Image source: www.chicagotribune.com
Chicago, D.C., Baltimore 1968: King Assassination Riots
It's mid-April, 1968. Civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr. has recently been assassinated in his hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. Throughout the United States, people are outraged. Martin Luther King Jr. was a symbol of peaceful protest for the civil rights movement. His death sparks angst in the hearts of his followers throughout the nation. With the death of a powerful leader such as King, people start to feel that violence may be the only solution to ending segregation and racism in the United States.
The video above discusses looting that occurred during the King Assassination Riots. Many civil rights leaders were appalled that these riots occurred after King had died. They considered the riots to be a mockery of everything that King stood for.
On the evening of the 4th of April, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by a rifleman while standing on the balcony of his motel. By 7 o'clock that evening, King had been pronounced dead. It didn't take long for the news to travel across the country. The nation was outraged. Rioting started that night. Fighting and looting occurred throughout the country, mostly in major cities such as Washington D.C., Chicago, Baltimore and Louisville. The last riot ended on the 11th of April, in Pittsburgh. In all, 39 people were killed in the scrimmages across the country. A majority of those killed were black. An estimated 20,000 people were arrested as a result of these events. The total amount of money lost during the rioting is upward from $100 million.