[64], The first trouble during the night began at 7:20 PM, when a jeering crowd of about 30 individuals gathered at E. 79th and Hough Avenue as the National Guard, bayonets fixed, told an African American man to move his car from the intersection. They were aided and abetted willingly or otherwise by misguided people of all ages and colors, many of whom are avowed believers in violence and extremism, and some of whom are either members of, or officers in the Communist Party. Cleveland is still losing population and has one of the highest poverty rates in the country – 54% of children live under the poverty line – and one of the highest crime rates. At the justice center downtown, Judge O’Donnell reached his verdict. [77] The grand jury reported that "This jury finds that the outbreak of lawlessness and disorder was both organized, precipitated, and exploited by a relatively small group of trained and disciplined professionals of this business.
Moreover, failed urban renewal to the east of Hough had displaced several thousand poor families, most of whom moved into Hough. Toney had been traveling on Euclid when, according to police eyewitnesses, another vehicle began to parallel him. [32][35] Firefighters responding to the Seventy-Niner's Café fire claimed they came under small arms fire. No one in the community could do this, they reasoned. [19] The National Guard, armed with M1 Garand rifles equipped with bayonets, did not arrive until nearly 11 PM. [35] When fired upon, the police used extremely aggressive tactics to find the snipers, especially on Hough Avenue—where they broke down doors and "rampaged" through apartments to try to find and arrest their attackers.
[81] The grand jury report pointedly declined to discuss allegations of police brutality.
[35] Another five civilians were shot (but only lightly injured), and three were injured by rocks or bottles,[41] while 12 policemen were injured (although only slightly). [100], Mayor Locher came under near-constant media attack in 1966 and 1967 for his failure to revitalize Cleveland and address the worsening racial tension in the city in the wake of the Hough Riots. [68] Cleveland Safety Director McCormick announced on July 24 that he was surprised by the extent to which the rioting had died down overnight. [10] There had also been several incidents of brutality committed by the police in Cleveland in the last few years, which worsened the tension between the police and the city's African American citizens. “It is my expectation that we will show the nation that peaceful demonstration and dialogue is the right direction as we move forward as one Cleveland,” the mayor said. [67][r] Wagner also claimed that firebombing "forays emanated" from JFK House, but declined to elaborate on his claim. The police responded by launching tear gas grenades into any crowds they encountered. Mayor Frank Jackson expressed that attitude – that the nation would be judging Cleveland after the recent riots in Baltimore and Ferguson – on Saturday after the verdict.
[35] Shots were fired at them,[35] Molotov cocktails were tossed at them,[17] and a mob of about 100 people seized control of a fire pumper,[32] and the fire department withdrew its personnel from the area. [77] The report also listed too-dense housing, substandard housing, overly high rents, a lack of neighborhood recreational facilities, excessive food prices, substandard educational facilities, a lack of jobs, welfare (which encouraged excessive pregnancies), and common-law marriage (which allowed men to escape their marital and child-rearing duties) as social evils which allowed frustration and bitterness to arise among African Americans. They claimed that a crowd of about 300 people had already gathered outside the bar, and began throwing rocks at the windows once the owners had gone inside. But Terri Brown, a marketing copywriter, summed it up this way: “Everyone has been peaceful, and it has been very controlled. CLEVELAND (WJW) — The “I Can’t Breathe” Justice for George Floyd protest turned violent. [32][f], The rioting largely died down after a heavy thunderstorm struck the area around midnight,[35] and gunfire ended around 1 AM. However, weeks of preparation by the city appeared to have averted an outbreak of violence such as was witnessed in Baltimore and in Ferguson, Missouri, following the deaths of young black men at the hands of police.