President Johnson orders troops into Washington: 1968
U.S. soldiers take up positions on the steps of the U.S. Capitol April 5, 1968 after being ordered into the city of Washington, D.C. by President Lyndon Johnson.
Crowds of black people throughout the city attacked businesses and set many establishments afire following the assassination of civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The city exploded in anger at the news and experienced among the greatest property damage of the more than 125 cities that erupted April 4-7, 1968 and set a then U.S. record for mass arrests when more than 6,100 were detained.
Twelve died, mostly due to becoming entrapped in burning buildings and over 1,100 were injured. Property damage was extensive in a number of corridors: 14th Street NW, 7th Street NW, U Street NW, H Street NE and Nichols Ave SE (later Martin Luther King Jr. Ave) were set afire. 1,200 buildings were burned.
Washington, D.C. had been simmering before King’s assassination.
Clarence J. Brooker was shot in the back on Minnesota Ave. NE May 7, 1967 sparking protests, including a sit-in at the District Building. On May 23, 1967, two youths were shot at a playground by a police officer that sparked another round of demonstrations.
A standoff with police began August 1, 1967 when lines of officers began moving a crowd back from a burning Salas furniture store at 1307 7th Street NW. Dozens threw rocks and bottles at police who responded in turn with billy clubs.
The outbreak occurred at about 12:30 am and lasted until about 3:00 a.m. resulting in 11 fires, 50 store windows broken and 34 arrests.
The disturbance area was confined to 7th Street between K and P NW and on 13th & 14th Streets NW near U Street—two areas that would be hit hard following King’s murder.
Dozens of other cities had already experienced widespread rebellion against authority including New York, Watts and Newark along with dozens of outbreaks in smaller cities..
In the immediate aftermath of King’s assassination, 125 cities across the country experienced a social breakdown.
In Washington, D.C. mainstream black leaders such as the appointed mayor Walter Washington and singer James Brown urged black people to contain their anger and leave the streets.
Some white leaders blamed “agitators” such as Maryland Senator Daniel Brewster who called for former SNCC leader Stokely Carmichael’s arrest after Carmichael held a press conference at SNCC headquarters in D.C. and also gave a speech at Howard University calling on black people to arm themselves.
The full text of Carmichael’s press conference is here: flic.kr/p/Rqtckc
Newspapers were filled quotes from residents both black and white decrying the burning and looting.
But the tens of thousands of black people who took part had a different point of view.
Reginald Booker, a black activist primarily known for his anti-freeway work, gave his thoughts in a May 1, 1968 hearing of the appointed city council at Eastern High School on Rehabilitation of District of Columbia Areas Damaged by Civil Disorders that was later incorporated into congressional testimony on the issue.
Booker started off calling the disturbances a “revolution” and defended the property destruction and looting.
“The burning, the devastation, you can call it riots, you can call it looting. I know what black people call it and I know what I call it.”
“Any time oppressed people are so denied, and so oppressed, and the channels of the so-called usual mechanisms of dealing with these ills, if they cannot solve the problems, then black people and all other people have the right to burn and bring destruction if that alleviates their misery.”
“Does it take burning? Does it take looting? Of course, I know the people who were looting, they were only taking back what was theirs all the time.”
“I know they were taking back what was theirs because when the rebellion broke out, I was right out there in the street with my people.”
“Now, a whole lot of those hypocritical white folks, they said, ‘well, look they even burned down some of their own people so it couldn’t have been racial. They were just out to steal something.’”
“How can you steal from a crook?”
“It was pointed out recently, for example, that Safeway, on the day that welfare recipients receive checks, raise their prices.”
“Recently the Washington Post ran a series of stories on certain credit merchants on 7th Street, on how they exploit black people. How can you buy a TV that is worth $50 and end up paying $300-plus for it, and then if you don’t make all the payments it is repossessed and the man sells it over about 10 times again?”
Press reports indicated that certain businesses were clearly targeted, including Safeway and so-called easy credit businesses.
For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHsk4zGPDw
The photographer is unknown. The image is a United Press International photograph housed in the D.C. Library Washington Star Collection.
