It all started with a traffic stop.
On Aug. 11, 1965, California Highway Patrol Officer Lee Minikus responded
to a report of a reckless driver in the Watts section of Los Angeles.
Shortly after 7 p.m., he pulled over 21-year-old Marquette Frye near 116th Street
and Avalon Boulevard. Frye failed sobriety tests as a crowd of about 50 people
began to gather nearby.
July 29, 2015
-James QueallyStaff Writer
Watts Riots: Traffic stop was the spark that ignited days of destruction in L.A
https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-watts-riots-explainer-20150715-htmlstory.html
Why were tensions so high in the first place?
Anger and distrust between Watts’ residents, the police and city officials
had been simmering for years.
Between 1940 and 1965, Los Angeles County’s black population had grown
from 75,000 to 650,000. Most black people in the county lived in Southeast
L.A., a section of the city that was home to failing schools and little or no
access to public transportation.
At the time of the Fryes’ arrests-
Feelings remained raw in the black community over the repeal of the
Rumford Fair Housing Act. The act, meant to protect blacks against
housing discrimination, was nullified by California voters the year
before when they passed Proposition 14 with 65% of the vote.
(The proposition was later found unconstitutional by both the
California and U.S. Supreme Courts.)
“My husband and I saw 10 cops beating one man. My husband
told the officers, ‘You’ve got him handcuffed,’ ” one woman,
who said she witnessed the Fryes’ arrest, told The Times.
“One of the officers answered ‘Get out of here, [expletive].
Get out of here all you [expletives].’ ”
34 people dead and 1,032 injured.
3,500 people were arrested,
Seven riots in 1964 had resulted in less death and destruction
than did the rioting in Los Angeles.
An L.A. firefighter was killed by a collapsing wall.
An L.A. County sheriff’s deputy died after he was shot
by friendly fire during a clash with rioters.
https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-watts-riots-explainer-20150715-htmlstory.html
While there are many other photos documenting the devastation that
occurred in Watts between August 11 and 17 in 1965, Holland realized
that uncovered photos offered a unique perspective given that the fire
department had access to areas blocked off by the National Guard.
“I know some of the press and some of the media and reporters couldn’t
quite get to where they wanted to. The fire department was allowed in,"
he explains. "They had access that almost nobody else had.”
https://laist.com/2015/08/10/watts_riots_photos.php
On Aug. 11, 1965, California Highway Patrol Officer Lee Minikus responded
to a report of a reckless driver in the Watts section of Los Angeles.
Shortly after 7 p.m., he pulled over 21-year-old Marquette Frye near 116th Street
and Avalon Boulevard. Frye failed sobriety tests as a crowd of about 50 people
began to gather nearby.
July 29, 2015
-James QueallyStaff Writer
Watts Riots: Traffic stop was the spark that ignited days of destruction in L.A
https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-watts-riots-explainer-20150715-htmlstory.html
Why were tensions so high in the first place?
Anger and distrust between Watts’ residents, the police and city officials
had been simmering for years.
Between 1940 and 1965, Los Angeles County’s black population had grown
from 75,000 to 650,000. Most black people in the county lived in Southeast
L.A., a section of the city that was home to failing schools and little or no
access to public transportation.
At the time of the Fryes’ arrests-
Feelings remained raw in the black community over the repeal of the
Rumford Fair Housing Act. The act, meant to protect blacks against
housing discrimination, was nullified by California voters the year
before when they passed Proposition 14 with 65% of the vote.
(The proposition was later found unconstitutional by both the
California and U.S. Supreme Courts.)
“My husband and I saw 10 cops beating one man. My husband
told the officers, ‘You’ve got him handcuffed,’ ” one woman,
who said she witnessed the Fryes’ arrest, told The Times.
“One of the officers answered ‘Get out of here, [expletive].
Get out of here all you [expletives].’ ”
34 people dead and 1,032 injured.
3,500 people were arrested,
Seven riots in 1964 had resulted in less death and destruction
than did the rioting in Los Angeles.
An L.A. firefighter was killed by a collapsing wall.
An L.A. County sheriff’s deputy died after he was shot
by friendly fire during a clash with rioters.
https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-watts-riots-explainer-20150715-htmlstory.html
While there are many other photos documenting the devastation that
occurred in Watts between August 11 and 17 in 1965, Holland realized
that uncovered photos offered a unique perspective given that the fire
department had access to areas blocked off by the National Guard.
“I know some of the press and some of the media and reporters couldn’t
quite get to where they wanted to. The fire department was allowed in,"
he explains. "They had access that almost nobody else had.”
https://laist.com/2015/08/10/watts_riots_photos.php
