On August 11, 1965, Marquette Frye, a 21-year-old African-American man, was pulled over for drunk driving around 7pm by a white California Highway Patrol officer. Marquette failed a sobriety test and panicked as he was arrested, which led to a struggle between him and the officer; Ronald joined, which caused a crowd to form. Back-up police arrived, assuming the crowd was hostile, which resulted in another fight. Marquette, Ronald, and Rena, their mother, were arrested. The crowd got angry about what they had witnessed, and more officers showed up, but with batons and shotguns to keep the crowd back. By 7:45 pm, only 45 minutes after the initial arrest, the riot was in full force, with rocks, bottles and other objects being thrown at the cars that had been stuck in traffic.
The following day, Rena, Marquette, and Ronald were released on bail, but crowds were still attacking motorists. This prompted a community meeting with Watts leaders and police in hopes to calm down the situation. Complaints about the treatment of Black citizens were made during the meeting. Watts leaders wanted more Black police in their cities, since that would make the community feel more at ease, but the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Chief William H. Parker disagreed and wanted to call in the National Guard instead. This decision caused more anger, which led to more riots that night. Mobs clashed with police, set buildings and cars on fire, and looted local stores. By the end of the third day, rioting covered a 50 square-mile section of Los Angeles and 14,000 National Guard troops were dispatched to the city. Police were shot at, apartments were raided, and Molotov cocktails were thrown. Watts resembled a war zone, and the violence continued for three more days.
At least 600 buildings were damaged by fires or looting, 200 buildings were destroyed, and 3,500 people were arrested with charges of burglary or theft. Most of the 34 dead were Black citizens. Among the dead were 2 policemen, 1 firefighter, and 26 civilians due to actions by the LAPD or the National Guard, which were deemed justifiable homicides.
The Watts Riot was the result of dissatisfaction about living conditions, unfair opportunities, and tension between police and residents, which had been going on for years. Between 1940 and 1965, Los Angeles’s black population had grown from 75,000 to 650,000, living in bad sections of the city. Watts faced high levels of unemployment, poverty and a lack of safe housing. Restrictive contracts, real estate agents, institutions and associations collaborated to maintain racial segregation. In the two years leading up to the riot, 250 protests over school desegregation, policing, housing, and jobs took place. Between 1963 and 1965, police killed 60 African Americans, 25 were unarmed and 27 were shot in the back. This all caused anger in the community.
The Watts Riots show that despite poverty and discrimination, the community succeeded. The rebellion occurred because the community wanted to see a change. Six days of violence did not destroy the community or its institutions, but they did create change. The commission that investigated the riots recommended better schooling, job training, more low-income housing, public transportation, health services and better relationships between the police and the community, but only a few of these changes were met. Radicalized street gangs joined the Black Panther Party and the Community Alert Patrol monitored police and documented misconduct. These groups shared a desire to end racist policing, improve housing conditions, create well-paying work and to transform education to suit the needs of the community. It brought awareness to the African-American community, so people from other groups were able to support their protests and push for change. The Watts community’s desire for a functional, free, and beautiful community existed before the first Molotov cocktail was thrown and continued long after the riot ended. The Watts community kept a positive mind and became united, which in the end led to their success as a community. Today, the Watts neighborhood is largely Hispanic, but remains poor and with high unemployment. The community’s relationships with police have improved since it is now more diverse. That change took many years, but it was still possible, which shows that time and teamwork can create positive changes.
Sources:
Kelley, R. D. G. (2015, August 11). Op-ed: Watts: Remember what they built, not what they burned. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0811-kelley-watts-civil-society-20150811-story.html
Queally, J. (2015, August 8). Watts riots: Traffic stop was the spark that ignited days of destruction in L.A. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-watts-riots-explainer-20150715-htmlstory.html
