Watts Riots (aug 11, 1965 – aug 16, 1965)
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The Watts Riots were a series of violent actions in Los Angeles' Watts neighborhood in response to the violent arrest of Marquette Fry, a black man, for drunk driving. The ensuing struggle during his arrest sparked off 6 days of rioting, resulting in 34 deaths, over 1,000 injuries, nearly 4,000 arrests, and the destruction of property valued at $40 million. MLK highlighted that the riots were not based on racial injustice, but rather social and political injustice. Unemployment and poverty in the black neighborhood of Watts was the worst in the nation, and MLK and President Lyndon B. Johnson pushed for federal anti-poverty programs in LA.
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