baltimore riots 1968 timeline

• 6:15 p.m.— First report of fire at Ideal Furniture Company, 700 block of N. Gay. Mass racial violence in the United States, also called race riots, can include such disparate events as: . • 10:15 p.m.—The Maryland National Guard is federalized and Gen. York is placed in command of all military units deployed in the riot area. He is chased in the 800 block of Gay St. from a liquor store. There are 1,150 fires, 1,150 lootings and nearly 5,000 arrests since the riots' beginning. Of the arrests, 3,488 were for curfew violations, 955 for burglary, 665 for looting, 391 for assault, and 5 for arson.[7]. Many more fires break out, at Frederick Road and Willard St., in the 1200 block of Central Ave., on Franklin St., and Allendale Road. The Baltimore riot of 1968 was a period of civil unrest that lasted from April 6 to April 14, 1968, in Baltimore.The uprising included crowds filling the streets, burning and looting local businesses, and confronting the police and national guard. Royal Ave. and Monroe St. on North Ave. was hit. Looting increases, while fires decrease from Saturday. Of the 600 treated in hospitals since Saturday, only 19 had injuries serious enough to require admission. West side looting quickens; problems reported in the 1500-1700 blocks of Pennsylvania Ave. Police try to seal off the area, but teens circle back to loot liquor stores, with occasional rock and bottle throwing. • 10 a.m.—More sniper fire at Aisquith and Curtain streets. Riots spread west and intensify. • Summary for the day: Three killed, 70 hurt, 100 arrested, high levels of violence, looting downtown, 250 fire alarms. • 10:30 p.m.—Violence on Gay Street is declared "out of control." Sporadic looting takes place on the west side. • 11:15 p.m.—National Guard troops move from the 5th Regiment Armory on trucks. To date, there have been six deaths, 1,075 lootings, and 1,032 fires. [1], By the morning of April 7, reports to the White House described five deaths, 300 fires, and 404 arrests. Guardsmen in the 1200 block of N. Charles find a man with a rifle. The Civic Center holds an overflow 800 prisoners. In the 2200 block of Fulton Ave., a few more stores burn. six people died, 700 were injured, and 5,800 were arrested. Nonviolent civil rights organizations send sound trucks through the riot areas urging residents to remain in their homes. • 8:30 p.m.—Some city policemen are pinned down behind cars by two or three snipers firing from upper floors of the Flag House housing project in the 1000 block of E. Lombard St. Street traffic began to increase. As whites enter these predominantly black projects, Guardsmen arrive, forcing whites east of Broadway and blacks west to create a three-block buffer zone. • Afternoon—Sightseers take the place of street gangs. Officers carry them to the Pikesville Armory. A shooting at Calvert and Lanvale is reported. An early tour is made by D'Alessandro on Palm Sunday. Racially based communal conflict against African Americans that took place before the American Civil War, often in relation to attempted slave revolts, and after the war, in relation to tensions under Reconstruction and later efforts to suppress black voting and institute Jim Crow Three food distribution centers open at Eden and Ashland, North Ave. and Barclay St., and North and Pennsylvania. • Martin Luther King, Jr. gives a speech at he Omega Psi Phi fraternity annual convention at Morgan State College in Baltimore, MD. Agnew appears on television to explain what he has been doing and to announce a curfew. Fire goes to two alarms by 6:40 p.m. [1], In the next few days,[when?] The riot included crowds filling the streets, burning and looting local businesses, and confronting the police and national guard. • Dawn—Three house fires are reported, several lootings, and a two alarm fire in a liquor store at Federal St. and Milton Ave. • 1:20 a.m.—Sniper fire in the 1400 block of E. Oliver St. Sniper not found but an arrest is made. • 2 p.m.—Gov. Thursday, April 4, 1968 Cars parked on East Baltimore streets are looted for parts and tires. • 8:30 a.m.—Tear gas used on rioters. Only three reports of looting and two fires, down from 194 lootings and 26 fires at the same time on Sunday, and 53 lootings and eight fires on Monday. Rioting reported near the Murphy Homes at Myrtle Ave. and Hoffman. Mitchell IV, 5. • 2 a.m.