1967 Tampa riots

The 1967 Tampa riots were a series of race riots during June 1967 in Tampa, Florida, as one of 159 such riots in the United States that summer.

The Tampa riots began after a 19-year-old black man named Martin Chambers, who was one of three people suspected of robbing a camera supply warehouse on 421 East Ellasme Street, was fatally shot by a white officer of the Tampa Police Department, Patrolman James Calvert. The riots began on the night of June 11 and ended on June 15, in the neighborhood that was then known as Central Park.

Background[]

June 11[]

A hydroplane race took place on the day of June 11, where the Tampa Police Department's anti-riot unit, the Selective Enforcement Unit, was covering the event during the afternoon.^[2] TPD Chief James P. Mullins would be absent that day.^[3][2]

Central Park neighborhood[]

Central Park, previously known as "The Scrub", was Tampa's first African-American neighborhood^[4] located between downtown Tampa and Ybor City.^[5] The neighborhood would grow with the arrival of Henry Plant's railroad in 1883 and the cigar industry two years later. Starting in the 1890s and lasting until the 1950s, it would be the most significant black neighborhood in the city, with Central Avenue being called the "Harlem of the South".

Urban renewal[]

In the 1950s and 1960s, Tampa underwent significant urban development.

The federal Housing Act of 1949 and subsequent amendments allowed cities to pursue urban renewal projects. However, a 1952 Florida Supreme Court case ruled that cities could not use eminent domain to sell the land to private companies to redevelop. Though, with this case, cities in Florida could not participate in the Act, the legislature passed laws allowing Tampa and Tallahassee to undertake urban renewal projects. Urban renewal in the Central Avenue neighborhood was seen as a way to increase tax revenue.

Renewal projects forced some residents to leave their homes. The circumstances were exacerbated by insufficient low-income housing. Even before displacement, public housing was often filled up and private housing did not have the same quality or prices as public housing.^[5] As part of a slum-clearance project, two public housing projects would be built in parts of its area during 1954: Robles Park Village and Central Park Village.^[4][6] During May 1958, the (URA) in Tampa's municipal government would be created by Mayor Nick Nuccio.^[5]

Ybor City would see the practices of blockbusting and redlining in it. African-American residents in Tampa would often have difficulty getting loans from insurance and mortgage companies. Many black residents' views would not be factored in during urban renewal projects, especially as URA had no black members on its board.^[5]

A model of Interstate 4 in Tampa.

For the construction of Interstate 4 (finished in 1963), an estimated 2,544 homes were razed and a sizable amount of neighborhood would be demolished for it. During the freeway construction that was done in Tampa, the URA would estimate that several hundred black families would be displaced with freeway construction between 1962 and 1963 along with roughly 400 others being relocated by code enforcement related reasons.^[5]

Civil Rights Movement[]

During the Civil Rights Movement in Tampa, there would be little violence in the city. Starting in February 1960, a series of sit-ins at several stores in the downtown area took place, leading to 18 stores in Downtown Tampa being integrated in September. During the sit-ins, the only time that the police would intervene was when they had to remove two white people from a Walgreens who were being abusive to protesters.^[7] Martin Luther King Jr. would visit Tampa on November 19, 1961, giving a speech at Fort Homer Hesterly Armory to a crowd of 4,200 people. A false bomb threat would lead to King and the attendees being evacuated and delaying the speech by 30 minutes.^[8][9]

By 1967, Tampa was described as having little visible legal segregation in it. The city would practice the "Tampa Technique" of desegregating in a slow and nonconfrontational manner. However, there was significant economical segregation. Many black residents in the city were denied jobs and didn't have access to civil service tests. Black residents were also dissatisfied with the rate at which low-cost housing was being built, the poor quality of policing, a shortage of recreational facilities, and being exploited by white business owners in black neighborhoods.^[10]

Initial incident[]

Chase[]

A 1950 United States Census enumeration district map of Tampa. Most of the streets that are mentioned on the page can be seen on this map.

