The 1968 Pittsburgh riots were a series of urban disturbances that erupted in Pittsburgh on April 5, 1968, following the assassination of Martin Luther King. Pittsburgh, along with 110 other cities, burned for several days and 3,600 National Guardsmen were needed to quell the disorder.[1][2][3][4][5]

1968 Pittsburgh riots
Part of the King assassination riots
DateApril 5–11, 1968
Caused byAssassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Resulted inProperty destroyed, order restored.
Parties
Rioters
Casualties
Death(s)1
Injuries36
Arrested1,000

Overview

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The neighborhoods most impacted were the Hill District, North Side, and Homewood. More than one hundred businesses were either vandalized or looted with arsonists setting 505 fires.[6][7][8][9][10]

One person was killed and thirty-six were injured.[11][12][13][14][15]

Aftermath

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After six days, order was finally restored on April 11, with property damage surpassing $600,000 (equivalent to $5.26 million in 2023). One thousand arrests were made by law enforcement. Many of the neighborhoods impacted never fully recovered in the following decades.[16][17][18][19][20]

See also

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Other Civil Rights-Era riots in Pennsylvania

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References

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  1. ^ "Pittsburgh's Hill District: The Death Of A Dream". The Huffington Post. 16 July 2012.
  2. ^ Emily Ruby. "1968 : The Year That Rocked Pittsburgh". Journals.psu.edu. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  3. ^ "History of Riots in Pittsburgh". 17 June 2015.
  4. ^ "MLK riots: 40 years later, turmoil on the Hill stirs memories". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 2, 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  5. ^ Mellon, Steven; Routh, Julian (April 2, 2018). "The Week the Hill Rose Up". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  6. ^ "Pittsburgh's Hill District: The Death Of A Dream". The Huffington Post. 16 July 2012.
  7. ^ Emily Ruby. "1968 : The Year That Rocked Pittsburgh". Journals.psu.edu. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  8. ^ "History of Riots in Pittsburgh". 17 June 2015.
  9. ^ "MLK riots: 40 years later, turmoil on the Hill stirs memories". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 2, 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  10. ^ Mellon, Steven; Routh, Julian (April 2, 2018). "The Week the Hill Rose Up". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  11. ^ "Pittsburgh's Hill District: The Death Of A Dream". The Huffington Post. 16 July 2012.
  12. ^ Emily Ruby. "1968 : The Year That Rocked Pittsburgh". Journals.psu.edu. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  13. ^ "History of Riots in Pittsburgh". 17 June 2015.
  14. ^ "MLK riots: 40 years later, turmoil on the Hill stirs memories". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 2, 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  15. ^ Mellon, Steven; Routh, Julian (April 2, 2018). "The Week the Hill Rose Up". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  16. ^ "Pittsburgh's Hill District: The Death Of A Dream". The Huffington Post. 16 July 2012.
  17. ^ Emily Ruby. "1968 : The Year That Rocked Pittsburgh". Journals.psu.edu. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  18. ^ "History of Riots in Pittsburgh". 17 June 2015.
  19. ^ "MLK riots: 40 years later, turmoil on the Hill stirs memories". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 2, 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  20. ^ Mellon, Steven; Routh, Julian (April 2, 2018). "The Week the Hill Rose Up". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 31, 2022.