This 1919 Chicago beach drowning triggered America’s worst race riot since Reconstruction

Wikimedia Commons/South Bend news-times

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Chicago Race Riot of 1919

Chicago’s deadliest race riot started with a 17-year-old boy on a raft who drifted too far from the “Black” section of the beach. George Stauber threw rocks at Eugene Williams until the teen drowned in Lake Michigan. When police refused to arrest the white baker, the city exploded.

For five days in July 1919, mobs battled in the streets while the mayor did nothing. Here’s the full story of Chicago’s Red Summer.

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A teenager’s raft drifted across the color line

Eugene Williams and four friends built a raft from railroad ties to cool off in Lake Michigan’s waters. The 17-year-old was swimming near the 25th Street beach, where Black Chicagoans were allowed…

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