Cincinnati King assassination riots
the cincinnati riots in response assassination of martin luther king jr. on april 4, 1968. tension in avondale neighborhood had been high due lack of job opportunities african-american men, , assassination escalated tension. on april 8, around 1,500 blacks attended memorial held @ local recreation center. officer of congress of racial equality blamed white americans king s death , urged crowd retaliate. crowd orderly when left memorial , spilled out street. nearby james smith, black man, attempted protect jewelry store robbery own shotgun. during struggle robbers, black, smith accidentally shot , killed wife.
rioting started after false rumor spread in crowd smith s wife killed white police officer. rioters smashed store windows , looted merchandise. more 70 fires had been set, several of them major. during rioting 8 young african americans dragged white student, noel wright, , wife car in mount auburn. wright stabbed death , wife beaten. next night, city put under curfew, , 1,500 national guardsmen brought in subdue violence. several days after riot started, 2 people dead, hundreds arrested, , city had suffered $3 million in property damage.
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