List of incidents of civil unrest in Chicago

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This list is about incidents of civil unrest, rioting, violent labor disputes, or minor insurrections or revolts in Chicago, Illinois.

Contents

19th century

Riots and civil unrest in Chicagochronological order
DateIssueEventDeathsInjuries
April 21, 1855Prohibition, immigration Lager Beer Riot - German and Irish immigrants rioted after mayor Levi Boone raised the cost of a liquor license, an act that was seen as targeting those groups. One rioter was killed by police after he shot a policeman.11+
July 23 – 26, 1877Labor Chicago railroad strike of 1877 - Part of a nationwide wave of strikes by railroad workers after most rail companies slashed wages. The majority of deaths occurred during the Battle of the Viaduct, where workers threw stones and fired at police who then returned fire.30+100+
May 4, 1886Labor Haymarket affair - An unknown person threw a dynamite bomb at police during what was an otherwise peaceful rally for striking workers. Police then opened fire on the crowd and in total four protestors and seven policemen were killed.11130+
1894Labor Pullman Strike - Began on May 11, 1894, after workers for the Pullman Company began strike after a reduction in wages. The strike spread nationwide and shut down most railroad traffic west of Detroit. The strike lasted several months and 30 strikers were killed in various riots and clashes with government forces.3057

20th century

1900–1949

Riots and civil unrest in Chicagochronological order
DateIssueEventDeathsInjuries
April–July, 1905Labor 1905 Chicago teamsters' strike - The United Brotherhood of Teamsters started a strike in support for a small union of workers from Montgomery Ward but soon garnered support from most unions in the city. Riots occurred almost daily starting on April 7 and continued until late July.21416
July 27 – August 3, 1919Racial Chicago race riot of 1919 - The deadliest of wave of race riots across America during the Red Summer of 1919. Started after a black swimmer drowned at a segregated beach after being hit by a rock thrown by a white man. The death ignited simmering tensions between Black migrants from the American south and predominately Irish immigrants on Chicago's South Side. The rioting lasted a week and resulted in the deaths of 23 blacks and 15 whites and left over 1,000 people, mostly black, homeless.38537
1916–21Political, organized crime Aldermen's wars - Alderman John Powers and challenger Anthony D'Andrea battled over control of Chicago's 19th Ward, located in Little Italy. Both were associated with organized crime and over 30 people were murdered during the feud before D'Andrea was killed in 1921.30+Unknown
1931HousingA protest against the growing number of evictions as a result of the Great Depression turned violent. Three protestors were killed and three policemen injured, leading mayor Anton Cermak to declare a moratorium on evictions. [1] 33+
December 17, 1933Ethnic, politicalSeveral hundred communists attacked a march organized by Ukrainian immigrants to protest the policies of the Soviet Union towards Ukraine. Over 100 people were injured as the communists threw bricks, rocks and beat people with clubs. [2] 0100+
May 30, 1937Labor Memorial Day massacre of 1937 - Occurred during nationwide strikes against steel companies which refused to sign union contracts. 10 unarmed strikers were shot by police after they attempted to pass through a police blockade.1067+
1944–1947Racial, housingIn the final years of and years following World War II, hundreds of racially motivated firebombings, assaults and riots occurred in Chicago as a result of blacks, often veterans, moving into white neighborhoods, predominately on the south side. [3] [4] 4Dozens
1946Racial, housing Airport Homes race riots - A number of riots against blacks occurred in temporary housing for returning veterans in the West Lawn and West Elsdon neighborhoods during 1946.0Unknown
July 25–28, 1947RacialAbout 2,000 whites gathered outside a house at 7153 South Saint Lawrence Avenue after a black postal worker named Roscoe Johnson bought it. The house was firebombed and nearly destroyed and disturbances occurred in the neighborhood for three days after the initial violence. [3] [5] 0Unknown
August 1947Racial, housing Fernwood Park race riot - White residents of the Fernwood Park neighborhood rioted after black veterans and their families were brought into a housing project in the neighborhood.035+
November 8–12, 1949Racial Englewood race riot - Up to 10,000 whites in the Englewood neighborhood rioted after a rumor spread that blacks and Jewish communists were planning to take over the neighborhood.013+

