On the warm summer night of August 1st an African American solider Robert Bandy met his mother for dinner at the historic Hotel Braddock in Harlem, as they walked through the lobby, and saw a White officer trying to hit an African American woman with his nightstick as he tried to arrest her. Bandy attempted to intervene and was shot by the officer.
Rumors then flew through the city like fiery embers and Blacks started throwing rocks and breaking out the windows of businesses. Although Bandy received just a superficial wound the rumor was that he had been killed, and thousands of people filled the streets attacking not just shops but the 28th Street Police Precinct and Sydenham Hospital.
Because of the rationing, price gouging, and racism, the African Americans of Harlem were acutely feeling the economic effects of the war. Blacks had hoped that their service to the country would change some of the segregation laws and open opportunities, however, this did not happen sending citizens into a violent rage.
Rioters looted shops, broke hundreds of windows, and vandalized street lights and other public utilities. Mayor Fiorello La Guardia sent in nearly 6,000 officers and 8,000 National Guardsmen to quell the riot He also met with Black leaders and set a curfew. He went on the radio and requested rioters to stand down and observe the curfew. The riot did end in the early morning of Aug, 2nd.
In the aftermath, La Guardia continued to meet with the NCAAP and immediately had city works and sanitation start on clean up. He ordered the taverns to stay closed until the 4th of August and made sure the hospitals were able to meet the demand by asking for aid from other hospitals outside Harlem.
Six people were killed in the night, 700 were injured and another 600 were arrested. It was estimated 4,000 windows were broken out. The Mayor had food delivered to the residents of Harlem and the Red Cross provided lemonade and curlers.
To meet some of the underlying issues exposed by the riot and how many African Americans felt like second-class citizens. The Federal Office of Price Administration set up an office on 135th Street in Harlem and was soon flooded with complaints. La Guardia pressured all city agencies to make sure rent controls were practiced and forced landlords to go ahead with renewals of leases. These small acts it is believed forestalled another riot
Sources:
https://www.baruch.cuny.edu/nycdata/disasters/riots-harlem_1943.html
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Harlem-race-riot-of-1943
https://www.jstor.org/stable/40999915
Top Image: Bettmann Archive / Getty Images
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