What were the causes of the Black Riots in the 1960s?

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RACISM IN AMERICA

What were the causes of the Black Riots in the 1960s?

Throughout the 1960s many riots involving black people and other minority groups took place in the Eastern States of America. The 1965 riots in Watt County were one such example and demonstrated the horrific inequalities still present in America one year after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had been introduced. The riots lasted for six days, leaving 34 people dead, over a thousand injured, nearly 4,000 arrested and hundreds of buildings destroyed.

There were many factors that played a part in causing the riots such as a failing education system, damaged relations between the police force and minority groups (especially black African Americans) and poor medical care. High unemployment within these groups and an unwillingness for change amongst the majority of state governments also contributed to the problems seen in 1965.

Poor housing was a major problem at the time for African Americans. It was almost impossible for these people to get loans, due both to prejudice and the fact most black people had very low-income jobs. Banks were understandably reluctant to hand out money to high risk borrowers such as these. This lead to a great deal of discontent within the community and the lack of money also meant that any accommodation they could afford was of a very poor standard. As a result many lived in damp, squalid conditions.

In addition there were certain areas set aside purely for white people where black people were forbidden to move next to or even near a white person. This meant that the housing available to Black People was severely limited, even if they did have money available to them. Black people very quickly became annoyed at the unfairness of this and again this caused them to feel the only way to voice their objections was in a violent manner such as the riots of the 1960s.

Another reason for the discontent and anger leading up to the Watts County riots was the competition between minority groups. Rather than pulling together and uniting in their battle for equality as one might expect, they instead formed strong rivalries that lead to fierce conflict for the limited resources not already taken by white people. Also many white people preferred to hire lighter-skinned minorities, most of whom were Chicanos. This caused unrest within the black community, who were angry and upset as this meant there were very few jobs left available.

Arguably the most significant single factor which contributed to the 1960s riots was the issue of policing at the time. For many years there had been negative encounters between white members of the Los Angeles police force and the African Americas and this lead to resentment within black society. Many officers were corrupt and above all racist and discrimination was widespread and apparent. A large number of officers lied in arrest reports against black citizens and some even beat and tortured Black men regardless of whether or not they had committed or were even suspected of committing any crime. These officers abused their authority within the community using it not to achieve justice and order, but as a tool for racial harassment. "Bending fingers back, twisting ears, tightening hand cuffs into medieval torture devices and slamming heads against doors while plying them in vehicles" were some of the more mild attacks carried out by white police men on black African Americans.

Black People were very aware that they were being treated unfairly, and their civil rights violated. If it is the very agencies that are meant to be protecting people, who are discriminating against them, then citizens are forced to find another way to make their voices heard and it was this feeling of helplessness which lead to the riots seem in Watts County during the 1960's.

What were the causes of the black riots in the 1990s?

Less than 30 years on from the devastating clashes between black and white Americans in the 1960's, saw another wave of riots in the Los Angeles district. Fifty-five people were killed in several days of attacks and looting against whites and Asians. Nearly 2,000 people were injured with another 12,000 being arrested.

In addition to the problems still being faced by Black people such as housing, unemployment and education, there were two main triggering factors which led to these riots.

The first of these incidents was the beating of a black man named Rodney King by L.A.P.P police officers in the early hours of March 3rd 1991. Traffic officers stopped King's car after a high speed chase. Ordering him from the ear, the

four men and women repeatedly beat Mr King with their batons. This suffered a fractured skull and obtained many internal injuries. The entire incident was caught of camera by a passer by and the officers were soon arrested. The real spark however, came in 1992 when all four were cleared of assault. This caused uproar within the Black community. They were furious and within hours violence erupted across the city. From this we can see that the Rodney King incident was one of the most significant contributing factors to the 1990 riots.
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The second main triggering factor was the shooting of a 15 year old black American girl by a Korean shop owner. There was already tension between the two groups which had emerged from cultural and linguistic difference. Koreans believed that black people were aggressive and loud, and accused them of shoplifting and using racist remarks. They also perceived them as being uneducated and lazy.

On the other hand, African Americans felt the business ethics and practices of

Koreans to be poor. They saw them to be exploiting the community with high prices and rude service. Also ...

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