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announced their intent to close schools the following day out of respect. KCPS administrators were unable to contact
Hazlett or the President of the KCPS Board that evening to discuss these changes and schools remained open. A member of the KCPS later recounted that the decision "wasn't good enough for , but it was good enough for and so that's why the schools were open. As a result of that, we had a riot."
476:
In May 1968, Mayor Davis charged a commission with studying what was referred to as a "severe civil disturbance". The report, published in August 1968, proposed 17 recommendations to the KCPD, 12 recommendations to the KCPS, 9 recommendations to other municipal authorities, and 5 recommendations with
430:
Unrest continued into April 10 as tensions and police presence remained high. At
Lincoln High School, an altercation between students and a KCPD/MONG joint patrol ended with tear gas and early school dismissal. A molotov cocktail was thrown near Central High School. A white priest was threatened at
438:
near the Byron Hotel. A National
Guardsman attempting to control the crowd was shot at and wounded in the arm. A firefight broke out between officers and purported anti-patrolman "snipers".. Law enforcement focused their fire on the Byron Hotel, where the Guardsman believed the shot had originated
383:
to protest. As several non-students joined the march, the decision was made to dismiss school to avoid property damage. The protest, rapidly turning from a student march to a civil rights organization, met with Mayor Davis at Parade Park. There, the decision was made to continue the march, led in
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Under pressure from civil rights organizations, KCPS opted to hold school-wide memorial assemblies in place of one-minute meditations. Similarly pressured, Kansas City, Kansas, school administrators, following a meeting with representatives of the Kansas City, Kansas, Police
Department, publicly
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Following short remarks from leaders at City Hall the protesters were requested to return to the East Side, either on foot or on busses provided by the city. Many in the crowd did not hear the announcement due to poor sound systems, and as such were forced to disperse. Mayor Davis would later
320:, an impromptu march spearheaded by high school students was held on Friday, April 5, following a meeting of students, police, and community leaders. Between 1,500 and 2,000 are estimated to have participated in this peaceful march, which ended with addresses from Kansas City, Kansas
378:
Protests began in earnest on
Tuesday, April 9, as a staged walkout of students from several KCPS schools, boycotting the KCPS's decision remain open. Students leaders were split between marching from school to school before holding a memorial service and proceeding
396:
apologize publicly for police use of tear gas in response to what one KCPD officer remembered as "one single, soft drink bottle wasn't even close to the officers," widely seen as direct escalation of the conflict. Despite Mayor Davis declaring a
454:
to enforce police presence. Mayor Davis, who had wished a second curfew would not be necessary, followed at 9:00pm. Governor
Hearnes authorized a total of 2,900 Missouri National Guardsmen to be reassigned to Kansas City, after which he and
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from. Gas canisters eventually forced the hotel to evacuate but the haze, combined with officer shooting out lights, led to more confusion. In other incidents near the same time, another
Guardsman and a fire captain were injured nearby.
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took part in a televised forum with local civil rights leaders. The march proceeded as planned at 1:30pm, with between 5,000 and 15,000 in attendance. Police responded to a minor incident at the Isis
Theater located at 31st Street and
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Kansas City was engulfed in "more an atmosphere of stunned shock than a real threat of violence" following King's assassination. A prominent Black minister held a meeting that evening to plan for a memorial march in honor of Dr. King.
470:"Activity diminished considerably" on April 11, so Mayor Davis and Chief Kelley met with representatives of the young protesters on April 12. Though the meeting was inconclusive, it quickly ushered about an end to the violence.
172:
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Fires destroyed many homes and local businesses on the East Side, particularly along
Prospect Avenue between 27th and 39th Streets and on 31st and 35th Streets east of Prospect Avenue.
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met with Davis and KCPD Chief Kelley. The night ended with 45 more counts of arson, 5 additional civilian deaths, 11 civilian injuries in addition to 4 injuries sustained by officers.
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and setting the city's first emergency curfew at 8:00pm, riots began in earnest that night: reports of stonings, lootings, and 94 fires (40 confirmed) as
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would be named for Dr. King in memorial. A one-minute meditation was planned for
Tuesday, April 9, the day of Dr. King's funeral.
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Joseph H. McDowell and other officials at Kansas City, Kansas, City Hall . That evening, Kansas City, Missouri, Police Chief
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of the United States affected directly by the assassination, but rather on April 9 after local events within the city.