1950–1999

Riots and civil unrest in Chicagochronological order
DateIssueEventDeathsInjuries
1953Racial, housingWhite residents of the Trumbull Park Homes rioted for weeks after a black family was moved into the project. More riots occurred after 10 more black families were moved in.0Unknown
June 12–14, 1966Ethnic Division Street riots - Around 4,000 Puerto Ricans rioted in Humboldt Park and West Town after a young Puerto Rican man was shot and wounded by a white police officer during celebrations of Chicago's first Puerto Rican week.016
July 12–15, 1966Racial 1966 Chicago West Side Riots - Black residents of the Chicago's West Side rioted after a black man was arrested by police for opening a fire hydrant. Several cars and businesses were firebombed or vandalism and youths threw stones at passing cars at one point. More than 30 people were injured, including six policemen who were shot, and two civilians, including a pregnant teenager, were killed by stray gunfire. [6] 230+
July 31, 1966RacialWhite residents attacked 550 civil rights protesters who marched into their neighborhood. [7] 054
August 5, 1966Racial, housing Marquette Park rallies - A march for open housing organized by Martin Luther King Jr. and the Chicago Freedom Movement turned violent after they attempted to march through the then all-white neighborhood Marquette Park. Around 5,000 white locals threw rocks, bricks and bottles at marchers and police while yelling racial insults, with King being struck in the head and describing the opposition as the most "hostile and as hate-filled" he'd ever encountered. Over 30 people were injured and at least 40 people were arrested. [8] 030+
April 5–7, 1968Racial 1968 Chicago riots - One of the over 100 riots that erupted nationwide after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Most of the Chicago rioting occurred on the West Side and was the second deadliest (11 fatalities, versus 13 in the Washington D.C. riots) of the riots in the nation after King's death.11500
August 23–28, 1968Political 1968 Democratic National Convention protest activity - Protesters from the countercultural and anti-Vietnam War attempted to disrupt the Democratic National Convention and clashed with police for several days. 152 officers were wounded as were over 600 protesters and bystanders but no was killed.0752+
October 8–11, 1969Political Days of Rage - Activists from the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and Weather Underground staged mass direct actions in an attempt to recreate the success of the previous year's DNC protests and to end the Vietnam war. The actions results in large clashes with police and did not garner as much support as the SDS and Weathermen had hoped for.034+
July 27, 1970YouthThousands of youths rioted at Grant Park and later the Loop after a Sly and the Family Stone concert. The concert-goers were not expecting opening acts at the concert and became enraged when Sly was not first band to perform. They rushed the stage and began battling police, eventually spilling into the Loop district where they smashed windows and looted many businesses. [9] [10] 0162
June 6, 1976Racial Marquette Park rallies - Around 200 youths from Marquette Park threw stones and bottles at passing motorists and police officers after a black group that was set to protest at the Park failed to arrive.0Several
July 17, 1976Racial, housing Marquette Park rallies - 100 black and white activists protesting against housing discrimination as well as police were attacked by around 1,000 white residents of Marquette Park with bricks, rocks and bottles. A Chicago Tribune reporter reported seeing local youths retrieving the projectiles from alleyways where they had presumably been stashed in anticipation of the march. 33 people, including 16 policemen, were injured and 63 people were arrested. The marchers alleged the police made little attempt to protect them and 8 Chicago Police officers were suspected of being involved in the mob while off duty. [11] [12] 033
June 4–5, 1977Ethnic Humboldt Park riot - Puerto Ricans from Humboldt Park clashed with police for a day and a half after two Puerto Rican men were killed by police shortly after the Puerto Rican day parade.3153
July 23, 1977Racial Marquette Park rallies - White residents attacked black motorists along Marquette Road after a black group that was supposed to march along the road was blocked from doing so019
July 9, 1978Racial, political Marquette Park rallies - During a neo-Nazi rally at Marquette Park, several fights broke out between counter-protestors and local supporters of the Nazis.0Several
July 12, 1979Hooliganism Disco Demolition Night - The Chicago White Sox attempted draw more spectators to Comiskey Park by inviting radio host Steve Dahl to blow up disco records prior to a game. After Dahl blew up the records, thousands of people rushed on to the field and began to tear apart the stadium. Riot police had to be called in and the White Sox were forced to forfeit the scheduled game.00-30
June 28, 1986Racial Marquette Park rallies - The Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups as well as counter-demonstrators and black and anti-Apartheid groups attempted to stage rallies at Marquette Park on June 28, 1986. Each of the rallies had fewer than 75 participants. Klan members were attacked by bat-wielding members of the International Committee Against Racism (INCAR) while arriving at the park. The INCAR and the black groups attempted to attack the Klan again once they reached the park but were chased out and then attacked by up to 3,000 local white residents who chanted "niggers go home". The local whites attempted to block the anti-Apartheid demonstrators from leaving the park before police gained control over the situation. Six civilians and eight police officers were injured and 17 people were arrested over the course of the day. [13] [14] 014
1991–1997Hooliganism Chicago Bulls Championship riots - Rioting and looting occurred each time the Chicago Bulls won the NBA Championship in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1997. The most serious riot occurred in 1992 and several people were killed in 1993.5+Hundreds

