The April 1968 Chicago riots, triggered by Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, left 11 dead and 2,150 arrested in one of the nation's worst urban uprisings.
Key Facts
- Duration
- More than 48 hours of rioting
- Deaths in Chicago
- 11 people
- Wounded by police gunfire
- 48 people
- Arrests
- 2,150 people
- Police injured
- 90 officers
- Nationwide property damage
- 50,000,000 USD
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, ignited widespread anger across the United States. Chicago had already been a flashpoint of racial tension after King led open housing marches there and encountered exceptionally hostile white mobs, setting the stage for an explosive reaction to his murder.
From April 5 to 7, 1968, riots erupted across Chicago's black urban neighborhoods following King's death. Rioting and looting spread through areas including East and West Garfield Park along West Madison Street. Police responded aggressively, resulting in 11 citizens killed, 48 wounded by police gunfire, 90 officers injured, and 2,150 people arrested over more than 48 hours.
Three miles of West Madison Street were left in rubble. The violence contributed to accelerating white flight and long-term disinvestment in affected Chicago neighborhoods. Later in 1968, Chicago again became a site of political unrest during the Democratic National Convention, deepening the city's association with social conflict that year.
Political Outcome
Widespread destruction across Chicago's West Side; 11 dead, 2,150 arrested; National Guard deployed; long-term neighborhood disinvestment followed.