On June 11, 1967, three burglars—Martin Chambers (19 years old), John Dawson, and Calvin Moore (15)—broke into Tampa's Photo Supply Warehouse located at 421 East Ellasme Street at 5:30 pm, stealing photographic and film equipment worth over $100.^[11] Chambers is known to have had a criminal record in the past.^[12]

Tampa Police Department (TPD) Patrolman R.L. Cloud and G.L. Hackney were both on patrol in their police cars on Nebraska Avenue at the time. At approximately 6:18 pm, the two officers observed the three men near an alley that connected to Nebraska Avenue located between Zack and Twiggs Street, believing them to be suspects in robbing the camera supply warehouse. Once spotted on Nebraska Avenue, they broadcast over the police radio that the men were the likely suspects in the burglary and gave descriptions of them.^[11] Cloud and Hackney followed the suspects until they noticed the two officers.^[13] All 3 suspects fled from the police once being spotted. Monroe attempted to escape but would end up being arrested.^[11]

Chambers, who was unarmed,^[14] ran through the surrounding neighborhood while trying to escape from the police. With Chambers having lost the two officers, Cloud and Hackney sent a message over the radio asking for assistance. J.L. Calvert, a white police officer who was alone in his police cruiser at the time of the broadcast, would join in and chase Chambers.^[11] After all three suspects had split up Chambers would encounter Edward Thomas at one point. Thomas would later on take blame for the robbery. Monroe would say that he himself, Thomas and Chambers were the ones that had robbed the store and had done it together.^[15]

When black residents of the Central Park Village housing project became aware of the chase, they began to participate and some even tried to help officers in locating Chambers. R.C. Oates—one of seventeen black police officers among the total 511 officers in the Tampa Police Department—called for Chambers to surrender, but he ignored him. Calvert yelled at Chambers to stop but was also ignored. Chambers would be chased by Calvert until he reached the rear side of a home in an unknown location. The rear side was described as facing a southerly direction while the front faced the north. The chase went into an alley that was 25 feet (7.6 m) long and 2 feet (0.61 m) wide, being bounded by a chain-link fence and the home itself with Chambers entering from the southeast.^[16]

Shooting and immediate aftermath[]

Still in the alley, near the intersection of Cass Street and Nebraska Avenue,^[17] Calvert fired his .38 revolver at Chambers' back once^[16] and the bullet passed completely through his body.^[2] As Chambers was a few feet away from exiting, Calvert claimed that if Chambers had left the alley, he would have lost him.

Witnesses, on the other hand, would say that Chambers had stopped and that he was attempting to surrender. However, when the witnesses were brought to the crime scene, they said they were at the westerly side of the house, a viewpoint that the police deemed would be impossible to view what happened in those moments.^[18] Calvert would also claim that he was attempting to shoot directly above Chambers' back but that he had missed.^[1] At the time of the shooting, Patrolman Calvert was described as "not having any special qualifications in marksmanship."^[18]

A crowd had gathered around where Chambers had been shot and were angered about what happened to him. An ambulance was sent for Chambers but would end up getting lost along the way. As such, Oates put Chambers into his car and drive him to the hospital. Shortly after putting him in his car, Chambers would die. Close to the time of Chambers being put into the car, a rainstorm occurred and the crowd dispersed.^[2][7] The rainstorm itself is said to have lasted two hours but it is unknown when it ended.^[19]

Events[]

June 11[]

At 7:30 pm, a report was received by the TPD saying that 500 people were gathering in an unspecified location. A police car was sent there but did not find anyone. In the Central Park Village housing complex, hundreds of people left the apartments as soon as the rain stopped. They discussed the shooting and incidents of prejudice that they had faced. At some point, in an attempt to persuade the crowd into dispersing, Officer Oates would go to the area and make an announcement that an investigation would be made into Chambers' shooting.^[2]

Appearing to make progress in calming down the crowd,^[2] Oates' words were outweighed when a woman came running down a street screaming about her brother who was killed by the police. It is said that this caused the immediate crowd to become galvanized. The crowd would begin stoning in general, with police cars in the area being hit by rocks. The police would try to replicate what they had done in a similar incident in the past by withdrawing all police units which resulted in the crowd dispersing. However, this time it would not work and result in the opposite effect. In commercial areas nearby, the patrons of bars and nightclubs would join in on the initial crowd. A group of rioters would move down Central Avenue with the first stores being hit as well as the first fire being set.