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At around 7:00pm, the MONG and KCPD reponded to a reports of unruly crowds gathering at 30th Street and
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On the morning of April 5, leaders of the Kansas City Black community met with representatives of the
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Altercations occurred throughout the East Side as other, smaller incidents were reported in the
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352:(KCPS) Superintendent James Hazlett concluded that a newly-built junior high school on the
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led to nine injuries and one death at the hands of the KCPD and 11 unrelated injuries.
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450:. Mayor McDowell issued a curfew proclamation at 8:35pm and began utilizing the
316:(KCPD) to approve a memorial march tentatively planned for Sunday, April 7. In
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The Voice of Violence: Performative Violence as Protest in the Vietnam Era
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640:"It Finally Happened Here: The 1968 Riot in Kansas City, Missouri"
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returned to Kansas City and implemented a riot control alert.
274:, in April 1968. Kansas City became one of 37 cities in the
418:(MONG) in Kansas City. Hazlett returned that evening from
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The rioting in Kansas City did not erupt on April 4, like
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Riot following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
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List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States
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Mayor's Commission on Civil Disorders (1968-08-15).
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Before the march, McDowell and Kansas City Missouri
613:"Strife in the Streets: Kansas City Remembers 1968"
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677:Burnes, Brian; Rice, Glenn E. (August 10, 2007).
679:"Riots of 1968 were a watershed moment for KC"
718:. Kansas City, MO. 1968-04-10. Archived from
585:"1968 Kansas city Race Riots: Then & Now"
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753:African-American riots in the United States
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284:assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
78:Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
778:April 1968 events in the United States
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388:, where they were met with police and
758:20th century in Kansas City, Missouri
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768:Riots and civil disorder in Missouri
712:"Rioting in City Takes Five Lives"
689:from the original on April 9, 2008
25:
553:(Report). City of Kansas City, MO
477:no particular target audience.
1:
390:Missouri State Highway Patrol
103:Missouri State Highway Patrol
95:Kansas City Police Department
583:Dia, Wall (April 4, 2018).
446:; Kansas City, Kansas; and
416:Missouri National Guardsmen
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650:Greenwood Publishing Group
617:Kansas City Public Library
350:Kansas City Public Schools
190:
88:
37:
773:King assassination riots
638:Rhodes, Joel P. (2001).
384:part by Mayor Davis, to
183:King assassination riots
40:King assassination riots
99:Missouri National Guard
452:Kansas National Guard
444:Country Club District
386:Kansas City City Hall
278:to be the subject of
272:Kansas City, Missouri
268:1968 Kansas City riot
145:Between 300 and 1,042
33:1968 Kansas City riot
18:1968 Kansas City riot
716:The Kansas City Star
457:Lieutenant Governor
426:Wednesday, April 10
318:Kansas City, Kansas
652:. pp. 25–31.
431:Troost Lake Park.
398:state of emergency
326:Clarence M. Kelley
412:Warren E. Hearnes
299:Thursday, April 4
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16:(Redirected from
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460:Thomas Eagleton
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360:Monday, April 8
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724:. Retrieved
720:the original
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691:. Retrieved
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664:Google Books
662:– via
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621:. Retrieved
619:. 2018-03-26
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592:. Retrieved
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555:. Retrieved
548:Final Report
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288:other cities
270:occurred in
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235:Jacksonville
38:Part of the
245:Kansas City
205:Tallahassee
137:26 officers
127:6 civilians
59:Kansas City
748:1968 riots
742:Categories
726:August 13,
623:August 13,
594:August 14,
557:August 14,
498:References
392:presence.
294:Background
282:after the
255:Louisville
250:Wilmington
230:Pittsburgh
119:Casualties
693:April 12,
466:Aftermath
354:East Side
240:Baltimore
215:Charlotte
109:civilians
74:Caused by
687:Archived
481:See also
409:Governor
381:Downtown
142:Arrested
132:Injuries
124:Death(s)
63:Missouri
54:Location
280:rioting
225:Norfolk
220:Chicago
195:Detroit
84:Parties
656:
589:KSHB41
551:(PDF)
402:arson
369:Riots
338:Mayor
322:Mayor
728:2023
695:2008
654:ISBN
625:2023
596:2023
559:2023
266:The
46:Date
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174:e
167:t
160:v
20:)
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