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The term Watts Riots refers to a large-scale riot which lasted five days in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in August 1965. During the riots, 34 people were officially reported killed, 1,100 people were injured, 4,000 people were arrested, 600 buildings were damaged or destroyed, and an estimated $35 million in damage was caused.
Background The riot began on August 11, 1965, in Watts, when Lee Minikus, a California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer, pulled over Marquette Frye, whom Minikus believed was intoxicated because of his observed erratic driving. While police questioned Frye and his brother Ronald Frye, a group of people began to gather. A struggle ensued shortly after the brothers' mother Rena arrived on the scene, resulting in the arrest of all three family members. Someone threw a bottle which hit a police car fender. Shortly after the police left, tensions boiled over and the rioting began. Over five days, $35,000,000 in destruction of property occurred. The neighborhood was 99% black. The only other non-blacks in the neighborhood were a few people of Hispanic origin, and several Jewish store owners. The community believed racially motivated police brutality was rampant. Only 5 of the 205 police officers assigned to this neighborhood were African American. Police were accused of the rape of black women, heavy use of racial epithets, and use of excessive force in arrests. In the Watts area, one out of eight adults lacked a high school education, and poverty and unemployment were higher in this section of Los Angeles than any other neighborhood. This pattern of rioting continued all across the country in cities such as New York in 1964 and 1968, Detroit and Newark in 1967, San Francisco in 1966, Washington, DC in 1968, Baltimore in 1967 and 1968, and Chicago and Cleveland both in 1968. Destruction Most of the damage was confined to businesses that had caused resentment in the neighborhood due to the perception of unfairness. Homes were not attacked, although some caught fire due to proximity to other fires. Government intervention Eventually, the National Guard put a cordon around a vast region of South Central Los Angeles. A gubernatorial (Governing) commission investigated the riots, identifying the causes as high unemployment, poor schools, and other inferior living conditions. The government made little effort to address the problems or repair damages. The riots were also a response to Proposition 14, a constitutional amendment sponsored by the California Real Estate Association that had in effect repealed the Rumford Fair Housing Act. The Black Panther Party of Self-Defense formed in Oakland, California, approximately one year after the riots. Media coverage Los Angeles TV station KTLA covered the riots live using its station's helicopter, on more than one occasion spotting rioters and arsonists in the act. KTLA was the only station with a helicopter and therefore the only station to show air coverage of the riot. The use of a helicopter in both news coverage and in tracking activities led to increased use of the vehicles by law enforcement and other media broadcasters. See also Further reading | ||||||||
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