Watt Riots Case Study

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Watt Riots of 1965
“The Watts Riots were a turning point that would shift the Civil Rights Movement away from the nonviolent protests that Dr. King used to initiate the creative tension that could lead to solutions” (The Road to Civil Rights). These riots were the end to nonviolent protests. The Watt Riot was known as the most expensive and largest rebellion of the Civil Right era. It was said to be a rebellion against the long standing unemployment, low standard housing, and inadequate schooling. The Civil rights movement was in the midst of uniting whites and blacks together into one community, but for some this was not happening fast enough. The riots brought about costly damage and multiple disagreements, thus, making it more complicated to find solutions. Throughout this essay the history, effectiveness, accomplishments, and results of greater justice and social change of the Watt Riots will be discussed. The Watt Riots took place in 1965 in Los Angeles, the day after the Congress passed the Voting Rights Act. This is ironic because the Voting Rights Act made it easier for Southern Blacks to register to vote, simple bringing about more rights to the blacks. The riot took place for five days, and it costed for than forty millions dollars due to all of the property damage. The riot was started when a young African American, Marquette Frye, was pulled over and arrested by Lee Minikus, a white patrolman, for suspicion of driving while intoxicated. As people gathered around the scene, Frye’s mother approached along with another woman. The crowd thought the second woman was pregnant. The cop kicked the pregnant woman in the stomach, and this was the begin...

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...mong races had been going on for such a long time, and the Civil Rights movement was a great asset to uniting blacks and whites together. But, it was during the Civil Rights movement that the Watt Riot of 1965 took place. This riot had been something that was building up, and it included frustration of overcrowding, high unemployment, poverty, and bad school. These are not just instances that can be resolved in a blink of an eye, but all of them are situation in which can be resolved. Johnson and Martin Luther King had a major impact on reuniting blacks and whites. It was affirmative action, the Poor People’s Campaign, and ending segregation in schools that took a major step in the end of the Civil Rights Movement. The Watt Riot took place during the end of the movement, which made it to where it was seen a major problem, and actions were taken in a quicker fashion.

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