21st century

Riots and civil unrest in Chicagochronological order
DateIssueEventDeathsInjuries
May 20–21, 2012Political Chicago NATO summit protests - Mass protests against a NATO summit held in Chicago. Protestors scuffled with police and more than two dozen were injured after being clubbed with police batons. [15] 024+
March 11, 2016Political 2016 Donald Trump Chicago rally protest - Protestors shut down a Donald Trump rally and clashed with police afterwards.04+
May 28 - August 10, 2020Political/Social issues George Floyd protests in Chicago 15 [16] 284+ police officers

See also

Related Research Articles

In the broader context of racism in the United States, mass racial violence in the United States consists of ethnic conflicts and race riots, along with such events as:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lager Beer Riot</span>

The Lager Beer Riot occurred on April 21, 1855 in Chicago, Illinois, and was the first major civil disturbance in the city. Mayor Levi Boone, a Nativist politician, renewed enforcement of an old local ordinance mandating that taverns be closed on Sundays and led the city council to raise the cost of a liquor license from $50 per year to $300 per year, renewable quarterly. The move was seen as targeting German immigrants in particular and so caused a greater sense of community within the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marquette Park (Chicago)</span> Public park in Chicago, Illinois

Marquette Park, the largest park on the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, at 323 acres (1.31 km2), is located at 41.768°N 87.703°W in the city's Chicago Lawn neighborhood. The park is named for Father Jacques Marquette (1637–1675).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago race riot of 1919</span> August 1919 racial tensions in Chicago, Illinois, US

The Chicago race riot of 1919 was a violent racial conflict between white Americans and black Americans that began on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, on July 27 and ended on August 3, 1919. During the riot, 38 people died. Over the week, injuries attributed to the episodic confrontations stood at 537, two-thirds black and one-third white; and between 1,000 and 2,000 residents, most of them black, lost their homes. Due to its sustained violence and widespread economic impact, it is considered the worst of the scores of riots and civil disturbances across the United States during the "Red Summer" of 1919, so named because of its racial and labor violence. It was also one of the worst riots in the history of Illinois.

From 1967 to 1973, an extended period of racial unrest occurred in the town of Cairo, Illinois. The city had long had racial tensions which boiled over after a black soldier was found hanged in his jail cell. Over the next several years, fire bombings, racially charged boycotts and shootouts were common place in Cairo, with 170 nights of gunfire reported in 1969 alone.

The 1966 Chicago West Side riots occurred between July 12 and 15 in Chicago, Illinois. After police arrested a man who was wanted for armed robbery, black residents took to the streets in anger and looted and burned various stores throughout the West Side until the arrival of 1,200 National Guardsmen on July 15. Violence quickly subsided and most of the troops were sent home on July 20.

Waukegan riot of 1966 was a period of conflict between police and some residents of the town's predominantly African-American and Puerto Rican neighborhoods on the south side that occurred in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement.

The 1964 Dixmoor race riot, also known as the Gin Bottle Riot, occurred between August 15 and 17 in Dixmoor, Illinois. After a woman accused of shoplifting a bottle of gin was wrestled to the ground by the owner of the liquor store and arrested, black residents took to the streets in anger. They picketed the liquor store, but then attacked it, looting it and burning various nearby buildings.

On August 13, 2016, a riot began in the Sherman Park neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, sparked by the fatal police shooting of 23-year-old Sylville Smith. During the three-day turmoil, several people, including police officers, were injured and dozens of protesters arrested. A nightly curfew was set up for teenagers in the area.

