The episode began in familiar circumstances: A white police officer stopped a black man. Whether it was called the Watts Riot or the Watts Rebellion, what followed the arrest of 21-year-old Marquette Frye for drunk driving in the summer of 1965 was six days of violence in Los Angeles, the death of 34 people — and the death of Lyndon Johnson's dream.
By the time the Watts episode was over, 1,000 people had been injured and nearly four times that many arrested. The toll in property damage was $319 million in today's dollars. The toll in the nation's psyche could not be measured. Within three years, Richard Nixon — employing a "Southern Strategy" that quietly gave reassurance to opponents of segregation along with a "law-and-order" platform that hardened white American views about blacks — would win the presidency.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.