ABSTRACT

The first of these started on August 11, 1965. A confrontation between white police and young blacks in Watts, Los Angeles’ largest black ghetto, marked the end of the period of nonviolent protest at black oppression in the United States and presaged the start of a series of “race riots.” By the end of 1968, the catchword, “burn, baby, burn” had been heard in virtually every major U.S. city, coast to coast, north to south. In 1967 alone, over 150 “race riots” were recorded during the “long hot summer,” the most serious taking place in Newark and Detroit. By the end of 1968, police had reported 50,000 arrests and more than 8,000 casualties.