The event that occurred in Washington, D.C. in July 1919 was the Washington D.C. race riots. The riots were a series of violent confrontations between African Americans and white people that lasted for several days.
The trigger for the riots was the arrest of a black man named Caleb Harris on July 19, 1919, on a charge of assaulting a white woman. The incident sparked outrage among the African American community, and rumors of a lynching led to a large gathering of black residents in front of the police station where Harris was being held. This gathering eventually turned violent, with clashes between black and white residents leading to several days of rioting, looting, and arson.
The result of the riots was widespread destruction and several deaths, with estimates ranging from 39 to more than 150 people. The riots also led to heightened tensions between African Americans and white residents in Washington, D.C. and other cities, and helped to galvanize the African American community's push for civil rights and equality. The riots of 1919 are often seen as a turning point in the fight for civil rights in the United States and are remembered as one of the most violent racial confrontations in the country's history.