1967 Tampa riots

The 1967 Tampa riots were a series of race riots during June 1967 in Tampa, Florida, as one of 159 such riots in the United States that summer.

1967 Tampa riots
Part of Long, hot summer of 1967
DateJune 11 – 15, 1967
Location
Tampa, Florida
Caused by
  • Martin Chambers being shot by Patrolman James Calvert and later dying
  • Racial inequality
MethodsProtests, rioting, arson, looting[1]
Resulted in
  • Investigations into the shooting of Martin Chambers done by authorities.
  • Program created by local businesspeople to reduce unemployment of black residents.
  • Unsuccessful attempts made to improve relations with black residents by law enforcement in the following years.
  • Contributed to the decline of Central Park.
Parties
Protestors, rioters
Lead figures

Governor of Florida

Sheriff of Hillsborough County

Mayor of Tampa

Number
  • 472 – ~500 Florida National Guard soldiers
  • 235 Florida Highway Patrol troopers
Casualties
Death(s)1
Arrested100+
Damage$2 million

The Tampa riots began after a 19-year-old black man named Martin Chambers, who was one of three people suspected of robbing a camera supply warehouse on 421 East Ellasme Street, was fatally shot by a white officer of the Tampa Police Department, Patrolman James Calvert. The riots began on the night of June 11 and ended on June 15, in the neighborhood that was then known as Central Park.

  1. ^ Momodu, Samuel (December 25, 2020). "Tampa Bay Race Riot (1967)". BlackPast.org. Retrieved 2021-04-03.