Urban Race Riots v. Effective Anti‐Discrimination Agencies: An End or a Beginning?
| Author | KENT LLOYD |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.1967.tb02027.x |
| Date | 01 March 1967 |
| Published date | 01 March 1967 |
Urban Race
Riots
v.
nation Agencies:
An
KENT
LLOYD
Effective
End
or
a
Anti-Discrimi-
Beginning
?
Dr.Lloyd
is
Research
Associate
in
lhe
School
of
Public
Administration
at
the
University
of
Southern California.
During the past decade white citizens have witnessed a revolution in the
rights of Negro Americans. Beginning with the historic Supreme Court
decision
on
school desegregation in 1954, the invalidity
of
state-imposed
discrimination has been legally proclaimed wherever called into question
-
in public recreation, public housing, public accommodations, the admini-
stration of criminal justice, voting, employment and education. But while
there
has
been genuine progression
on
some fronts towards desegregation
and the enjoyment
of
equal rights, on others the Negro has faced growing
frustrations. Housing is one example; in this area there is deeply rooted
racial discrimination which cannot be separated from the effects of such
interrelated problems as poverty, deficiencies in public education,
unemployment, inadequate health services, juvenile delinquency and,
the overall impact
of
spreading urban populations. For most Negro
Americans living in city ghettoes the wheels
of
social change move
slowly and painfully. The ideals
of
equal opportunity spoken of in the
American creed have failed to materialize in daily contacts with members
of the white community who have been unable to resolve their personal
dilemma in race re1ations.l
One
consequence of this failure is illustrated most dramatically in
a
modern urban phenomenon
-
the race riot. During the summer
of
1964
Negro
communities in New York City, Rochester, Jersey City, Paterson,
Elizabeth, Chicago and Philadelphia were stricken; in
August
I
965,
Los
Angeles was terrorized by the worst riot in the nation’s history, in which
’Research
[or
this
article was partially supported by the Civil Defence Training
Programme
at
the
Univcrsity of Sou~licrn California. Preliminary
drafts
of
this paper
have
hcrn
read and criticizrd
by
Dr.Kcndal1
O.Pricr,
School
of
Public Administration,
University
of
Southcrn Chlifornia;
Mr.Larry
Lucks,
Southern
Arca
Supervisur, California
State
F.E.Y.C.
Comniission; Mr. John
Buggs,
Executivc Ilirector, Los Angclcs County
Human Relations Commission; and
Mr.Fred
Schreiber, Director, Govcrnrnent Contracts
Compliance Section, Department of Defence.
I
am indebted
to
thrse
very
capa.ble
pruftssionals for their vieivs which, while not always incorporated, are always appreciatctf.
43
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