Riots often occur in reaction to a perceived grievance or out of dissent. Riots may be the outcome of a sporting event, although many riots have occurred due to poor working or living conditions, government oppression, conflicts between races or religions.
Rapid urbanization has led to the rise of urban riots. John F. McDonald and Daniel P. McMillen have identified Los Angeles's Watts Riots, in 1965, as the first "urban riots" in the United States. They were a part of what were known as race riots of the civil rights period.
Causes of urban riots
List of urban riots This is a list of riots that have occurred, mostly in the United States and the UK, in the context of urban conditions and more broadly urban decay.
Pre-1960s 1863 New York City draft riots 13–16 July 1863, Lower Manhattan, New York City, US. Riots carried out by members of the white working class, predominantly protesting against draft laws passed that year in the context of the American Civil War, but also against perspectives of mixed race neighborhoods.
1909 Greek Town Riot 21 February 1909, South Omaha, Nebraska, US. During a period of economic downturn in the city, a successful community of Greeks in Omaha, Nebraska was burnt to the ground by a mob from Omaha. This happened after they almost lynched a Greek immigrant accused of having sex with a Protestant woman. A federal trial brought by the Greek consul to the United States ends in stagnation. No person is ever convicted.
1917 East St. Louis Riot July, 1917, East Saint Louis, IL, US.
1919 Chicago Race Riot 27 July-2 August 1919 Chicago, IL, US. An African American teenager, Eugene Williams, who was swimming in Lake Michigan drifted near a beach that whites considered their own. A white man on a breakwater assailed the black youth with stones and the youth drowned. The white Chicago police officers who investigated the incident refused to arrest the assailant. The tension escalated into riots between blacks and whites. The Governor of Illinois, Frank Lowden, called in the Illinois National Guard to quell the unrest, but at least 38 people were killed and 500 injured over a period of seven days.
1921 Tulsa race massacre 31 May-1 June 1921, Tulsa, Oklahoma, US.
1935 Harlem Riot 19 March 1935, New York City, USHarlem: Dark Weather-Vane by Alain Locke
1949 Anacostia Pool Riot 29 June 1949, Washington, D.C. US
1958 Notting Hill race riotslate August and early September 1958, London, UK
1960s Rochester 1964 race riot 24–26 July 1964Rochester riot timeline
Cyprus crisis of 1963–64 Major riots in the cities of Nicosia, Famagusta and Larnaca led to the division of Cyprus, and its two communities, the Turkish and Greek Cypriots.
Harlem riot of 1964 16–22 July 1964, New York City, New York, provoked by the NYPDs shooting of black teenager James Powell.
Philadelphia 1964 race riot 28–30 August 1964, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, Allegations of police brutality sparked the Columbia Avenue race riots.
Watts Riots 11 August 1965, Los Angeles, California, US, The McCone Commission investigated the riots finding that causes included poverty, inequality, racial discrimination and the passage, in November 1964, of Proposition 14 on the California ballot overturning the Rumford Fair Housing Act, which established equality of opportunity for black home buyers.This day in history—Watts riots
Hough Riots 18 July 1966, Cleveland, Ohio, US, The underlying causes of the riots may found in the social conditions that exist in the ghettos of Cleveland.Ohio History:Hough Riots
Racial tension in Omaha, Nebraska 5 July 1966, North Omaha, Nebraska, US, More than 500 black youth gathered to protest the absence of recreation programs and jobs storm a local business district, throwing rocks and bricks at Jewish-owned businesses in the area. The National Guard is called in after three days of random violence and organized raids."A Street of Dreams," Nebraska Public Media. Air Date, 08/01/1994. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
1967 Newark riots 12 July 1967, Newark, New Jersey, US, Factors that contributed to the Newark Riot: police brutality, political exclusion of blacks from city government, urban renewal, inadequate housing, unemployment, poverty, and rapid change in the racial composition of neighborhoods.The Newark and Detroit Riots: Events
1967 Plainfield riots 14 July 1967, Plainfield, New Jersey, US
12th Street riot 23 July 1967, Detroit, Michigan, US, The origins of urban unrest in Detroit were rooted in a multitude of political, economic, and social factors including police abuse, lack of affordable housing, urban renewal projects, economic inequality, black militancy, and rapid demographic change.
Minneapolis-Saint Paul US, Fall 1967. Racial tensions boil over in North Minneapolis as whites continue to leave the decaying core of the inner city bound for the suburbs.
1968 Chicago, Illinois riots 4 April 1968 Violence erupted in Chicago's black ghetto on the west side, eventually consuming a 28-block stretch of West Madison Street. Looting and arson took place primarily in the corridor between Roosevelt Road on the south and Chicago Avenue on the north.
1968 Washington, D.C. riots 4 April 1968, Washington, D.C., US, A report from National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders identified discrimination and poverty as the root causes of the riots that erupted in cities around the nation during the late 1960s and in Washington, DC in April 1968Foundation Center-Washington, D.C./Spotlight On
Baltimore riot of 1968 4 April 1968, Baltimore, Maryland, US
Glenville Shootout 23 July 1968, Cleveland, Ohio, US, Shootout between black militant organization led by Ahmed Evans and Cleveland Police Department attracted large and hostile black crowds that caused a four-day riot
Stonewall riots June 1969, New York City, New York, a turning point for the modern U.S. gay rights movement.
1969 North 24th Street Riots 24 June 1969, North Omaha, Nebraska US, An Omaha police officer fatally shoots a teenager in the back of the head during a gathering of youth in local public housing projects. Many youth and adults from the local African American community gather in the local business district, routinely burning and otherwise destroying non-Black-owned businesses.(2006) Distilled in Black and White , Omaha Reader.
