Question

The initial cause of the Watts Riots in 1965 was

Answer 1

The Watts riots were a series of social disturbances that occurred between August 11, 1965 and August 17, 1965 in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

The riots began after motorcyclist Marquette Frye, a 21-year-old black man, was arrested for driving while intoxicated. Frye's family resisted arrest, beginning an altercation that quickly attracted the rest of the community. The friction between the locals and the police increased until it resulted in widespread looting that lasted about 6 days, resulting in 34 deaths, 1,032 injured, and the destruction of property valued at close to 40 million dollars.

The riots caused the deployment of 14,000 members of the National Guard of California, as well as the arrest of 4,000 people.

After the riots, the governor of California, Pat Brown, created a commission to study the social causes of the events. This commission (known as the "McCone Commission") pointed out that these causes consisted of several social problems, mainly in the inequality between blacks and whites and in the growing tensions between the inhabitants of the area and the police.

Answer 2

Watts Riots on August 11, 1965 was caused by the arrest of a young American motorist Marquette Frye who was suspected of driving while intoxicated. The riot lasted for six days with a property damage of more than forty million dollars.