Division Street Riots
Encyclopedia
The Division Street Riots were episodes of riot
ing and civil unrest, which occurred between June 12 and June 14, 1966 in Chicago
, Illinois
in the United States.
Parade
in Chicago on June 12, 1966, the first Puerto Rican riot in the U.S. began on Division Street
. The riot was a community response to the shooting of a young Puerto Rican man by Chicago Police. It was one of many urban disturbances across the nation in the 1960s. There was rioting until June 19, 1966, when community leaders rallied in the park to devise strategies to calm the crowds
.
The underlying
cause of the riots was the deteriorating economic conditions facing Puerto Ricans and African Americans, which embodied many aspects of the national urban crisis
. Ethnic conflicts, especially those between young Puerto Ricans and Polish Americans, prevailed during the transition period.
projects. The additional issues of poverty
and strained relations between Puerto Ricans and Chicago's police department
also played a major role and was considered the spark to the violence.
A month after the riot, the Chicago Commission on Human Relations held open hearings, which provided a forum for Puerto Rican and other Spanish-speaking residents of Chicago to discuss problems facing these communities, such as displacement
and discrimination
in housing, discriminatory practices by the police and fire departments
, and poor educational opportunities. As a result of these meetings, specific policy recommendations were proposed and implemented in the Puerto Rican community.
The riots, directly and indirectly, inspired the creation of many Puerto Rican community organization
s, such as the Spanish Action Committee of Chicago (SACC); the Latin American Defense Organization (LADO); the Bickerdike Revedelopment Corporation; and in the late 1960s and early 1970s, ASPIRA Association; and the Young Lords
. Several cultural centers also became part of organizing, such as the Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, the Escuela Superior Puertorriqueña (which is now named Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos Puerto Rican High School), the Juan Antonio Corretjer Puerto Rican Cultural Center, . These organization
s, which were more militant than earlier organizations such as the Caballeros de San Juan, Damas de Maria and the Puerto Rican Congress, emerged from the riots. They worked to get community concerns such as education
, housing
, health
, and employment
addressed by the city and to assert ethnic Puerto Rican presence in city politics. The Young Lords Lords announced a political candidate in 1973. They ran their founder, Jose Cha-Cha Jimenez, as the first Latino candidate for alderman
to oppose Richard J. Daley
's Democratic machine.
Riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...
ing and civil unrest, which occurred between June 12 and June 14, 1966 in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
in the United States.
History and cause
During the first downtown Puerto RicanPuerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
Parade
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
in Chicago on June 12, 1966, the first Puerto Rican riot in the U.S. began on Division Street
Division Street (Chicago)
Division Street is a major east-west street in Chicago, Illinois, located at 1200 North . Division Street begins in the Gold Coast neighborhood near Lake Shore Drive, passes through Polonia Triangle at Milwaukee Avenue into Wicker Park and continues to Chicago's city limits and into the city's...
. The riot was a community response to the shooting of a young Puerto Rican man by Chicago Police. It was one of many urban disturbances across the nation in the 1960s. There was rioting until June 19, 1966, when community leaders rallied in the park to devise strategies to calm the crowds
Crowds
Crowds is a proposed anonymity network that gives probable innocence in the face of a large number of attackers. Crowds was designed by Michael K. Reiter and Aviel D. Rubin and defends against internal attackers and a corrupt receiver, but provides no anonymity against a global attacker or a local...
.
The underlying
Underlying
In finance, the underlying of a derivative is an asset, basket of assets, index, or even another derivative, such that the cash flows of the derivative depend on the value of this underlying...
cause of the riots was the deteriorating economic conditions facing Puerto Ricans and African Americans, which embodied many aspects of the national urban crisis
Crisis
A crisis is any event that is, or expected to lead to, an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, community or whole society...
. Ethnic conflicts, especially those between young Puerto Ricans and Polish Americans, prevailed during the transition period.
Aftermath
The Division Street riot was a key moment in the history of Puerto Ricans in Chicago. It drew attention to the continued displacement of Puerto Ricans from downtown and the lakefront areas of Chicago by city-sponsored urban renewalUrban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
projects. The additional issues of poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
and strained relations between Puerto Ricans and Chicago's police department
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
also played a major role and was considered the spark to the violence.
A month after the riot, the Chicago Commission on Human Relations held open hearings, which provided a forum for Puerto Rican and other Spanish-speaking residents of Chicago to discuss problems facing these communities, such as displacement
Forced migration
Forced migration refers to the coerced movement of a person or persons away from their home or home region...
and discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
in housing, discriminatory practices by the police and fire departments
Fire station
A fire station is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus , personal protective equipment, fire hose, fire extinguishers, and other fire extinguishing equipment...
, and poor educational opportunities. As a result of these meetings, specific policy recommendations were proposed and implemented in the Puerto Rican community.
The riots, directly and indirectly, inspired the creation of many Puerto Rican community organization
Community organization
Community organizations are civil society non-profits that operate within a single local community. They are essentially a subset of the wider group of nonprofits. Like other nonprofits they are often run on a voluntary basis and are self funded...
s, such as the Spanish Action Committee of Chicago (SACC); the Latin American Defense Organization (LADO); the Bickerdike Revedelopment Corporation; and in the late 1960s and early 1970s, ASPIRA Association; and the Young Lords
Young Lords
The Young Lords, later Young Lords Organization and in New York , Young Lords Party, was a Puerto Rican nationalist group in several United States cities, notably New York City and Chicago.-Founding:...
. Several cultural centers also became part of organizing, such as the Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, the Escuela Superior Puertorriqueña (which is now named Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos Puerto Rican High School), the Juan Antonio Corretjer Puerto Rican Cultural Center, . These organization
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
s, which were more militant than earlier organizations such as the Caballeros de San Juan, Damas de Maria and the Puerto Rican Congress, emerged from the riots. They worked to get community concerns such as education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, housing
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
, health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
, and employment
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
addressed by the city and to assert ethnic Puerto Rican presence in city politics. The Young Lords Lords announced a political candidate in 1973. They ran their founder, Jose Cha-Cha Jimenez, as the first Latino candidate for alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
to oppose Richard J. Daley
Richard J. Daley
Richard Joseph Daley served for 21 years as the mayor and undisputed Democratic boss of Chicago and is considered by historians to be the "last of the big city bosses." He played a major role in the history of the Democratic Party, especially with his support of John F...
's Democratic machine.