Tracing the history of race riots in the U.S. during the 20th century reveals many similarities between the sources of the problems, but also many differences in the riot patterns and the variety of races involved. Most of the early riots in the fifties sprang from the Civil Rights Movement headed by prominent figures such as Martin Luther King and inspired by the common heroic acts of Rosa Parks. The African-Americans communities protested against segregation and the economic oppression of the African-American people who were discriminated by the white people when they attempted to acquire jobs and decent housing. Even though the Civil Rights Movement advocated non-violent means of protest, these protests often aroused the wrath of racist whites who inflicted violence on the African-American protesters, thus sparking the chaotic situation of riots. Furthermore, during the sixties, riots were also started by African-Americans, as in the case of the Watts district of Los Angeles in 1965, followed by Newark and Detroit in 1967. These riots were ignited because of the prejudiced treatment of African-Americans by police. Similarly, the 1992 riot in Los Angeles was also triggered by the brutal beating of Rodney King by the police. This riot not only tapped into the anger of the African-American communities over police brutality, but also the continued socio-economic deprivations of many African-American families. However, in this instance, the riot pattern differed significantly from its predecessor because the city has changed considerably with the arrival of recent immigrants who were also caught up in the uproar of what was purportedly a black-white conflict.
In this paper, the causes and the changes in the riot patterns of the different riots will be explored. The comparison between the Watts riot in 1965 and the Los Angeles riot in 1992 will also reveal interesting developments and changes in the altered face of race riots in the n...