Black rioters White rioters | ||
Date July 17, 1967 (1967-07-17) - July 20, 1967 (1967-07-20) Location Cairo, Illinois, United States Causes Suspicious jailhouse suicide of a young black man Methods rioting, arson, shooting, stabbing White rioters Illinois National Guard | ||
The Cairo riot was a race riot in Cairo, Illinois, that began on July 17, 1967, and persisted through three days of riots and protests.
The incident began with the alleged jailhouse suicide of Private Robert Hunt, a young African-American soldier on leave in his hometown of Cairo. Police said Hunt hanged himself with his T-shirt, but Cairo's African-American residents challenged that story. The death touched off three days of riots and protests, followed by a seven-year renewal of civil rights activities in the city.
Several shootouts occurred throughout the city and at least six firebombings occurred. Three stores and a warehouse were burned down and a stabbing also occurred.
References
Cairo riot Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA