Did you know a a massive race riot occurred in Los Angeles almost thirty years before the Rodney King riots?

The Watts riots were named after the Watts neighborhood in LA, near Compton. Longstanding racial injustices and a history of police brutality against both black and Mexican citizens left an underlying tension which came to a head in August 1965 when a young black man was pulled over for alleged reckless driving. 

His brother, who was the passenger in the car, walked home and retrieved their mother. When they got back to the scene the situation escalated. Eventually it was reported that the police used exessive force and kicked a pregnant woman which led to members of the community taking to the streets. 

Police tried to disperse the crowd multiple times but were attacked by the mob. Blockades were established to try and contain the riot zones.

The National Guard was called in to help the police and arrived two days later. The situation was said to resemble a warzone. 

An 8pm curfew was put in place in areas with a large black majority and led to the arrest of ~3,500 black rioters. By the end of the six-day riots, 34 people were dead, over 1k injured, and ~$40 million of propert damaged.

Black essayist Bayard Rustin wrote that it asserted the black community “would no longer silently submit to the deprivation of slum life.”

These were the largest riots in LA until the officers who beat Rodney King were acquitted of using excessive force.