—Guardsmen protect firefighters. Ave. and Franklin St. At Fulton Ave. and Baker St., a crowd hurls bricks and bottles at cars. After noon a band of 75 youths armed with clubs and rocks march down Pratt and Frederick to the Westside shopping center. A black man is shot and killed at Harford Road and Lafayette Ave. • Evening—Curfew is relaxed, with the hours set from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. for Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning. Agnew releases a statement on the control of city's looting. Police pelted with stones and bottles as they seal off Gay from the 400 block North to the 700 block. After noon, looting calls come into headquarters at a rate of one per minute. Blacks and whites work together to quell four fires beside the B&O tracks near Howard, Sisson, and 26th streets on the west side. Two white men are shot during an alleged sacking of a small grocery in the 100 block of E. Lanvale St. Provident and Franklin Square hospitals are protected by guards. A tavern on Longwood St. at Westwood is looted. • Early afternoon—Tear gas is used to disperse a crowd of 300 youths who smashed into a grocery at North Ave. and Chester St., near the worst area of destruction on Saturday night. • 9.35 p.m.—At North Ave. and possibly Greenmount Ave., rocks are thrown. • 6:50 p.m.—All off-duty policemen ordered to report; headquarters set up at Bel Air Market. York. A A shooting at 1200 block St. James St. is reported, following more looting in the 800 block of N. Gay. [4], Baltimore remained peaceful into the day on April 6. The day that followed was a day of rememberance in Baltimore where people mourned the loss of a great leader. It is based on what little historical information about the unrest is available from common sources. A crowd on Baltimore St. disperses. Some fire trucks begin responding to blazes with armed soldiers aboard. • Morning— A "whirlwind tour" is taken by the mayor, who is accompanied by Sen. Joseph Tydings. [6] Task Force Baltimore peaked at 11,570 Army and National Guard troops on April 9, of which all but about 500 were committed to riot control duties. A store is looted in the 4600 block of Park Heights Ave. Edmondson Ave., from Fremont all the way west to the shopping center, has been scourged by looters; a few stores are burned, but almost all are looted and vandalized. Johnson and the Maryland Congressional delegation that quick action be taken to bring damage caused by riots within the terms of federal disaster relief. Only one person is killed by a policeman. Four blocks west, there are still more fires. Thirty-two are treated for injuries, and 47 fires are set in the area overnight. Baltimore accounts for a quarter of all national arrests and about a seventh of all post-assassination riot deaths. A two-alarm fire is reported at Federal St. and Milton Ave. Two fires break out two blocks apart—at Federal and Holbrook Sts., and Harford Rd. 5:10 p.m.—Shooting at Poppleton and Lexington St. • King, following a meeting in Baltimore of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, announces plans to launch a new drive to register Negroes in the South. Unrest also broke out on Pennsylvania Ave in West Baltimore. • 6 p.m.—Troops from the 18th Corps Airborne Artillery are bused into Druid Hill Park from Andrews Air Force base in Prince George County. Lootings are minor, but the total edges toward 2,000. In the 2000 block of Edmondson Ave., looting of clothing stores takes place, and 50 are arrested on Baltimore St. from Pine St. west. • Summary: Arrests from midnight to 1 p.m. number 105, bringing the total to 5,316. Baltimore riot of 1968 is similar to these civil conflicts: King assassination riots, 1968 Washington, D.C. riots, April 1968 and more. These were (roughly), the XVIII Airborne Corps troops, the Maryland National Guard, and troops from the 197th Infantry Brigade from Fort Benning, Georgia (which arrived two days later). 5:09 p.m.—Police protection requested at N. Poppleton and Saratoga St. Sales of alcohol, flammables in containers, and firearms are banned in city. March 1968 A fire is reported in a tailor's shop in the 2300 block of Greenmount. [email protected], Robert L. Bogomolny Library Special Collections • 1415 Maryland Avenue • Baltimore, MD 21201, Martin Luther King Jr. is awarded an honorary degree – doctor of law -- at Morgan State College. • Evening—A refugee center is set up at 758 Dolphin St. The rioting appears to decline at normal meal times. [1], Violence decreased after April 9, and the Baltimore Orioles played their opening game the next day, though the April 12 James Brown concert remained cancelled. At Lafayette and Fulton avenues, and in the 900 block of Fulton, police respond to sniper warnings. This was and continues in large part to be why we had these types of riots, and at the time the police took signs and made arrests, but the media seemed to think it was OK to take a sign that one guy made, and re-print it and circulate to more than one hundred thousand readers, in nearly every state in the country. A liquor store at Presstman and N. Calhoun streets is robbed. • 7:40 a.m.