Pittsburgh riot

Last updated

The Pittsburgh riot was a 19th-century race riot in which an armed clash between Irish American and Italian-American laborers resulted in one man seriously injured and the death of another on September 19, 1886.

During the mid-1880s, relations between Irish-Americans and Italian-Americans had been steadily worsening, as the Italians had for some time been encroaching the working-class neighborhood of Four Mile Run in the 15th Ward of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The previous Saturday, an Italian laborer, Joseph Vernard, was attacked by a gang of six Irish laborers headed by the Daly brothers and, although severely injured, managed to escape to his home.

Although no further activity was reported during the week, around twenty Irish laborers approached Vernand's boardinghouse on the afternoon of September 19 and demanded entry.

When the other Italian residents responded by barring the doors, the Irish mob managed to force their way in by breaking the doors down.

As violent fighting broke out within the boardinghouse, Italian laborer "Paddy" Rocco had his skull crushed by a chair and an Irishman, Patrick Constantine, was fatally shot in the abdomen.

When the rioters had realized the injuries of the two men, all those involved had fled by the time the police arrived. Although both Rocco and Constantine were still alive by the arrival of the police, Constantine died in a hospital several hours later.

Five Italians were arrested in connection to the riots, although the unidentified Irish rioters were never apprehended.


Related Research Articles

In the broader context of racism against Black Americans and 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">New York City draft riots</span> 1863 civil unrest protesting American Civil War conscription

The New York City draft riots, sometimes referred to as the Manhattan draft riots and known at the time as Draft Week, were violent disturbances in Lower Manhattan, widely regarded as the culmination of white working-class discontent with new laws passed by Congress that year to draft men to fight in the ongoing American Civil War. The riots remain the largest civil and most racially charged urban disturbance in American history. According to Toby Joyce, the riot represented a "civil war" within the city's Irish community, in that "mostly Irish American rioters confronted police, [while] soldiers, and pro-war politicians ... were also to a considerable extent from the local Irish immigrant community."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football hooliganism</span> Violent behaviour by football spectators

Football hooliganism, also known as soccer hooliganism, football rioting or soccer rioting constitutes violence and other destructive behaviours perpetrated by spectators at association football events. Football hooliganism normally involves conflict between gangs, in English known as football firms, formed to intimidate and attack supporters of other teams. Other English-language terms commonly used in connection with hooligan firms include "army", "boys", "bods", "casuals", and "crew". Certain clubs have long-standing rivalries with other clubs and hooliganism associated with matches between them is likely to be more severe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hough riots</span> Period of civil unrest and rioting in Cleveland, Ohio in July 1966

The Hough riots were riots in the predominantly African-American community of Hough in Cleveland, Ohio, United States which took place from July 18 to 23, 1966. During the riots, four African Americans were killed and 50 people were injured. There were 275 arrests and numerous incidents of arson and firebombings. City officials at first blamed black nationalist and communist organizations for the riots, but historians generally dismiss these claims today, arguing that the cause of the Hough Riots were primarily poverty and racism. The riots caused rapid population loss and economic decline in the area, which lasted at least five decades after the riots.

The May Day riots of 1894 were a series of violent demonstrations that occurred throughout Cleveland, Ohio on May 1, 1894. Cleveland's unemployment rate increased dramatically during the Panic of 1893. Finally, riots broke out among the unemployed who condemned city leaders for their ineffective relief measures. According to the New York Times, "[t]he desire to stop work seemed to take possession of every laborer..." on May Day of 1894.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock Springs massacre</span> 1885 killing of Chinese people in Wyoming

The Rock Springs massacre, also known as the Rock Springs riot, occurred on September 2, 1885, in the present-day United States city of Rock Springs in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. The riot, and resulting massacre of immigrant Chinese miners by white immigrant miners, was the result of racial prejudice toward the Chinese miners, who were perceived to be taking jobs from the white miners. The Union Pacific Coal Department found it economically beneficial to give preference in hiring to Chinese miners, who were willing to work for lower wages than their white counterparts, angering the white miners. When the rioting ended, at least 28 Chinese miners were dead and 15 were injured. Rioters burned 78 Chinese homes, resulting in approximately $150,000 in property damage.

The Mamaroneck riot was an armed clash between Irish and Italian-American laborers at Grand Park, Mamaroneck, Westchester County, New York, on August 13, 1870, resulting in the deaths of several men. One of the early labor riots to occur in the state, it became widely known at the time for its violence, as several rioters were stabbed to death.

The Bristol riots refer to a number of significant riots in the city of Bristol in England.

<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.

The Greek Town riot was a race riot that took place in South Omaha, Nebraska, on February 21, 1909, during which several Greeks were wounded or injured. A mob of 3,000 men displaced some of the population of Greek Town, wrecked 30 buildings there, and started a riot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dead Rabbits riot</span> 1857 gang riot in New York City

The Dead Rabbits riot was a two-day civil disturbance in New York City evolving from what was originally a small-scale street fight between members of the Dead Rabbits and the Bowery Boys into a citywide gang war, which occurred July 4–5, 1857. Taking advantage of the disorganized state of the city's police force—brought about by the conflict between the Municipal and Metropolitan police—the fighting spiraled into widespread looting and damage of property by gangsters and other criminals from all parts of the city. It is estimated that between 800 and 1,000 gang members took part in the riots, along with several hundred others who used the disturbance to loot the Bowery area. It was the largest disturbance since the Astor Place Riot in 1849 and the biggest scene of gang violence until the New York Draft Riots of 1863. Order was restored by the New York State Militia, supported by detachments of city police, under Major-General Charles W. Sandford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epsom riot</span> 1919 riot in Epsom, Surrey, England

The Epsom riot took place on 17 June 1919 when between 300 and 800 Canadian soldiers rioted and attacked the police station in Epsom, Surrey, England. Station Sergeant Thomas Green, a British police officer, was injured during the incident and died the following day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange Riots</span> Riots that took place in New York City

The Orange Riots took place in Manhattan, New York City, in 1870 and 1871, and they involved violent conflict between Irish Protestants who were members of the Orange Order and hence called "Orangemen", and Irish Catholics, along with the New York City Police Department and the New York State National Guard. The riot caused the deaths of over 60 civilians – mostly Irish laborers – and three guardsmen.

The Watsonville riots was a period of racial violence that took place in Watsonville, California, from January 19 to 23, 1930. Involving violent assaults on Filipino American farm workers by local white residents opposed to immigration, the riots highlighted the racial and socioeconomic tensions in California's agricultural communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1934 Constantine riots</span>

The 1934 Constantine riots erupted in the Algerian city of Constantine against the local Jewish population, rooted in the different manner in which Jews and Muslims had been treated in Algeria by the French colonial government. It is uncertain what the exact cause of the riots was, though various accounts suggest that the riots were triggered by an altercation between a Jewish man and some Muslims at the Sidi Lakhdar Mosque in Constantine. Multiple sources report that 25 Jews and 3 Muslims died over the course of the three-day riot, and several Jewish establishments were pillaged. The events have also been described as a pogrom.

Howard R. Leary was an American law enforcement officer who served as Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department from 1963 to 1966 and New York City Police Commissioner from 1966 to 1970.

References