St. Petersburg Riots in 1996

St. Petersburg Riots in 1996

Introduction

In the October of 1996, the south side of St. Petersburg erupted in several days of rioting and violence after a police officer brutally shot an unarmed black youth, killing him in cold blood.The singular incident was among the most important events of the year as it became the flashpoint of widespread communal riots and racial tensions between the local black and white communities. This paper examines the events that occurred around the 1996 riots in St. Petersburg and attempts to determine the extent to which such incidents have a direct impact on communities. The particular incident has been selected because it highlights how officials appointed by the state can at times play a pivotal role in fueling communal tensions.

Discussion

Recalling the 1996 Riots

In recent years, such cases have been widely publicized and highlighted by news media that revolve around racial discrimination and abuse of human rights. Such a case occurred in St. Petersburg, Florida, where a white law enforcement official by the name of Jim Knight brutally shot and took the life of an eighteen year old black motorist named Tyron Lewis on 24th October, 1996.The officer claimed to have acted in self-defense, stating that Lewis had violently veered his motorbike towards him (Ashmore, 1997).

The brutal murder of an innocent black motorist at the hands of a law enforcement officer did not go well on the black community who were incensed to learn of the incident. The event caused widespread unrest in a portion of the city that was dominated by black Americans.Riots ensued andmobs purely consisted of local black residents. Police consequently arrested twenty people while eleven others were badly injured in clashes with angry mobs(Human rights watch, 1998).

And yet, the riots continued without relent, engulfing major portions of the city in their wake. Nearly two dozen buildings were completely razed due vandalism and arson attacks whereas many other buildings suffered heavy damages.The total cost of damages in the first week was estimated at nearly $5 million (Hackney, 1997). By this time, the case had caught the attention of the local media and an investigation was launched to determine whether the accused was actually guilty.

However, the grand refused to indict officer Jim Knight and released him of all charges.This was mainly because details of the police shooting were skewed and corrupted. Moreover, the case virtually flew out the window after self-styled agitators and activistslike Omali Yeshitela pried their way into the conflict(Hackney, 1997). As a result, the city witnessed another wave of rioting which was even more intense and violent than the previous one. Many innocent dwellers of the city became victim to these riots. Many people were injured during containment operations and an officer was shot in the leg(Human rights watch, 1998). Rioters set arson fires to more than a hundred stores and houses, raising the total cost of damages to $6 million(Hackney, 1997).

Officials of the city claimed that the second wave of attacks was orchestrated and ...