—A looter is shot in an alley behind the 800 block of N. Aisquith St. They are then attacked by hurled glass bottles. At midnight Task Force Baltimore ceased to exist and the remainder of federal troops were withdrawn. No alcohol is sold in Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Howard counties. • 9:20 p.m.—Police arrest seven people riding in truck loaded with bricks and rocks on Madison St. near Greenmount Ave. Agnew releases a proclamation allowing banks to remain closed this day if the managers find it necessary. A few policemen arrive to reinforce a few Guardsmen who are pushing back the white crowd. In the 1000 block of W. Baltimore St., a surplus store is hit by a multi-alarm fire. But there is a decrease in violence immediately after curfew. The mood of the crowds is "uglier" than on Saturday. • Before 3 p.m.—More than 50 Guardsmen stand a block away as a store at Fulton Ave. and Baker St. is looted. By Agence France-Presse. Workers clean up debris from lootings and fires on the west side. On North and Patterson Park, the 100 block of E. Lanvale St., the 2100 block of Normandy Ave., the first block of N. Hilton St., the 600 block of Mt. At Garrison and Windsor Mill Road, drug store windows are smashed. There are further reports of problems at 42nd St. at York Road and at Walbrook Junction. [8] These forces had received orders to avoid firing their weapons, as part of an intentional strategy to decrease fatalities. The mood of the rioters has grown worse. Levy, Peter B. âThe Dream Deferred: The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Holy Week Uprisings of 1968.â In Baltimore â68, â68 Riots and Rebirth in an American City. December 20, 1963 • 11:10 p.m.—Fire truck returns, but the buildings are lost. At Lexington and Gillmor, some apartments are burned. Most of damage is in the city's "poverty belt," officials report. All off-duty firemen are ordered back to duty. • 9 a.m.—Several fires are reported on the east side, but the west side is quiet. At Sixth and Church streets in Brooklyn Heights there is looting. Taverns along Harford Rd. A major warehouse fire in the 500 block of Wilson St. is reported. • 2 p.m.—Curfew hour is ordered advanced to 4 p.m. Three dwellings at Pennsylvania Ave. and McMechen St. are destroyed. Fire and unruly crowds are reported in the 1700 and 1800 blocks of Harford St. All cars ordered back to patrol, leaving prisoners jailed unofficially and the National Guard patrolling the post. Armed federal troops break up a peace meeting of 200 in Lafayette Square (even though they had approval from city police); angry crowds scatter and regroup at Mosher Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. "For the first time, unruly groups of whites and blacks confronted each other in the streets and posed the threat of race rioting," a news account reports. A graph by police statisticians shows that most riot activity occurs in the city's high crime areas. CIVIL DISORDER IN BALTIMORE 1968. Agnew became Nixon's vice presidential running mate in 1968. The Adjutant General of Maryland, Major General George M. Gelston, commanded the National Guard force and also was given control of local and state police forces in the city (approximately 1,900 police officers). Gay St. to Broadway appears to be the center of problems. A crowd regroups, chanting "That's enough, baby." Three other stores are looted in the 2000 block of Edmondson Ave. Issues between police and National Guardsmen continue. Scarcities of milk and gasoline develop during the day. In the Lower Broadway area, a crowd gathers and heads towards stores in Forest Park, where rioters do damage. Fire breaks out in several buildings in the 2200 block of Fulton Ave. • Martin Luther King Jr. is awarded an honorary degree – doctor of law -- at Morgan State College along with three others including two Baltimoreans, Jacob Blaustein and Walter Sondheim Jr. King was the principal speaker before 3,000 gathered at Hughes Memorial Stadium on the Morgan campus. An unruly mob gathers in the 2400 block of Barclay St., and a crowd of looters moves in on a warehouse at Guilford and Biddle St. Much of this occurs just 20 minutes before the curfew begins. The fire is centered at 1017 E. Lombard St. and burns