During the early period of the riots, there would be a lack of intelligence from the police resulting in their slow reaction time. Officers would begin to arrive in the area between 11:00 and 11:50 pm. After 11 pm, a request for deputies from Hillsborough County Sheriff Malcolm Beard would be made. The recall order that was made earlier that day was rescinded by 11:30 pm.^[2] By 11:50, there was enough law enforcement officers to create an "assault line" to move into the area where they thought the civil disorder was happening. While assembling at Cass Street, they would encounter sniper fire. As a result, Sherriff's Department deputies and police officers were placed on the roof of the Pyramid Hotel to give cover. The group of officers and deputies would move north along Central Avenue going from Cass Street to Harrison Street.^[20] By the time the police started their march to try and penetrate the area, there would be falling power lines in the area, with electrical sparks flying in the air near the line of officer's marching on the street. Using a sound car, the police announced that anyone caught with weapons would be shot. After the announcement, the firing would cease.^[2][20]

Officers would cross an alley on Harrison Street from the northwest corner of Harrison Street and Central Avenue. After a building collapsed, flames would be shot out from it, blocking Central Avenue.^[20] Those who were firing at the police likely obtained their weapons after looting a gun store. Police using dogs would move in to seek them out.^[21]

June 12[]

At 12:45 am, law enforcement forces would begin to attempt creating a perimeter around the area where civil unrest had been encountered at so far. The Sheriff's Department would be responsible for all entrances to the area from the eastern side of Orange Street going from Scott to Cass Street.^[22] While doing these maneuvers, Sgt. Donald Clark Williams, a deputy from the Sheriff's Department who was leading a squad,^[23] would die of a heart attack. Williams, who had a previous medical history relating to the heart attack,^[22] was 52 years old and had been with the Sheriff's Departments for 6 years at the time of his death.^[24]

While the TPD would be responsible for all entrances on Central Avenue spanning from Scott to Harrison Street, later the perimeter would end up being extended and prohibit traffic going in and out of the area. The new perimeter would be bounded by Cass Street towards the south, Nebraska Avenue in the east, Henderson Avenue in the north and Orange Street in the west.^[22]

For the following 12 hours, it would be tense in the area.^[2]

By 1 am, firefighters began extinguishing the fires that had been set to 3 buildings and had spread to several nearby buildings by this point. Most fires would be extinguished by 4 am.^[12] Deputy Fire Chief Charles Wells claimed that over 100 firefighters responded that night and none were injured.^[19]

At 2 am, Sherriff Beard would call Governor Claude Kirk who was in West Palm Beach at the time.^[22] Kirk flew into the city for a two-hour-long conference with Mayor Nick Nuccio and other city officials, and left by dawn.^[21] During the early daytime hours, Tampa's Sanitation Department would send 50 workers to clean up the area that was destroyed. The process took 3 hours in total, but it is unclear when it started. At 7 am, all officers and deputies were placed on a 12-hour day with no days off. Sheriff deputies that were doing the perimeter control would be relieved by the TPD officers at 9:34 am.^[22]

Between 10 am and noon, the TPD would contact all stores that sold guns and ammunition requesting them to stop selling items to customers; all stores were cooperative. Pawn shops were also contacted with the same request. All ammunition wholesalers were granted 24-hour, around-the-clock protection by the police.^[22] By that afternoon, the officers of both policing forces would be tired and none would be available in reserves.^[2] As result, Beard requested for a National Guard unit to be available at 1 pm. At close to the same time, gunfire was heard in the area of Central Park Village and a news helicopter flying over the area was shot at. The units that Beard had requested were received between 3:30 pm and 4:30 pm.^[22][25]

