This Day In History (August 11th)- Watts Riots of 1965
August 11, 1965 marked the day that the Watts Riots began in Los Angeles, California.
It lasted six days, and was the most severe riot in L.A.’s history before another one in 1992. The riots resulted in 34 people killed, 1,032 injured, and 3,438 arrested. There had been a lot of racial tension in the area, and it finally triggered a response when a police officer pulled over African American Marquette Fry for possible intoxication while driving. He failed to pass sobriety tests, and began to cause a scene. Onlookers gathered around them and began to throw objects at the police officers. This crowd grew into a large mob, and the violence escalated quickly throughout the entire city of Watts.
Today, England is suffering from the London Riots that began on August 4, 2011. The Metropolitan Police shot 29-year-old Mark Duggan in Tottenham, North London, which started the violence. 200 people marched in the city after his death, and instigated the rioting with little information about his death. At least 111 officers have been injured, and more than 1,100 people have been arrested. The violence was spread to Wood Green, Enfield Town, Ponders End, and Brixton. Investigations are still occurring at this time.
Here are some comments from politicians about the riots:
David Lammy MP: “For every person on camera throwing stones there will be 1,000 others off camera rebuilding what has been destroyed. This is the Tottenham I was born in, the Tottenham I grew up in and that I live in”
Ken Livingstone: “I am concerned that there is growing social dislocation in London and a threat that the police will be forced into escalating conflict with some London communities. We do not want to go back to the 1980s”.
Steven Kavanagh: It was a “shocking and appalling morning for London to wake up to”
Ed Miliband MP on Twitter: “Spoke to the PM this morning, said we need practical steps to restore order. Awful scenes of damage. Will be meeting people affected today”.
