10-32-53

Watts Riots of 1965

• Incident Trigger: The riots began on August 11, 1965, after Marquette Frye was pulled over by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) under suspicion of driving under the influence.

  • Frye's mother arrived on the scene, seeking clarity about her son's arrest.

  • Prior to the incident, there had been celebrations for Frye's brother's recent parole.

• Escalation of Events:

  • Upon the mother’s inquiries, she too was arrested, leading to the arrest of all three.

  • A crowd of onlookers gathered, fueled by frustration over persistent police brutality in Watts, a poor neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles.

• Catalyst for Riot: Dissatisfaction with police harassment of African Americans led to the outbreak of violence, leading to a six-day riot in Watts.

  • Rioters caused over $200 million in damages, primarily targeting businesses owned by middle and upper-class whites, while churches, homes, and libraries remained mostly untouched.

Government Response

• Enforcement:

  • Local government imposed curfews and deployed 16,000 National Guardsmen, along with California State Troopers and CHP officers to restore order.

  • The damage spanned a 46-square-mile area.

• Casualties:

  • The riot resulted in 34 deaths, over 1,000 injuries, and 4,000 arrests, marking it as the largest and costliest riot of the civil rights era.

Public Reaction

• White Perspective:

  • Many white Americans were bewildered by the riots, thinking societal race issues were exclusive to the southern states.

  • The riots symbolized a shift toward a more militant tenor in the civil rights movement, paralleling anti-imperialist sentiments emerging from the Vietnam War.

• Emergence of Black Power: The riots coincided with the rise of black nationalism, significantly represented by the Black Panther Party.

Development of Black Power Ideology

• Stokely Carmichael and the Louds County Freedom Organization (LCFO):

  • Carmichael later found a disenfranchised, economically dependent African American majority in Louds County, Alabama, which had no registered voters despite an overwhelming black population.

  • LCF aimed to counter the Democratic Party and establish a political alternative, adopting the panther as its symbol.

• Voting Rights:

  • On May 3, 1966, for the first time since Reconstruction, over 900 African Americans voted in Louds County despite violence.

• Carmichael's Emergence: He became SNCC's national chairman, advocating a dramatic shift in strategy toward black nationalism and militancy while ousting white members from the committee.

March Against Fear

• James Meredith's March: In June 1966, despite a call to continue a march against fear originally led by Meredith, tensions escalated with violence from law enforcement.

  • Alfonso Carmichael's speeches popularized the phrase "Black Power" among demonstrators, signifying a shift towards assertive self-determination.

• King's Skepticism:

  • Martin Luther King Jr. expressed concern regarding the potential alienation of allies caused by the rhetoric of black power and its lack of a clear definition.

Expansion and Activities of the Black Panther Party (BPP)

• Formation:

  • The Black Panther Party for Self Defense was founded in October 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, inspired by the events in Louds County and a desire for self-defense against police brutality.

• Community Programs: The BPP expanded beyond militant protest, establishing social service programs such as food and health initiatives, seeking to address the shortcomings in government welfare systems.

  • Influenced by Marxism, the BPP aimed to address not only the domestic plight of African Americans but also their struggles on a global scale, drawing parallels with oppressed populations worldwide.

• Public Image: The Panthers cultivated a fashionable and striking image, wearing black clothing and berets, significantly appealing to the youth and drawing them to activism.