Governor Kirk would speak with local residents at a school in the Central Park Village area during the late afternoon. During the meeting at the school the atmosphere was described as being tense and speakers regardless of race would be booed and hissed at. Nothing came out of the meeting but Kirk thought it let the residents to take off steam.^[2]

During the evening, National Guard troops began to replace the local policing forces in maintaining the perimeter around Central Park. Two groups of 70 local law enforcement officers each would do patrols that night. The first group would do a patrol heading North on Central Avenue until Scott Street, where they would head on Scott and head towards Nebraska Avenue before going back to the command post that was located at the intersection of Cass Street and Central Avenue. The second group started its patrol going west on India Street until Nebraska Avenue. Once on Nebraska Avenue, they would head to Governor Street, where officers headed south to Harrison Street and turned westwards on it until reaching Central Avenue and returning to the same command post as the first group. Forty law enforcement officers would be sent to Main Street in West Tampa between Albany and Armenia Avenues.^[26] Antipoverty workers would go from door-to-door urging that people stay off the streets during that night as well.^[2]

At 11 pm, the St. Petersburg Police Department along with the Treasure Island and Polk County Sheriff's Offices would offer assistance to help the police forces with the riots.^[27]

It is unclear what the precise number of National Guards troops there were in the city. A 1967 congressional report about the usage of military troops during civil unrest that mentioned the riots said that 475 troops were deployed.^[28] A report done by the State Adjunct General for 1967 and 1968 would say that 472 troops in total were deployed, which included 83 officers.^[25] Moreover, a publication from the US Army Office of Military History from 1971 says that approximately 500 were deployed and stated that the precise number of troops that were activated was not recorded.^[29]

June 13[]

During the early morning hours of June 13, the city would be described as being rather quiet overall. Law enforcement forces would receive several reports they deemed to be false during the early morning hours.^[30] The Florida State Beverage Department would offer officers to assist in Tampa at 1:10 am. The only significant piece of information that the police received and deemed to be true was when they encountered a non-white male using a CB radio to communicate with others at 1:15 am. However, the police were not sure as to whether it was directly relating to the riots.^[27]

At 10:55 am, the police believed a "Possible racial outbreak" had happened at Lopez Feed Co., located at 2300 East 7th Avenue, that was sparked by an African-American male burglary suspect being shot in the wrist by the owner,^[30] Manuel Lopez.^[31] It is unknown what entailed in this "Possible racial outbreak" that Jack de La Llana had described in his testimony to US Congress.^[30]

At 12:55 pm, Manuel Fenandez, a member of the city council, asked the police to standby at A. A. Gonzales Clinic between 10:30 and 11:05 pm. Fernandez's reasoning was that nurses needed to change shifts and, according to him they were molested and stoned the previous night.^[30] A group of about 20 black people were reported to have been at the Mayor's Office at 4:30 pm demanding that they be able to see the mayor. They were told that the mayor was at the Meachum School and could be seen there. The group would not leave and did not want to talk with anyone else. Police forces did not attempt to remove them as they thought the mayor should see them. Mayor Nuccio would leave the Meachum School at 5:02 pm and, before he left for the College Hill School, go back to his office to speak with the group that had gathered there. Nuccio arrived at 5:53 pm and spoke with the black groups there in a meeting. The group wanted the police to be "removed from area" and wanted to do policing of it instead, which the mayor and sheriff agreed to.^[32] Calls for African Americans wanting to do the policing themselves led to the creation of a youth patrol referred to as the "White Hats". Over the next 24 hours, a total of 126 people would join the patrol.^[2]

During that day, the perimeter around Central Park Village would be maintained at all times of the day by police officers.^[33] Throughout the day, the police would receive many false reports with activities reported to them being dramatized. Mayor Nuccio that day met with local residents, who suggested that Coash Jim Williams in Tallahassee would be most effective in calming down the rioters. A complaint often presented to him was that residents disliked the National Guard's presence in the city, particularly in predominantly black sections of it.^[2]

June 14 and conclusion[]

