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The slaying of a young Black man by Jacksonville, Florida, police sparks a riot.
1971 (Jun 17)
Jacksonville, Florida police officers armed with riot equipment dispersed a crowd of 400 Black youths in a second night of racial violence in the city. Three youths were arrested and charged with looting. Several police officers were slightly injured by rocks and bottles during the melee. Sheriff's Captain E. W. Hartley said police went into the Black neighborhood to protect its many elderly Black residents in the wake of the rock and bottle hurling. Deputies reported that two supermarkets in the Black business district were looted and set afire, but there was no gunfire. Black youths were angered by an earlier slaying of a young Black man by Jacksonville police.
References:
- • Hornsby, Alton. Chronology of African-American History: Significant Events and People from 1619 to the Present. Detroit: Gale Research, 1995.