August 11th 1965: Community Analysis

1082 Words5 Pages
August 11th 1965 I was once the proud owner of a local electronics store in the Watts section of south central Los Angeles. My father had built a profitable business selling new and refurbished electronics, as well as electronics repair. I devoted the majority of my life to this business because I enjoyed relating to people and offering a service to my community. It was fun to see people’s faces light up as they walked out the store with their new products. Unfortunately for me, all of that would come to an end very soon and for no fault of my own, As I left work on August 11th, 1965 I was hearing several things about how something had happened involving the police and that a mob of colored people were rioting in the streets, though…show more content…
Police brutality was seen as commonplace, and 95% of the Watts police force was white. This helped foster hatred towards the police, and white people, as the black population did not feel equal. The schools that black students attended were of poor quality, and seen as a reason for the lack of employment and employable skills in the black community. The economic impact of the riots can be seen in multiple areas. There were 288 local businesses looted and burned, which were not capable of being rebuilt and never returned following the Watts Riots. With all of those businesses lost, the jobs occupied by residents were lost as well. The black community had a high unemployment rate, and the popular belief was that black people were not being afforded equal opportunity regarding employment. Poverty soared with the high unemployment rate. In the end, 288 businesses worth an estimated $200 million were looted and destroyed. Over 35,000 African Americans participated in the riot, and over 16,000 National Guardsmen, county and city police were needed to shut it down. Political leaders such as MLK Jr. and John Conyers Jr. visited Watts to try to calm the people and both were booed. John Conyers Jr. was actually hustled to a waiting vehicle for his

More about August 11th 1965: Community Analysis

Open Document