December 29, 1956 Agnew commits the National Guard. Firemen respond but pull back when sniper fire continues. At Madison and Gay, windows are kicked in at Midway Gas Station. • Summary: By this date, 2100 firemen have fought 900 fires in three days. • 6:15 p.m.— First report of fire at Ideal Furniture Company, 700 block of N. Gay. A store is looted in the 4600 block of Park Heights Ave. Around 8 pm, Governor Agnew declared a state of emergency. Another 1,900 Army troops are called into Baltimore. Within an hour of Mayor D'Allesandro's vote of confidence in the city, 48 are arrested, 19 lootings reported and three new fires set. He puts in place a curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. • 10 a.m.—More sniper fire at Aisquith and Curtain streets. Alarms go off all night on Gay St. from 400 to the 1100 block. The ban on liquor sales is off, riot curfew lifted, and gasoline in containers rule is in effect. An early tour is made by D'Alessandro on Palm Sunday. Looting begins on Pennsylvania Ave. in the 1200-2000 blocks Lyndon Johnson orders 1,900 Army soldiers into Baltimore. Sunday's police reports include 400 episodes of looting, for a two-day total of 600. Laurens, Riggs and Stricker, all side streets of Pennsylvania, are consumed by looting. Approximately 6,000 National Guard troops enter the city, under the command of Maj. Gen. George Gelston. • Afternoon—The Baltimore Orioles home opener against the Oakland Athletics is postponed. • 11:10 p.m.—Fire truck returns, but the buildings are lost. The King-assassination riots, also known as the Holy Week Uprising, was a wave of civil disturbance which swept the United States following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. • Morning—Gen. More than 176 arrests are made after the curfew goes into effect at 7 p.m. Mace is used in a store in the 1300 block of of Pennsylvania Ave., one of the hardest hit areas of the city. [12], List of incidents of civil unrest in Baltimore, List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States, "Baltimore Riot Was Maryland Air Guard's Largest Mobilization", United States Army Center of Military History, http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/stagser/s1259/121/2395/html/0000.html, Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation, Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church, Sts. There is no arson in this area near the city line. Crowds gather to watch. Levy, in Baltimore ’68, 12. From 1970 to 1980, Baltimore's population declined from 906,000 to 787,000. April 5, 1968 was viewed as the calm before the storm. These riots happened in 125 cities and were known as The Holy Week Uprising. Baltimore riots Baltimore riots Baltimore riots Children entering the school off Fayette. A two-alarm fire is reported at Federal St. and Milton Ave. Two fires break out two blocks apart—at Federal and Holbrook Sts., and Harford Rd. A store is looted and burned in the 2300 block of Hollins Ferry Road. Johns Hopkins Hospital staff are asked to stay on duty all night. A man is seized in the 600 block N. Carey St. after he pointed a gun at a soldier. Baltimore then becomes relatively quiet. Royal Ave. and Monroe St. on North Ave. was hit. The city jail remains filled beyond capacity. Unrest also broke out on Pennsylvania Ave in West Baltimore. [1], By the morning of April 7, reports to the White House described five deaths, 300 fires, and 404 arrests. Looting at a liquor store at Baker St. and Fulton Ave. is reported. • 6:14 p.m.—Pres. Street traffic began to increase. In the Lower Broadway area, a crowd gathers and heads towards stores in Forest Park, where rioters do damage. • Evening—Complete curfew declared in city between 11 p.m. Saturday and 6 a.m. Sunday. 6 p.m.—Fires at Gay and Eager, 200 block E. Biddle Street, 700 block of E. 20th St., 30th and Jenifer Sts., 200 block of S. Bethel St. at Bond and Gay, at Madison and Caroline, at Caroline and Dallas, at Ensor and Preston, at Warwick Ave. and Presbury St., at Biddle St. and N. Collington Ave., and in the first block of N. Poppleton St. Scavengers and looters are separated into two charging categories by the Army. Rocks are thrown at firefighters and newsmen at the scene, and hundreds watch the massive flames for 90 minutes through three alarms. A search by police and fire crews found nothing. Three food distribution centers open at Eden and Ashland, North Ave. and Barclay St., and North and Pennsylvania. Four blocks west, there are still more fires. • 6 p.m.—First reports of looting at drycleaners, Gay and Monument streets. In the 900 block of Pennsylvania Ave., looters take guns. • 7:30 p.m.—By this time, the conflict has spread across the city, especially to the west, with 95 percent of the offenders estimated to be teenagers. • 6:30 p.m.— Two alarm fire in Lewis Furniture Co., another furniture store in the 700 block of Gay. He appeals to citizens to obey curfew and pleads for peace. The Baltimore riot of 1968 was a period of civil unrest that lasted from April 6 to April 14, 1968, in Baltimore.The uprising included crowds filling the streets, burning and looting local businesses, and confronting the police and national guard. A drugstore at North and Greenmount and a liquor store at Wolfe and Chase streets also are ruined. Monday, June 2, 1958 • 2:10 p.m.—A liquor store is burned at Chase and Wolfe. • 10 p.m.