On July 27, 1919, a young African American boy named Eugene Williams swam past a popular public beach on Lake Michigan, in Chicago. He was stoned by several white men, knocked unconscious and drowned. His death was the incident that set off the bloodiest riot in Chicago’s history. When the local police were called to the scene, they refused to arrest the white man allegedly responsible. Rumors began to run throughout the city, this triggered the fight between gangs of African Americans and whites. Violence spread throughout the city, causing ,Over 23 blacks and 15 whites were killed, 500 more were injured and 1,000 blacks were left homeless (Shogan 96). …show more content…
This incident proved how the police did little to stop the racial discrimination that was been done against African Americans, which only enraged the black population. Not only that but it also angered many whites who wanted to keep controlling the African American community. This incident caused African Americans to stand up and fight for equality. Unfortunately, this incident only caused the violence to increase racial discrimination against blacks rather then aiding them in moving toward