Watts Los Angeles 1965 By Emily Hamrick

1. Who?

1.1. It had originally started with Marquette Frye because he was the one pulled over by the police officer but later grew into other black people in the area

2. What?

2.1. It was a civil disturbance, or riot, in Watts, Los Angeles, California which was a ghetto where a lot of African Americans lived.

2.1.1. Task 1

2.1.2. Task 2

3. Where?

3.1. The riot was in Watts, Los Angeles, California which was a ghetto

4. When?

4.1. The riot lasted for 5 days from August 11- August 15, 1965

5. Summary

5.1. What happened in Watts, Los Angeles was basically that a man named Marquette Frye (a black man) was pulled over by a white police officer who believe he was drunk driving and speeding. However, after he was pulled over, other blacks in the area saw what was happening and believed that the man was really just being pulled over because he was black and they started a riot over the "racism". Eventually things started to become extreme and the officer had to call in back up. The rioters continued to riot of days, destroying buildings, throwing bricks and cement, and setting things on fire. In the end, $40 million in property was destroyed, 34 people died, 1,032 people were injured, and 3,438 were arrested. However this did push Johnson to finally do something about the racism in America since it led to more riots and many blacks were no longer peacefully protesting.

6. Why?

6.1. The riots had occurred because a police officer had tried to arrest a black man and it led to a riot since the black people were sick of the racism in America and thought that this was just another act of racism

7. Quotes:

7.1. “When I have been asked during these last weeks who caused the riots and the killing in L.A., my answer has been direct and simple: Who is to blame for the riots? The rioters are to blame. Who is to blame for the killings? The killers are to blame.” ~ Dan Quayle

7.2. “The limitation of riots, moral questions aside, is that they cannot win and their participants know it. Hence, rioting is not revolutionary but reactionary because it invites defeat. It involves an emotional catharsis, but it must be followed by a sense of futility.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

7.3. “The more there are riots, the more repressive action will take place, and the more we face the danger of a right-wing takeover and eventually a fascist society.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

8. Affect on United States

8.1. It led to even more riots in the United States which went against Martin Luther King Jr.'s plan of nonviolent protest because it forced the white people to act before it led to even more riots. So it really pushed Johnson to make a move which he'd been avoiding so he didn't lose voters in the south

9. Pictures (click on little arrow to view)

9.1. Picture 1

9.2. Picture 2

9.3. Picture 3

10. Works Cited

10.1. Davis, Kenneth C. Don't Know Much About History. HarperCollins Publishers, 2004

10.1.1. Information: It happened in the ghettos of La because a man was arrested and because of discrimination. A lot of property was damaged and people went around destroying buildings. The riot lasted a few days. Johnson was avoiding doing anything so he wouldn't lose southern voters votes

10.2. Watts Riots article located at http://www.pbs.org/hueypnewton/times/times_watts.html

10.2.1. Information: The person pulled over was named Marquette Frye who was a black man in the car with his brother Ronald. They were pulled over because the officer thought they were drunk driving

10.3. Watts Riots located at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watts_Riots

10.3.1. Information: The riot went from August 11- August 15, 1965, 34 deaths, 1,032 injuries, 3,438 arrests, $40 million in property damage

10.4. Quotes about the riot located at http://thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/riots/

10.4.1. Information: 2 quotes from MLK on riots listed under the quotes section and one quote from Dan Quayle