President Johnson orders troops into Washington: 1968
U.S. soldiers take up positions on the steps of the U.S. Capitol April 5, 1968 after being ordered into the city of Washington, D.C. by President Lyndon Johnson.
Crowds of black people throughout the city attacked businesses and set many establishments afire following the assassination of civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The city exploded in anger at the news and experienced among the greatest property damage of the more than 125 cities that erupted April 4-7, 1968 and set a then U.S. record for mass arrests when more than 6,100 were detained.
Twelve died, mostly due to becoming entrapped in burning buildings and over 1,100 were injured. Property damage was extensive in a number of corridors: 14th Street NW, 7th Street NW, U Street NW, H Street NE and Nichols Ave SE (later Martin Luther King Jr. Ave) were set afire. 1,200 buildings were burned.
Washington, D.C. had been simmering before King’s assassination.
Clarence J. Brooker was shot in the back on Minnesota Ave. NE May 7, 1967 sparking protests, including a sit-in at the District Building. On May 23, 1967, two youths were shot at a playground by a police officer that sparked another round of demonstrations.
A standoff with police began August 1, 1967 when lines of officers began moving a crowd back from a burning Salas furniture store at 1307 7th Street NW. Dozens threw rocks and bottles at police who responded in turn with billy clubs.
The outbreak occurred at about 12:30 am and lasted until about 3:00 a.m. resulting in 11 fires, 50 store windows broken and 34 arrests.
The disturbance area was confined to 7th Street between K and P NW and on 13th & 14th Streets NW near U Street—two areas that would be hit hard following King’s murder.
Dozens of other cities had already experienced widespread rebellion against authority including New York, Watts and Newark along with dozens of outbreaks in smaller cities..
In the immediate aftermath of King’s assassination, 125 cities across the country experienced a social breakdown.
In Washington, D.C. mainstream black leaders such as the appointed mayor Walter Washington and singer James Brown urged black people to contain their anger and leave the streets.
Some white leaders blamed “agitators” such as Maryland Senator Daniel Brewster who called for former SNCC leader Stokely Carmichael’s arrest after Carmichael held a press conference at SNCC headquarters in D.C. and also gave a speech at Howard University calling on black people to arm themselves.
The full text of Carmichael’s press conference is here: flic.kr/p/Rqtckc
Newspapers were filled quotes from residents both black and white decrying the burning and looting.
But the tens of thousands of black people who took part had a different point of view.
Reginald Booker, a black activist primarily known for his anti-freeway work, gave his thoughts in a May 1, 1968 hearing of the appointed city council at Eastern High School on Rehabilitation of District of Columbia Areas Damaged by Civil Disorders that was later incorporated into congressional testimony on the issue.
Booker started off calling the disturbances a “revolution” and defended the property destruction and looting.
“The burning, the devastation, you can call it riots, you can call it looting. I know what black people call it and I know what I call it.”
“Any time oppressed people are so denied, and so oppressed, and the channels of the so-called usual mechanisms of dealing with these ills, if they cannot solve the problems, then black people and all other people have the right to burn and bring destruction if that alleviates their misery.”
“Does it take burning? Does it take looting? Of course, I know the people who were looting, they were only taking back what was theirs all the time.”
“I know they were taking back what was theirs because when the rebellion broke out, I was right out there in the street with my people.”
“Now, a whole lot of those hypocritical white folks, they said, ‘well, look they even burned down some of their own people so it couldn’t have been racial. They were just out to steal something.’”
“How can you steal from a crook?”
“It was pointed out recently, for example, that Safeway, on the day that welfare recipients receive checks, raise their prices.”
“Recently the Washington Post ran a series of stories on certain credit merchants on 7th Street, on how they exploit black people. How can you buy a TV that is worth $50 and end up paying $300-plus for it, and then if you don’t make all the payments it is repossessed and the man sells it over about 10 times again?”
Press reports indicated that certain businesses were clearly targeted, including Safeway and so-called easy credit businesses.
For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHsk4zGPDw
The photographer is unknown. The image is a United Press International photograph housed in the D.C. Library Washington Star Collection.