The Watts Rebellion in 1965 was a turning point in LA’s history of civil unrest. The unrest was set off by a traffic incident when Marquette Frye was pulled over for suspicion of intoxicated driving. As Marquette’s mother came out, the incident escalated and a crowd began to surround them in what became a violent exchange. The six days of civil unrest that followed were filled with arson and looting mainly in the South LA area. During this time, the media and white audiences picked up the narrative that the riots were meaningless and a destructive outburst by the Black community while failing to acknowledge police violence and contextualize the disinvestment of the Black community in the years prior to the rebellion.

The Black population of Los Angeles had steadily risen since the second migration wave from the South to urban areas in 1940. Increases in Black urbanism were in part due to the need for defense production for World War II. From 1940 to 1970, the Black population in LA grew from 63,700 to 763,000 while the same was not mirrored in the resources allocated or available to such a population growth. While seeking better opportunities in Los Angeles, many Black community members were met with the reality of high unemployment rates, inadequate schools, and poor housing. By 1965 when the Rebellion occurred, the Black population had long been frustrated with the quality of life. When researchers talked with people in Watts many of them who were involved say the Rebellion was not senseless as it was a result of the Watts community's long standing grievances.

The gubernatorial commission prompted an investigation on the Watts Rebellion and although they found growing discontentment with schools, housing, and unemployment– they failed to implement any measures that would improve those conditions for the community.


Sources:

Davis Mike and Jon Wiener. Set the Night on Fire : L.A. in the Sixties. Verso 2020. 

Gershon, Livia. “Did the 1965 Watts Riots Change Anything?” JSTORE Daily, 13 July 2016, daily.jstor.org/did-the-1965-watts-riots-change-anything/. 

Simpson, Kelly. “The Great Migration: Creating a New Black Identity in Los Angeles.” PBS SoCal, KCET, 9 June 2020, www.pbssocal.org/history-society/the-great-migration-creating-a-new-black-identity-in-los-angeles. 

Thomas, Dexter, and Daina Beth Solomon. “Urban Legend about Times Reporting during Watts Riots Conceals a Sadder Tale.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2015, www.latimes.com/local/wattsriots/la-me-watts-richardson-20150814-story.html.

“Watts Riots.” Civil Right Digital Library of Georgia, crdl.usg.edu/events/watts_riots. Accessed 29 Sept. 2023.