Chicago 1919 Race Riot-- Part 9: "Firing Indiscriminately at African Americans"

Most of the riot violence against Blacks came during the day as workers going to and from their jobs were attacked by Whites, particularly in the Stockyards.  Injuries to Blacks occurred all around Chicago, but the deaths of Whites came primarily in black neighborhoods where they had gone with the purpose of attacking.

According to records, after the incident at the beach, white people "loaded into automobiles and sped through black streets, firing indiscriminately at African Americans and their homes.  As whites attacked , black people fought back in unprecedented numbers: a street-level expression of the growing race consciousness catching fire across the country."

It continued:  "...Only a handful were tried or saw any prison time -- most of them black.  Many of the riot's most vicious were whites protected by law enforcement and local politicians."

From the historic stockyards gate, the bike tour circles back to culminate at 31st Street Beach.