Smelkinson's Dairy, Attman's Deli, a sandwich shop, and another store next to it. The King-assassination riots, also known as the Holy Week Uprising, was a wave of civil disturbance which swept the United States following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. The Bolton Hill Shopping Center is ransacked at McMechen St. Special Municipal Courts convenes—more than 1,800 face charges of curfew violation or possession of stolen property. In the 1000 block of Druid Hill, a surplus store is burned. Downtown business area is patrolled by National Guard and members of the 18th Airborne Corps. and Chelsea St. is looted repeatedly in the two hours leading up to midnight. • After midnight—2200 block North Calvert St., a report of trouble. Nearly 300 angry youths throw stones and bricks at passing cars. Six stores are looted on Edmondson Ave. and Payson St. About 300 people mill about in the 2400 block of Barclay St. The 11,000 Army and National Guard troops remain in Baltimore to assure that relative peace is kept. • 9:30 p.m.— Baltimore police set up a command post at Park Circle. Looting in the 900 block of Whitelock St. is reported, and troops cordon off the area. Johns Hopkins Hospital staff are asked to stay on duty all night. The total number of lootings is 1,214. Looting takes place on Monroe St. below Franklin, where witnesses describe the looters as "middle aged." Baltimore riots Baltimore riots Baltimore riots Children entering the school off Fayette. Three stores on Greenmount from the 1900 to the 2300 block are burned by firebombs. Roadblocks are set up at downtown intersections, and motorists are forced to turn back. Between 4 p.m. and this time, 30 store lootings and five fire bombings are called in to police. Looters take to the streets again shortly after that, raiding 18 stores and lightng nine 9 fires. Sniper fire breaks out at night for the first time since disturbances began on Saturday. Pennsylvania Ave. takes on the appearance of a "ghost town" according to published reports. State, city and county offices close. In the first block of N. Liberty St. a "jitterbug band" breaks windows. • Night—At least 110 communities across the country are hit by post-assassination violence, with approximately 29 percent of all arrests made in Baltimore. In the 1800 block of Harford Ave., four houses burn in two hours. • Noon—First major fire of the day, a two-story brick furniture warehouse a half block west of the 1700 block of Guilford Ave. and Lanvale. • 11:45 p.m.—The Fire Department refuses ambulance service for non-emergency sick cases. In the 100 block of E. Lafayette Ave., another bar is looted. A shooting reported in the 100 block of S. Exeter St. forces city firefighters to abandon attempts to put out a raging fire in Smelkinson's dairy store in the 1000 block of E. Lombard. 1,000 small businesses were damaged or robbed. December 29, 1956 Firing first reported between police and rioters in the west side of the city. Firemen respond but pull back when sniper fire continues. County fire companies begin to be placed on stand-by. • 9.15 p.m.—Gov. People began to report fires after 6 pm. Merchants in the 2100-2200 blocks of Monument St. report business is almost back to normal. Looters strike the 1600 block of Pennsylvania Ave. Some looting is seen at Reisterstown Road and Edmondson Ave. A fire is reported at W. North Ave, and surrounding stores are burglarized. Since midnight, there have been 76 lootings and 10 fires. A thrown brick cuts a patrolman's head. In the first block of N. Caroline St., a pawn shop owner is ordered by police to hand over all his store's shotguns. Some area taverns open, but are ordered to stay closed until further notice. A check of sporting goods and gun stores in the county reveals that residents were purchasing firearms and ammunition at an above-average rate on the previous Friday and Saturday as the threat of rioting in Baltimore mounted. The driver gets out of the car and is jumped by the mob. • 1 a.m.—Lootings reported since midnight: 14, as opposed to 128 between 8 and 9 p.m. Four policemen turn them back. The 1,300 troops of the Maryland Air National Guard were organized in a provisional battalion and used to guard critical infrastructure throughout the city, as well as an ad hoc detention facility at the Baltimore Civic Center. Reports label it "One last little fling." Elsewhere, the Pope plans a statement on racism. Saturday, April 13, 1968 The Eastern Police District runs short of men. They block westbound traffic on U.S. 40. 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