly referred to as race riots.
Since this incident there have been many instances of people in authority racially profiling blacks, which consequently often leads to police brutality. Such as the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Freddie Grey and Tamir Rice. All of these men were unarmed and unjustly killed. Protests started to pop up around many major cities in the USA, demanding for the police force and government to change their ways. Two major protests were in Ferguson, MO in 2014 and Baltimore, MD in 2015.
For two days after this march there was serious rioting between the Catholics and the RUC. In the following January there were many civil rights marches with increasing violence brought about by over policeing and confrontations between them and loyalist crowds. On 25 April 1969 following a bombing campaign by Loyalists extremists, 500 additional British troops were sent to Northern Ireland. A few months later on the 12th August 1969 as the Apprentice boys passed near the Bogside area a serious riot erupted. The RUC got involved to try and stop the riot by using water cannons and armoured cars.
Post World War I Oklahoma had a racially and politically tense atmosphere around the 20th century, lynchings were a part of a continuing effort by whites to assert and maintain white supremacy (“Tulsa Race”). The race riot was one of the worst urban racial conflicts in history, In 1921 an estimated 50 dead, hundreds injured, and more 1,000 owned homes and businesses destroyed by whites against blacks (Christensen). The commercial section of greenwood which included 191 businesses, a Jr high school, and churches and the only hospital were destroyed (“Tulsa Race”). The Tulsa Tribune reported that Dick Rowland had attempted to rape Sarah Page according to the eye witnesses, there had been talk of lynching the following evening (Ellsworth). The Tulsa Tribune which was one of two white papers in Tulsa describing the alleged incident with the headline “Nab negro for attacking girl in an elevator”, the tribune also included an
Rioters started to destroy the city and attack individuals who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. According to CNN (2012) the three day riots caused more than fifty
At this time in Cincinnati, there were many disputes about race. A white officer shot an unarmed black man in April in 2001 that had many offenses against him at the time and was killed shortly after. Riots broke out and curfews were set in to place. This is a major event that happened in Cincinnati’s history and still today has hurt the citizens and the Over-The-Rhine district. Violence has been fought against people of color for a very long time and it affects the people and various cities around us.
This had a lot to do with riots that occurred in Los Angeles back in the 1960’s.2 In 1965 riots in L.A. occurred after a routine stop by the police involving drunk driving. This stop occurred very close the driver’s residence where massive crowd began to build. When it was all said and done the driver and his passenger were arrested along with the driver’s mother and one other person. These arrests and confrontation with the police caused riots that would last for six days. These riots and drawn a heavy presence by the National Guard and resulted in 34 people killed, over 1,000 injured, 4000 arrested and hundreds of buildings were burned.3 These riots set the tone for tension and what would ensue.
The media portrayal of incidences across the nation since 1991 only heightened the stereotype. There was a very similar incident in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014 with the shooting of Michael Brown by a white officer. The coverage for Ferguson lasted for weeks and put the police in a very negative light. The Portland Press Herald states that “many police think they’re being stereotyped as racist and brutal” (Wise). There also seems to be a stereotype within a stereotype.