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Pullman Strike
After being laid off and given lower wages, workers of the Pullman Company, a major contributor to the railroad system, staged a strike calling for equal rights, fair pay, and a say in decisions that affected them. 4000 workers in total protested. The strike rose in tension and the police and the national guard were called in. It led to 30 strikers being killed and 57 injured. The public supported the police as media outlets portrayed the strikers as foreigners that threatened America. -
Civil Rights Movement
In the 1960's, black people, led by figures such as Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X, fought for the equal rights that were supposed to be given by the Emancipation Proclamation. However, they faced severe backlash by white people and police. -
Rodney King
Around midnight, Rodney King with two friends was speeding on the highway with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit. When police tried to pull him over, he attempted to outrun them. When they were eventually caught, King and his friends were beaten by police, which was recorded by many witnesses. King and his friends had severe injuries, but his attackers were acquitted. This helped spark the LA Riots. -
Eric Garner
Police officers in New York approached a man, Eric Garner, on suspicion of illegally selling cigarettes. Garner claimed that he was not selling cigarettes and a struggle occurred. During this, Garner was placed in a chokehold, which is banned by NYPD. While being choked, Garner screams that he cannot breathe, but the officer ignores him and continues to choke him. Garner died as a result, and the officer was not indicted. Protests occurred all over the US in the Bay Area, DC, and Chicago. -
Michael Brown and the Ferguson Riots
Darren Wilson, a white police officer, received a dispatch of a wanted suspect in an armed robbery. Wilson pulled over Michael Brown, the suspect, and a struggle ensued resulting in the death of Michael Brown by gunshot wounds. Wilson was found innocent of any wrongdoing by the U.S. Department of Justice. This sparked outrage in the city of Ferguson, a predominantly black city. The main argument was that Brown had his hands up in surrender when he was shot.
