Читать книгу Freedom Facts and Firsts - Jessie Carney Smith - Страница 65

This tragedy was considered one of the worst racial outbreaks in American history. The town of East St. Louis, Illinois, separated from St. Louis, Missouri, by the Mississippi River, experienced considerable racial tensions as blacks were drawn to the area to seek industrial employment. White union workers wanted restrictions placed on the number of blacks living in the town, as well as on working in local factories. Unsubstantiated rumors persisted that black men had harassed white women, further angering whites. After a white store owner was accidentally shot by a black man during a robbery, a white mob of more than 3,000 formed on May 28, 1917, and began destroying African American homes, businesses, and churches. Police and National Guard units called to the scene did nothing to stop the rioting, but rather searched black homes for concealed weapons. The violence reignited after July 1, when a “drive-by” shooting in a black neighborhood led to a response by blacks the next day that resulted in the accidental deaths of two undercover white police officers. Whites made a public show of the unmarked police car filled with bullet holes, and another mob sought revenge on the black community. Over 100 African Americans were gunned down by whites during the riot, including children, and more homes were burned.

Fletcher F. Moon