On June 14 at 12:18 am, a car was stopped by the TPD on Madison Street with 12 non-white males in it. Two Molotov cocktails were found and all 12 were arrested. One minute later, two white males carrying shotguns at Beach Street and Howard Avenue in West Tampa was reported to the police. The TPD would go to the scene and hold them in custody. The TPD's second radio frequency went offline at about 4 am but was repaired and went back online by 8 am.^[34] Having 50,000 ammunition rounds and 250 guns, the Less Gun and Archery Shop located on Fairbanks and Nebraska Avenue told the TPD that they needed someplace to store them. It was accepted and the equipment was placed in the Police Department's property room.

A meeting was held that afternoon in the "Citizens building". People in attendance included Chief Mullins, Sheriff Beard, Mayor Nuccio, NAACP members, and other local law enforcement officers. Black people who were attending the meeting would request that Patrolman Calvert be fired by the municipal government. The mayor and the police chief, however, did not accept this, which was meant with general hostility by meeting attendees. (The reason as to why the mayor and police chief did not want to fire Patrolman Calvert is unknown.) Also during that afternoon, the Sheriff announced that he had the authorization by Governor Kirk to create a curfew during the night hours, arresting anyone who was found on the streets at night.^[35]

At 10:03 pm, "Armed persons" were reported on Central Avenue at the Club Sudan. At the same time, another report was received by the police that there was a large crowd at Central Avenue and Constant Street. A disturbance took place with a fight between two black females in a bar. One person was cut and needed an ambulance which was sent. A strike force, composed of Sheriff's Department deputies and TPD officers, was organized, in response. They were sent to the Central Avenue and waited 150 feet (46 m) away from the crowd to observe them and intervene if necessary.^[36] They returned to the Sheriff's office at 10:15 pm and waited there for orders.^[37]

A conference was held at the Sheriff's Office at 10 am, and at this time the National Guard would be demobilized and put on alert. A command room that had been established in the Sheriff's Office was closed at 11:50 am. For the rest of the week, officers would work 12-hour long shifts.^[38]

All troops would be withdrawn from the city excluding liaison personnel leaving on June 18.^[25] The Police Department and Sheriff's Department would go back to normal operations on June 19.^[38]

Response[]

Apart from purely responding from the violence caused by the unrest, law enforcement forces would provide security to certain locations and people. Jack De La Llana would go into detail about the security that was provided during his testimony to US Congress. Auxiliary forces were deployed to provide perimeter security for the Tampa Police Department and Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office headquarters. Governor Claude Kirk was assigned a deputy when he was in the Tampa area. Two officers were assigned to guard Paul Antinori's house while one officer would accompany Mayor Nick Nuccio.^[38]

A youth patrol force later referred to as the "White Hats" would be created in response to the grievances that many African Americans had towards law enforcement during the riots. Originally they would be identified by the usage of phosphorescent arm bands and later by there usage of white hats.^[2] Hillsborough County's Sheriff department would spend some of its money at an army surplus store to buy helmets and then paint them white;^[39] 125 helmets with liners would end up getting purchased. Colonel Bullard from the National Guard would be approached about this but said they did not have a sufficient amount available.^[34] Eventually, the White Hats would end up getting disbanded after several of its members were indicted for felony charges not related to the riots.^[2]

Aftermath[]

The riots would end up lasting several days and its ending would be credited with Governor Claude R. Kirk Jr. ordered in a variety of reinforcements to assist on June 14.^[17][1][7] By the end of the rioting, over 100 people would be arrested and $2 million in damage was to be dealt.^[40]

Martin Chambers' funeral was held on June 24 at 3:30 pm. It would be monitored by the Sheriff's Department that flew a plane over the funeral site and areas they deemed to be critical. No disturbances in the city took place during his funeral despite the mobilization of police forces.^[38] On June 23, Beard held a conference at the Sheriff's Office where officials from both the Tampa Police Department and the Hillsborough County's Sheriff Department in preparation for Chambers funeral. TPD would deploy 4 squads, having 35 officers in total, while the Sheriff's Department would put 25 deputies on standby.^[41]

