1966 Dayton race riot

The 1966 Dayton race riot (also known as the Dayton uprising) was a period of civil unrest in Dayton, Ohio, United States. The riot occurred on September 1 and lasted about 24 hours, ending after the Ohio National Guard had been mobilized. It was the largest race riot in Dayton's history and one of several to occur during the 1960s.

Through the 20th century, Dayton experienced significant racial tensions due to the white population's discrimination of African Americans in the city. By the mid-1960s, it was one of the most segregated cities in the United States, with most of its African American population living in the impoverished west side of the city, described by the Dayton Daily News as "a ghetto with neglected schools and discriminatory city services".^[5] By 1966, the area had experienced several race-related riots. That year, in the early morning of September 1, Lester Mitchell, an African American man, was killed in a drive-by shooting, with eyewitnesses saying that the assailant had been white. Following this, largescale rioting had begun by 10 a.m., primarily affecting west Dayton before moving into the city's downtown. By 10:30 a.m., the mayor of Dayton arrived at the scene of the rioting and stated that he had requested the governor of Ohio to mobilize the National Guard to restore order. Additionally, a curfew was enacted, some businesses were closed, and the several hundred police attempted to blockade west Dayton. The National Guard arrived at around 3 p.m., but by that time much of the rioting had ended.

In the aftermath of the rioting, one person had died, 30 had been injured, and over 100 had been arrested.^{[note 1]} The riot caused about $250,000 in property damage, primarily to African American-owned businesses in west Dayton. Following the riot, the area began to decline economically, with many businesses either relocating or remaining closed. The city's racial issues were exacerbated in the following years with additional race riots (including two in 1967 and the King assassination riots in 1968) and increased white flight to the surrounding area. Speaking about the issue in 2016, former Dayton mayor Rhine McLin stated that west Dayton had been "punished" by city officials because of the riot and had peaked economically in the years immediately preceding the riot.^[4] As of 2016, Dayton remains among the most segregated major metropolitan areas in the United States.

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