20. The 1968 riots in Washington DC
Following the death of Martin Luther King, most major American cities and several smaller ones exploded in urban violence. In Washington, Stokely Carmichael and other black leaders encouraged rioting and the destruction of white-owned businesses. During the ensuing rioting and looting in Washington, several black-owned businesses in the Northwest section of the city painted the words “soul brother” on the windows and doors in the hope the rioters would leave them undamaged. Whole blocks of the city burned to the ground. In some areas of the city, the devastation could still be seen at the dawn of the 21st century. The DC police, armed with tear gas and batons, were overwhelmed. On the second day of rioting, Friday, April 5, 1968, President Johnson ordered federal troops to contain the riots.
Troops from the 82nd Airborne Division stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, as well as additional troops from Fort Meade in Maryland, arrived in the city. In all, 11,850 federal troops and another 1,750 National Guardsmen established a presence in Washington. Machine gun nests appeared on the steps of the Capitol Building. The US Army’s Third Infantry Regiment surrounded the White House. Washington became an armed camp, supporting the largest occupation of an American city since the capture of Richmond, Virginia, in April, 1865. Television dutifully broadcast images of America’s capital city patrolled by heavily armed combat troops, viewed by frightened Americans.