Results/legacy[]

Statistics about Tampa would be included in the Kerner Commission.^[42] A two day long investigation would be done by the Hillsborough County District Attorney office declaring that the shooting of Chambers was justified. The state attorney for Hillsborough County, Paul Antinori would say that his office would investigate it. Antinori reached a similar conclusion saying that the use of deadly force was justified. He said the shooting was justified because he was a known felon trying to escape being arrested.^[1] Black youths who said they were witnesses towards the shooting in hearings held by Antinori would say Chambers stopped, put his hands up and turn towards Patrolman Calvert when he was shot him. Martin's mother, Janie Bell Chambers would continue to try and seek justice for him until her death in 1996.^[43] She would often have protests at her son's grave along with vigils there. Janie would try and get the city to investigate her son's dead in 1990 which led to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement finding that the shooting was justifiable. In 2007, Martin Chambers' two siblings: Jeffery Collins-King Chambers and Sabrina King along with Marzuq Al-Hakim who were advocating for them would before the Tampa City Council to ask if they could send Martin's case to the US Department of Justice. 40 years later Tampa's municipal government would not admit it did anything wrong involving him. Also during 2007, an advisory committee for the mayor would move decide to rename a room in the Kid Mason Recreation Center that was located on Orange Street in honor of him.^[44]

On July 12, local business owners would create a program to give jobs to many of the city's African-American residents as a way to counteract the racial tensions in the city by reducing unemployment.^[45] Sergeant J.S. de la Llana of the TPD's Criminal Intelligence Unit would testify to the US Senate on August 4 about the riots.^[46]

The county sheriff department and municipal police force would attempt to improve community relationships. Despite this, the relationships between black residents and the police would not improve which led to a two-day long open hearing would be held by the Florida State Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights in May 1971 to investigate whether relationships between Tampa's black community and local law enforcement were worsening and how to improve them.^[13]

1972 report[]

A report would be produced by the Florida Advisory Committee in December 1972 concluding that black residents in the city did have strained relations with the police. Law enforcement would try to increase the amount of black law enforcement officers but had little success due to a few reasons: poor relations with them, low pay, lack of promotions, a minority recruitment program not existing and biased evaluation/testing procedures that were done. At the end of the report, there would be several recommendations made falling into three general categories. For the mayor and city council it would endorse: passing a city ordinance endorsing non-discrimination and affirmative action in the city government, give more power to the Tampa Commission on Community Relations, creating the position of ombudsman to be held by someone who was liked by the community. While for the police and sheriff's department it would propose: both agencies expand minority recruitment programs, review qualifications of officers, fire those who were discriminatory towards nonwhites, applying affirmative action, appointing minority group members to high level policy positions, letting the police meet with citizens to discuss issues, making disciplinary actions done to law enforcement officers public information, publicizing their existing police complaint system and making an external way to handle complaints by the police, making steps to determine that actions are not prejudiced, strictly enforcing rules against using racial slurs along with making those rules well-known, publicize regulations related to weapons and also let the general public know the police go through human relations training. For other groups it would recommend several things: that the Florida Civil Service's role in the employment of law enforcement officers from minority groups be considered, improving the judicial system for minorities and it's functioning for them and that local leaders should prioritize trying to make the city more tolerant.^[13]

Continued urban renewal[]

Sometime during 1972, the URA would be dissolved.^[5] The riots along with other urban renewal orientated projects would contribute towards the neighborhood's downfall. The final business on Central Avenue would be closed down in 1974 and the building it was in would be demolished that year. Perry Harvey Sr. Park would be developed in 1979 at the request of local youths. It was named after Perry Harvey Sr. a long time president of International Longshoremen's Association local chapter 1402 and an advocate for civil rights. Central Park Village would be demolished to make way for another urban renewal project named the Encore which opened on December 18, 2012 and contains a mix of residential and commercial spaces.^[47]

See also[]

• Long, hot summer of 1967
• 1987 Tampa riots

References[]