The 1967 Saginaw riot was one of 159 race riots that swept cities in the United States during the "Long Hot Summer of 1967". This riot occurred in Saginaw, Michigan, on July 26, 1967. Tensions were high across Michigan that week as the 1967 Detroit riots in nearby Detroit had been escalating since Sunday July 23. When Saginaw mayor Henry G. Marsh chose to only meet privately with Civil Rights leaders in a conference closed to members of the public, the public started a protest. The protestors were met by riot police at City Hall and began getting out of hand, eventually turning into a riot that spread through downtown and into the neighborhoods of Saginaw. In all, 7 people were injured, 5 of whom were civilians and 2 were police.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marquette Park rallies</span>

From the mid-1960s until the late 1980s, Chicago's Marquette Park was the scene of many racially charged rallies that erupted in violence. The rallies often spilled into the residential areas surrounding the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghetto riots (1964–1969)</span> American civil unrest, 1964-1969

The term ghetto riots, also termed ghetto rebellions, race riots, or negro riots refers to summer social unrest across the United States in the mid-to-late 1960s, characterized by African American groups using violent tactics.

The George Floyd riots in Chicago were a series of civil disturbances in 2020 in the city of Chicago, Illinois. Unrest in the city began as a response to the murder of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. The demonstrations and riots, supporting justice for Floyd and protesting police brutality, occurred simultaneously with those of over 100 other cities in the United States. Chicago is among 12 major cities that declared curfews in order to prevent looting and vandalism. On May 31, Mayor Lori Lightfoot asked Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to send the Illinois National Guard to Chicago for the first time in the 52 years since the 1968 riots in Chicago. The economic damage caused by the disturbances exceeded $66 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States racial unrest (2020–present)</span> Mass civil unrest driven by police brutality

A wave of civil unrest in the United States, initially triggered by the murder of George Floyd during his arrest by Minneapolis police officers on May 25, 2020, led to protests and riots against systemic racism in the United States, such as in the form of police violence and other forms of violence. Since then, numerous other incidents of police brutality have drawn continued attention and unrest in various parts of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Minneapolis false rumors riot</span> Unrest after a suicide incident

False rumors of a police shooting resulted in rioting, arson, and looting in the U.S. city of Minneapolis from August 26–28, 2020. The events began as a reaction to the suicide of Eddie Sole Jr., a 38-year old black man who was being pursued by Minneapolis police officers for his alleged involvement in a homicide. At approximately 2 p.m. on August 26, Sole died after he shot himself in the head as officers approached to arrest him. False rumors quickly spread on social media that Minneapolis police officers had fatally shot Sole. To quell unrest, Minneapolis police released closed-circuit television surveillance footage that captured Sole's suicide, which was later confirmed by a Hennepin County Medical Examiner's autopsy report.

References

  1. ↑ Grossman, Ron (30 October 2011). "Today's economic protests echo anger of the Great Depression". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  2. ↑ "100 HURT IN W. SIDE RED RIOT". archives.chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Harney, N. Caroline (January 13, 2000). "The Siege on South Peoria Street". chicagoreader.com. Chicago Reader. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  4. ↑ Kennedy, Stetson (1959). "Jim Crow Guide to the USA: The Way It Was". stetsonkennedy.com. Lawrence & Wishart. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  5. ↑ Meyer, Stephen Grant (2001). As Long as They Don't Move Next Door: Segregation and Racial Conflict in American Neighborhoods. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 117.
  6. ↑ "LINKS RIOTS AND KING AIDS". archives.chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  7. ↑ "54 Hurt as Whites in Chicago Hurl Bricks at Rights Marchers; WHITES IN CHICAGO ATTACK MARCHERS". The New York Times. August 1966. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  8. ↑ Grossman, Ron (28 July 2016). "50 years ago: MLK's march in Marquette Park turned violent, exposed hate". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  9. ↑ Davis, Robert. "The Anatomy of a Riot". archives.chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  10. ↑ Benzkofer, Stephan (25 July 2015). "1970 rock concert at Grant Park was a true riot fest". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  11. ↑ O'Brien, John. "16 police among 33 injured during Marquette Park March; 63 seized". archives.chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  12. ↑ "8 cops reported among Marquette Park mob". archives.chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  13. ↑ Gibson, Ray (29 June 1986). "Marquette Park Hostilities Boil". articles.chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  14. ↑ Green, Larry (29 June 1986). "Klan and Blacks Try to Hold Simultaneous Rallies : 8 Officers Hurt, 17 Held in Chicago Riot". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  15. ↑ Wisniewski, Mary (21 May 2012). "Protests dwindle in Chicago as NATO summit concludes". reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Chicago's 2020 unrest: A Tribune investigation documents the scope of the damage and its lingering impact on neighborhoods, businesses". Chicago Tribune . June 2, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
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