The 1967 Atlanta riots were one of many riots during the Long, hot summer of 1967 lasting from June 17, 1967 to June 20. The riots started after a black male who was holding a beer can was denied from entering the Flamingo Grill by a security guard there at the Dixie Hills Shopping Center and a fight starting afterwards.

Background

Prior to the riots, the Kerner Report described the city as being racially progressive but tense. Despite the city being racially progressive, there were strong segregationist elements in the city as well. The city had experienced significant growth after World War II through industrialization and annexations along with the city's non white population growing. By the time of the riots 44% of the city was non-white.^

Statistical background

Disparities were seen between non-white residents in the city through housing, income and education. The median income for non-white families in the city was less than half that of white families. In Atlanta there were about 25,000 unfilled job positions because of a lack of education and skills to get potential applicants. Non whites in Atlanta had less education on average than whites did in the city. Many homes in the city where non-white residents lived at were in bad condition.

Summerhill Riot

On September 6, 1966 a black man who was arrested in connection to stealing a car was shot and wounded by a detective. Afterwards, a riot known as the Summerhill Riot or the Atlanta Rebellion would break out lasting until September 12.

Civil Rights Movement actions

Atlanta would pursue a strategy that was considered moderate when it came to desegregation during the Civil Rights Movement. It would consider keeping the peace and moderation as the highest priorities while considered actual integration secondarily. Martin Luther King would collaborate with Atlanta mayors William Hartsfield and Ivan Allen Jr. to achieve this. Golf courses were desegregated in 1955 while the city's buses got desegregated in 1959 after a 2 year long bus boycott had happened. In 1964, only 1 out of every 10 restaurants in the city would be desegregated. While for hotels/motels, it was even less prevalent with only 3 out of every 150 being desegregated.

Riots

At roughly just after 9 PM local time on June 17 a black male by the name of "E.R." would attempt to enter the Flamingo Grill located at the Dixie Hills Shopping Center. A black security guard at the grill would deny him from entering for unclear reasons and a fight would break out between the two. 200 to 300 people were drawn in and eventually the guard called in the police with three arrests being made. The mall would end up being closed the following day. Local residents decided to get to work on organizing committees and hold a protest meeting the next night.

During June 18, an African American man would bang on an alarm with a broom leading to it short circuiting. When officers who responded to what happened came they asked him to stop but didn't. A fight broke out as a result between him and the officers with a crowd of onlookers forming. The onlookers would join into the fight. At one point, an officer would fire his revolver towards the crowd and shot someone giving them minor wounds. During the evening a meeting would be held with 250 attendees. African-American leaders would urge to voice their grievances through legal channels but received a moderate response from the crowd. Stokeley Carmichael would arrive holding a rousing speech with the audience being electrified. The crowd would grow to over a 1,000 throwing rocks and bottles at police cars along with breaking car windows. The police would easily become aware of what was happening. The police would hear the sounds of firecrackers going off and thought they were being fired upon. 9 police officers would be injured and they would call 60-70 officers for backup and firing their weapons above the crowd with the police arresting 10 people in the end.

On June 20 a meeting was held in the area. At the end of the meeting, 200 protesters would be confronted with 300 police officers. An explosive device would be flung near the officers causing the area it was at to catch on fire. The police would fire into the crowd and gunshots were fired into the crowd with 1 person being killed and another injured. Community workers would try to stop any violence from occurring in the future along with mayor Ivan Allen Jr. going to the area in an attempt to lower tensions. H. Rap Brown would attempt to start another protest but it would fail.

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