| Waukegan riot of 1966 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Ghetto riots | |||
| Date | August 26–29, 1966 | ||
| Location | |||
| Parties | |||
| |||
| Lead figures | |||
Mayor Robert Sabonjian | |||
| Casualties | |||
| Arrested | 100+ | ||
Waukegan riot of 1966 was a period of conflict between police and some residents of the town's predominantly African-American and Puerto Rican neighborhoods on the south side that occurred in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement.
The march coincided with a push toward desegregation at Whittier Elementary School. Almost entirely African-American, Whittier's enrollment stood in contrast to Waukegan's four other elementary schools, two of which were all white and two of which were 99% white.[1] As of early September, the Whittier community protested this segregation by boycotting, with less than a quarter of students showing up for class.[2]