This article is about incidents of civil unrest, rioting, violent labor disputes, or minor insurrections or revolts in the United States. For incidents occurring before the Declaration of Independence, see List of incidents of civil unrest in Colonial North America.
Listed are major episodes of civil unrest in the United States. This list does not include the numerous incidents of destruction and violence associated with various sporting events.[1]
1838 – Burning of Pennsylvania Hall; a lecture hall built with the intention of debating abolition, women's rights, and other reforms is burned down only 4 days after opening.
1861 – Camp Jackson Affair, May 10, Union forces clash with Confederate sympathizers on the streets of St. Louis, 28 dead, 100 injured, St. Louis, Missouri
1862 – Brooklyn Riot of 1862 occurred August 4 between the New York Metropolitan Police against a white mob attacking African American strike-breakers at a Tobacco Factory[4]
1886 – Bay View Massacre, May 4; 1400 workers march for eight hour work day; 7 killed and several more wounded after confrontation with National Guard. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1887 – Reservoir war, April 25; a minor insurrection against the State of Ohio to destroy a canal feeder reservoir and other canal infrastructure. Antwerp, Ohio
1887 – Thibodaux Massacre, November 22–25; a racial attack mounted by white paramilitary groups in Thibodaux, Louisiana in November 1887 Thibodaux, Louisiana
1935 – Harlem Riot, March 19–20, New York City; first "modern" race riot due to attacks turning from against people to against property
1935 – Southern Tenant Farmers' Union Riot, Arkansas
1935 – Terre Haute General Strike, July 22–23, A labor dispute between an enameling company and a labor union led to a two-day general strike. Indiana National Guard was called out and martial law was declared by the Governor. The city was under a state of martial law for six months. It was the third general strike in U.S. History. Terre Haute, Indiana
1964 – The July 16 killing of James Powell by police in the Yorkville neighborhood just south of East Harlem precipitates a string of race riots in July and August, including:
1964 – Jersey City Riot, August 3–5, A disorderly conduct arrest set off accusations of police brutality and were followed by protests and riots.[14] At least two residents were shot and several police and rioters were injured,[15]Jersey City, NJ
1966 – 1966 New York City riots, July 14–20, New York City, New York, A riot broke out following a dispute between white and black youths. One person was killed and 53 injured. There were three arson incidents and 82 arrests.[16]
1966 – Perth Amboy riots, August 2–5, Perth Amboy, New Jersey, a riot broke out following the arrest of a Hispanic man for loitering. Hispanic residents also disliked being treated negatively by the police and being ignored by the community. Twenty-six injuries were reported (15 from law enforcement officers and 11 from civilians) and 43 arrests were made. Interference with firefighters occurred.[16][17]
1967 – 1967 Clearwater riot, June 3[19] or 4,[21] Clearwater, Florida, a riot started after a white police officer tried to assist an African-American officer break up a fight between two African-American men.[21]
1967 – 1967 Philadelphia riot, June 11, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, began after a dispute involving a rug. Bottle and brick throwing were reported in an African-American neighborhood and 4 police officers were injured.[21]
1967 – 1967 Maywood riots, June 14, Maywood, Illinois, riots began after young African-American men and women demanded a swimming pool in the historically neglected neighborhood.[19]
1967 – 1967 Waterloo riots, July 8–9, Waterloo, Iowa, riots started after a young African-American man was arrested for assault and battery of an elderly white man sweeping the sidewalk in front of his business.[23]
1967 – 1967 Fresno riot, July 15–17, Fresno, California, riots were sparked after the loss of a local youth job program used extensively by African-American and Latino youths. Two people were injured, 27 arrested and 46 cases of arson were reported.[16][24]
1967 – 1967 New Brunswick riots, July 17–18, New Brunswick, New Jersey, riots began after a group of roughly 200 African-American teenagers protested against unfair treatment in local public schools, unemployment, the closing of a social club and long-term police brutality. Protesters looted stores in the city's business district, specifically targeting those considered to treat black customers unfairly. By 2 AM 32 adults and 18 juveniles, all of them black, had been arrested for looting, possession of stolen property, carrying weapons, and loitering. In response, Mayor Patricia Sheehan declared a 10 PM curfew. On June 18, a crowd of 200 people gathered where 75 heavily armed police officers were barricading a route to the downtown business district. The protesters promised to disperse once the police were removed, and they did.[25]
1967 – 1967 Rochester riots, July 23–24, Rochester, New York a riot began following police shutting down a drag race. One person was killed, 9 injured, 146 arson cases reported and 69 people arrested. The New York State Police and the National Guard would be called up.[16][19]
1967 – 1967 Lima riots, July 23–26, Lima, Ohio riots began following the killing of a white man by a black man. Two cases of arson were reported and 23 arrests made.[16]
