1968 Chicago riots

1968 Chicago Riots
Part of the King assassination riots
DateApril 5–7 1968
(3 days)
Location
41°52′N 87°44′W / 41.867°N 87.733°W / 41.867; -87.733
Caused byAssassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
MethodsRioting, race riots, protests, looting, attacks
Parties
Rioters, protesters
Casualties
Death(s)11
Injuries500
Arrested2,150+

The 1968 Chicago riots, in the United States, were sparked in part by the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Rioting and looting followed, with people flooding out onto the streets of major cities, primarily in black urban areas.[1] Over 100 major U.S. cities experienced disturbances, resulting in roughly $50 million in damage.

Rioters and police in Chicago – ironically a place of which King himself said "I've been in many demonstrations all across the South, but I can say that I have never seen, even in Mississippi and Alabama, mobs as hostile and as hate-filled as I'm seeing in Chicago" – were particularly aggressive, and the damage was severe.[2] Of the 39 people who died in the nationwide disturbances, 34 were black. Chicago, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. experienced some of the worst riots following King's assassination. In Chicago itself, more than 48 hours of rioting left 11 Chicago citizens dead, 48 wounded by police gunfire, 90 policemen injured, and 2,150 people arrested.[3] Three miles of East Garfield Park and West Garfield Park on West Madison Street were left in a state of rubble.

Later the same year, around the Democratic National Convention, Chicago would once again be a place for political protest and clashes with the authorities.

  1. ^ Rosenberg, Jennifer. "Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr". Archived from the original on February 20, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
  2. ^ Risen, Clay (2009). "April 5: 'There are no ghettos in Chicago'". A nation on fire : America in the wake of the King assassination. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-17710-5.
  3. ^ "West Madison Street 1968". Associated Press. Retrieved May 17, 2011.