1970s 1970 Memorial Park riot August 24, 1970, Royal Oak, MI, US. A civil disturbance by alienated white youths that began in Royal Oak, Michigan, and spread to Birmingham, Michigan, both primarily white middle class suburbs of Detroit. The initial conflict resulted from the closure by police of Memorial Park in Royal Oak. Authorities said that the park was being used as a marketplace for the sale of illegal drugs. The riot lasted for three days, and led to the formation of several youth controlled social service organizations.
1976 Soweto uprising, Johannesburg, South Africa 1976: The Soweto Uprising : Massive reaction to education laws under apartheid, bloodily suppressed
New York City blackout of 1977 13 July 1977, New York City, US, That massive blackout was viewed by some as one symptom of the city's decline.NPR: The New York City Blackout of 1977
1979 Southall Riot (Blair Peach) 23 April 1979, London, EnglandBBC ON THIS DAY | 23 | 1979: Teacher dies in Southall race riots
1980s 1980 St. Pauls riot 2 April 1980, Bristol, England
Arthur McDuffie 8 May 1980, Miami, Florida, US, black outrage at "a double standard of justice" Fire and Fury in Miami – TIME
1981 Brixton riot 11 April 1981, London, EnglandBBC ON THIS DAY | 25 | 1981: Brixton riots report blames racial tension
1981 Toxteth riots 5 July 1981, Liverpool, England
1981 University of Puerto Rico/Rio Piedras Riots 1981, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
1981 Chapeltown race riot 1981, Leeds, England
1980s Handsworth race riots 10 July 1981, Birmingham, EnglandDigital Handsworth – Home
1985 Brixton riot 28 September 1985, Brixton, London, England
1985 Broadwater Farm Riot 6 October 1985, Tottenham, London, England
1985 Toxteth riots 1 October 1985, Liverpool, EnglandBBC ON THIS DAY | 1 | 1985: Riots erupt in Toxteth and Peckham
1985 Peckham riots 1 October 1985, London, England, A report by Lord Scarman acknowledged much of the widespread unrest had its roots in social and economic deprivation and in racial discrimination.
1990s 1991 Washington, D.C. riot 5–7 May 1991, Washington, DC
Crown Heights Riot 19 August 1991, New York City, US
Meadow Well Riots 9 September 1991, Newcastle upon Tyne, England
1992 Los Angeles riots 29 April 1992, Los Angeles, California, USKing Riots, Urban Decay & Alienation
Riot of Rostock-Lichtenhagen 22–24 August 1992, Rostock, Germany
Brixton riot (1995) 13 December 1995, London, England, Alex Owolade, chairman of the anti-racist group Movement for Justice, said the violence was a rebellion against years of "racist injustice" by police in an impoverished area plagued by racial tension.BBC ON THIS DAY | 13 | 1995: Riots break out in Brixton
Jakarta riots of May 1998 May 1998, Indonesia, triggered by economic decline; problems were both urban and rural1998 Human Rights Report – Indonesia
2000s 2001 Cincinnati riots 10 April 2001, Cincinnati, Ohio, US, An Enquirer reporter, Kristina Goetz, reported that the lack of progress on perennial inner-city problems such as inadequate child and health care, failing schools, and low rates of minority home ownership was a contributing factor.May/June 2001
Oldham Riots 26 May 2001, Greater Manchester, England, which were sparked by racial tension between the white and Asian communities.
Benton Harbor riots 16 June 2003, Benton Harbor, Michigan
2004 Redfern riots 14 February 2004, Sydney, Australia
2005 Macquarie Fields riots 25 February 2005, Sydney, Australia, There is an open debate about the cause of this riot. One side cites economic factors and racism.Standing Committee on Social Issues Macquarie Fields Inquiry – 23 March 2005 – NSW Parliament
2005 Toledo Riot 15 October 2005, Toledo, Ohio, US, Residents at forum named poverty, above other causes, as the kindling for the riot.Search Results
2005 Birmingham riots 22 October 2005, Birmingham, England, Many white and more affluent African-Caribbean residents have moved out of Birmingham, signaling a rapid change in the racial composition of neighborhoods.A rumour, outrage and then a riot. How tension in a Birmingham suburb erupted | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited
2005 civil unrest in France 2005 Paris, France
2005 Cronulla riots 2005 Sydney, Australia
2006 Dublin riots February 2006, Dublin, Ireland
2006 protests in Hungary September–October 2006, Budapest, Hungary
2008 Greek riots December 2008, Athens and other major cities of Greece.
2010s
2010 Kyrgyzstani uprising April–May 2010, Bishkek and other cities in Kyrgyzstan.
May 2010 Greek protests May 2010, Throughout Greece to protest public spending cuts.
2011 Stanley Cup riot 15 June 2011, Vancouver, British Columbia.
2011 England riots From 6 August 2011, initially in Tottenham, London, later in many other parts of London and some other major English cities.
2014 Hrushevskoho Street riots From 23 February 2014, initially in Hrushevskoho Street, Kyiv, Ukraine, 12 anti-protest laws were repealed and Prime Minister Mykola Azarov tendered his resignation and a bill offering amnesty to arrested and charged protesters was issued.
2014 Ferguson unrest Precipitated by 9 August 2014 fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by local police in Ferguson, Missouri, US.
2015 Baltimore riots Protests began after the death of Freddie Gray on 12 April 2015. Protests escalated to violence, looting, and arson on the day of Gray's funeral Monday 27 April 2015.
2019–2020 Hong Kong protests Precipitated by the introduction of Fugitive Offenders amendment bill on extradition in response to a murder case in Taiwan. Protests escalated to violence and arson despite the withdrawal of the bill.
2020s