1967 – 1967 Grand Rapids riot, July 25–27, Grand Rapids, Michigan, a riot began following the Grand Rapids Police raiding and shutting down an illegal bar. As the patrons stood on the street police attempted to arrest a young man for stealing a car. The young man had a broken arm in a cast and the onlookers accused the police of brutality in the arrest. The next night rioters began using Molotov cocktails to burn down businesses and houses. White vigilantes took to the streets to counter the protesters. Gov. George Romney ordered the National Guard to intervene. By the end of the protests there were 44 injuries, no deaths and 30 arrests.[16][28]
1967 – 1967 Albany riot, Albany, New York, July 27–28, riots began in response to a rumor of two deaths at the hands of the police. Forty-one people were arrested and there were 3 arson cases.[16]
1967 – 1967 Providence riots, July 31 – August 1, 23 people were injured and 14 arrests were made.[19]
1967 – 1967 New Haven riots, August 19–23, a riot began following a white restaurant owner shooting at a Puerto Rican man who had come at him with a knife. Over 200 Connecticut State Troopers would be called in to assist the city's police department that had 430 officers. Three people were injured, 679 arrested and 90 cases of arson reported.[29]
1968 – 1968 Paterson riots, July 2–7, Paterson, New Jersey riots began following rumors a man was killed by the police while being arrested. One hundred and fifty people were arrested and 86 cases of arson reported.[16]
1968 – 1968 Coney Islands Riots, July 19–22, Coney Island, New York City, New York, the cause of the riots are unclear. Five police officers were injured and eight people were arrested by the police in a neighborhood that was predominantly black and Puerto Rican.[33][34]
1968 – 1968 Richmond riots. July 25–30, Richmond, California riots broke out after a 15-year-old black male suspect in a car robbery was shot by police. Seventeen arson cases were reported and 564 people arrested.[16][35]
1970 – University of Puerto Rico riot, March 4–11, at least one killed, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico
1970 – Coachella Riots, April 5, Coachella, California, started after a Brown Beret member disrupted a dance by getting on the stage and calling for "action." Three people were arrested, four police officers injured and the mayor's house was burned down.[33][36]
1971 – Albuquerque riots, June 13–15, Albuquerque, New Mexico the arrest of several Chicano teens for underage drinking at Albuquerque's Roosevelt Park set off 30 hours of violence. Police fired their guns in the air and tossed tear gas but the angry crowd overturned police cars, started fires and smashed windows, forcing officers to flee. Some 600 people were arrested, dozens injured and the area and nearby buildings damaged.[37][38]
1971 – Santa Fe Fiestas riot, September 7, 1971, Santa Fe, New Mexico, civil disturbances and vandalism during annual Fiestas event. Police fired tear gas into crowd. One hundred National Guardsman were called to protect buildings and keep order.[40] 23 people were arrested.[41]
1972 – Gainesville riots, May 12, 1972, Gainesville, Florida, anti-war protesters and police clashed for several hours. One hundred and seventy-four people were arrested and 24 injured.[44]
1979 – Levittown Gas Riot, June 23–24, Thousands rioted in response to increased gasoline prices in the U.S., 198 arrested, 44 police and 200 rioters injured. Gas stations were damaged and cars set on fire, Levittown, Pennsylvania
1989 – 1989 Miami riot, January 16–18, four days of rioting in the Overtown neighborhood began after a police officer shot a man driving a motorcycle who was fleeing another officer. He crashed and his passenger was also killed. Miami, Florida
1989 – 1989 Tampa riot, February 1, Tampa, Florida a riot began following the death of an African American man while in police custody.
The disturbance lasted for an hour with 150 youths participating. A grocery store was looted and set on fire. Four police officers, including one involved in the initial arrest, were injured.[47][48]
1990–1999
1990 – 1990 Wynwood riots, December 3, 1990, Miami, Florida, Started after the acquittal of police officers who had beaten a drug dealer named Leonardo Mercado to death in December 1988.[49]
2010 – Oakland protest riot, November 5, protesting sentence of former BART officer in shooting of Oscar Grant on New Years Day 2009; see BART Police shooting of Oscar Grant. Oakland, California
2011 – Madison Occupation. Protestors storm and occupy the Wisconsin state capitol building for 18 days.
2020 – University of Dayton closure riot, March 11, A riot broke out following the university's announcement of a temporary closure due to COVID-19.[51]
2020 – Jewish Protest, October 7–8, In Brooklyn, New York, members of the Orthodox Jewish community protested over new COVID-19 restrictions. Minor fires were set, masks were burned, and journalist Jacob Kornbluh was attacked.[52]
2021 – May 9 – June 2021, amid the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, the United States saw a rise in antisemitism and violence against Jews, as both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine protesters took to the streets of major U.S. cities.[53]
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