—No new fires are fought between 9:30 p.m. and this point. The building is looted and burned on Gay St. five blocks below North Ave. Major looting is reported on Lamont St. and Harford Ave. By this point more than 30 have been arrested in the Western District alone. At Baker St. and Fulton there is looting. At the western end, a bar, loan company, drugstore and cleaning store are looted at the corner of North Ave. and Pulaski St. The 1968 riots had national political significance because of the reaction of then–Maryland governor Spiro Agnew, a … In West Baltimore, soldiers with bayonets block the intersection of Fulton Ave. and Baker St. • After midnight—2200 block North Calvert St., a report of trouble. The day that followed was a day of rememberance in Baltimore where people mourned the loss of a great leader. Saturday, April 13, 1968 • King gives a speech, "Race and the Church," before a gathering of Methodist clergy at the Baltimore Civic Center. Agnew extends the curfew to Baltimore County. • 8:05 p.m.—Looting and burning of a tailor shop in the 900 block N. Gay St. Lootings are minor, but the total edges toward 2,000. This timeline does, however, provide a fairly conclusive picture of what occurred during the riots. [3] At this point, some reports described about a thousand people in the crowd, which moved north on Gay St. up to Harford Rd. • 5 p.m.—The two men and woman are booked. Precautionary moves are taken by officials in the early afternoon to protect the downtown shopping area. A murder is reported at Lucas Tavern in the 400 block of N. Carey St. (The incident is questionably related to the riot). • 2 p.m.—A large crowd of whites forms on the east side of the roadway near Perkins Homes, a southeast Baltimore housing project, shouting and taunting. Mass racial violence in the United States, also called race riots, can include such disparate events as: . The Baltimore riot of 1968 was a period of civil unrest that lasted from April 6 to April 14, 1968, in Baltimore.The uprising included crowds filling the streets, burning and looting local businesses, and confronting the police and national guard. A check of sporting goods and gun stores in the county reveals that residents were purchasing firearms and ammunition at an above-average rate on the previous Friday and Saturday as the threat of rioting in Baltimore mounted. • 10:15 p.m.—The Maryland National Guard is federalized and Gen. York is placed in command of all military units deployed in the riot area. When crediting the use of portions from this site or materials within that are copyrighted by us please use the citation: Used with permission of the University of Baltimore. 5:34 p.m.—Fire at E. Chase St. and Lakewood Ave. The 1,300 troops of the Maryland Air National Guard were organized in a provisional battalion and used to guard critical infrastructure throughout the city, as well as an ad hoc detention facility at the Baltimore Civic Center. The 11,000 Army and National Guard troops remain in Baltimore to assure that relative peace is kept. Any commercial use of this material is prohibited without prior permission from The Special Collections Department - Robert L. Bogomolny Library, University of Baltimore. The intersection of Fulton Ave. and Baker St. is cordoned off. • 4 p.m.—Curfew begins. • Midnight—By this point, six sniper incidents have been reported: Gilmore and Baker, the 1600 block of Calvert, Lombard and Lloyd, Monroe and Baltimore, Biddle and Argyle, and the 2900 block of The Alameda. Armed federal troops break up a peace meeting of 200 in Lafayette Square (even though they had approval from city police); angry crowds scatter and regroup at Mosher Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. Many businesses reopen along with remaining public schools. The Eastern Police District runs short of men. [1], In the next few days,[when?] • 9:30 p.m.— Baltimore police set up a command post at Park Circle. Two stores on Greenmount in the 1200 block are burned. Juvenile court cases are postponed to Monday. In the 1800 block of Harford Ave., four houses burn in two hours. Rioting reported near the Murphy Homes at Myrtle Ave. and Hoffman. • Evening—A refugee center is set up at 758 Dolphin St. Only sworn member of the department on duty in the City of Baltimore during the period of civil unrest, 5 April through 14 April 1968, were eligible for this award. • 7 a.m.—The curfew is lifted, and motorists from outside the city are allowed in. Holly St., there is looting and burning of grocery and liquor stores. Monument and Bond sees two fires. The Adjutant General of Maryland, Major General George M. Gelston, commanded the National Guard force and also was given control of local and state police forces in the city (approximately 1,900 police officers). • 7:40 a.m.—A looter is shot in an alley behind the 800 block of N. Aisquith St. Other notables: There were seven reports of snipers after the 4 p.m. curfew, with sniper fire beginning in earnest after announcements were made about the situation being under control. • 10 a.m.—Rain begins; looting slows. Downtown shopping is open for holiday gift buying until 9 p.m., and some shopkeepers along Pennsylvania Ave. and Gay St. are open. On April 4, 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Some area taverns open, but are ordered to stay closed until further notice. Fire breaks out in several buildings in the 2200 block of Fulton Ave. Large crowds gather on Baltimore St. in "the block area." Track how the aftermath of King’s killing played out on the streets of D.C. in our timeline of events above. Nix, Elizabeth, and Jessica Elfenbein, eds., University of Baltimore 1968 Riot site, "Baltimore '68: Riots and Rebirth", ", Maryland State Archives Document Packet, prepared by, This page was last edited on 1 February 2021, at 22:47. Some looting is seen at Reisterstown Road and Edmondson Ave. The incipient urban depopulation that occurred between 1950 and 1960—from 950,000 to 939,000 residents, the city's first decrease since 1800—snowballed after the riots. specialcollections@ubalt.edu, Robert L. Bogomolny Library Special Collections • 1415 Maryland Avenue • Baltimore, MD 21201, Martin Luther King Jr. is awarded an honorary degree – doctor of law -- at Morgan State College. Fire goes to two alarms by 6:40 p.m. informed. • Summary: Fires, looting large-scale disorderly crowds. City leaders stress that the declaration of emergency is only a "precautionary measure." Guardsmen in the 1200 block of N. Charles find a man with a rifle. • 1:30 a.m.—"Curfew seems to be having an effect, city is generally under control."—Gen. A drug company in the 700 block of Whitelock St. is burned. • 1:20 a.m.—Sniper fire in the 1400 block of E. Oliver St. Sniper not found but an arrest is made. • Late morning/early afternoon—Police cars are lined up at Gay and Aisquith expecting calls. The Baltimore Riot of 1968 started in reaction to the murder of Martin Luther King.After King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, on 4 April, 1968, rioting broke out in 125 cities across the United States.In Baltimore, Maryland trouble didn’t start until two days later. Plans are announced for a walk of penance on Saturday by a white interfaith group. Three stores on Greenmount from the 1900 to the 2300 block are burned by firebombs. The unrest begins in Baltimore: Saturday, April 6, 1968 • National Guard on standby during day • Riots begin in earnest in Baltimore. Police in general keep the crowds apart. Sporadic looting takes place on the west side. ... a National Guardsman stands at a Detroit intersection during riots in the city. • Midmorning—The Army begins a citywide attempt to prevent further looting by boarding up partially plundered stores and exploding a bomb of CS gas inside. In the 3800 block of Clifton Ave. looters are seen. Rioting threatens to move northward, but police assure the governor that nothing will get out of hand. A number of black community leaders patrol trouble spots with plainclothes black • Late afternoon—Tensions rise between whites and blacks in the South Broadway area and along W. Pratt St. After one man objects to being frisked, police begin to use mace to subdue uncooperative curfew violators. Three stores are looted on Edmondson, and another six stores on Edmondson and Payson. November 15, 1953 • Summary: Repairs and assessments continue. The Baltimore riot of 1968 was a period of civil unrest that lasted from April 6 to April 14, 1968, in Baltimore. At the city jail, inmates briefly refuse to return to cells after lunch. An officer arrives and prevents serious violence by firing into the air. He is also awarded the Citizen of the Year Award by the fraternity. During the rally an anonymous bomb threat was called in. • 6 p.m.—Looting at Gay and Monument streets A 40-block swath of the east and west mid sections of the city have been impacted by rioting. • 10:45 p.m.—In the 900 block of N. Gay a jewelry store is firebombed. Saturday's violence is confined to a 20-by-10 block on the east side spreading to the west side. 5:38 p.m.—Fire at N. Milton Ave. and Preston St. • Afternoon—Fire in the 1600 block of Ingleside Ave. in a carryout shop. • Evening—Sporadic fires burn throughout the night, many between 10 p.m. and midnight and concentrated in a single square mile bounded by North Ave., Preston St., Harford Road and Milton St. Teenagers roam the streets, throwing rocks and bricks at cars driven by whites along Monroe near Franklin and on E. Baltimore St. near Smallwood. Detroit Riot This riot was before Martin Luther kIng Jr. assasination and the mehem uplifted when police officers raided a bar calld the Blind Pig. • Summary: Arrests from midnight to 1 p.m. number 105, bringing the total to 5,316. • Late afternoon—People hoard food because of curfews and fear. At Federal and Milton, a fire breaks out in a liquor store. All schools, most businesses, and almost all offices in the city are closed. • 11:15 p.m.—National Guard troops move from the 5th Regiment Armory on trucks. In addition, an active Army soldier died in a traffic accident while redeploying from the city. • 8 p.m.—Fires are limited to a few vacant houses and previously looted stores, most of them in or near the west side. Its maximum capacity is 2.500. policemen during the curfew. • Night—Firebombs spread across North Ave. to Forest Park directly below Druid Hill Lake, up Harford Road to Clifton Park, and west along U.S. 40 to Edmondson Village and south to W. Baltimore St. At 705 Whitelock St. an auto garage is burned and a black-owned barber shop is damaged. • 3 p.m.—A police command post at Gay and Aisquith reports that between 400 and 500 people are looting stores near Monument and Bond Streets and Sinclair Lane. At North and Linden, a crowd of 150 people witness three stores and several vacant buildings burn. • 8:30 a.m.—Tear gas used on rioters. Most of damage is in the city's "poverty belt," officials report. Guardsmen make a sweep through the east side. 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