Riots
Riots have broken out after and even during hockey, football, rugby, and soccer games. In Constantinople the Nika riots over the course of a week in 532 CE when some of the most violent riots in the city's history, burned half of Constantinople with tens of thousands of people killed.
Was it a race war? In a manner of speaking you could say that. At the Hippodrome on January 13, 532, at the end of the 22nd chariot race crowed began to chant NIKA! NIKA!
The term can be translated WIN! WIN! but it really means victory by conquering. In Greek it is the root word of Nicolaitan whose deeds God hates.
Those chanting were the two teams, Blues and Greens. There were other teams like red and white but they were less significant. These sport teams also had a political element to them. They would shout political chants between races and events.
Justinian and an officials, John the Cappadocian had been reducing the civil service and combating corruption. The shadow government of the power elite resisted this attempt at draining the swamp of a vast bureaucracy. many of those who lost or feared loosing their lucrative positions joined the ranks of the Greens.
Justinian reduced the political influence and lobbying power of both Blue and Green teams. Both cited these reforms as imperial oppression. Romans believed themselves "chosen by God" and Justinian reform of their codes in thirteen months was praised by some but gave the appearance of a cause to be angry by others. They had slowed to a crawl because the aristocracy objected and were hindering him at every opportunity. A reduction of rules and a simplification of the codes made it impossible for the aristocracy, power elite, to use the complex codes and obscure laws avoid unfavorable verdicts or prosecutions of themselves.
There were accusations concerning a murder by a Blue and a Green whose sentence had been commuted from death to imprisonment rather than a pardon. But that seemed to just be a means to ignite the growing tension.
Many of the senators saw this as an opportunity to overthrow Justinian. They and the aristocratic shadow government had opposed his reforms and popularity. They encouraged the Blue and Greens who attacked the palace and elected a new emperor, Hypatius. On his coronation day Narses carrying a bag of gold given to him by Justinian came into the Hippodrome and bribed the leaders of the Blue team to withdraw their support from Hypatius and the Greens. Upon leaving thirty thousand rioters were killed as rebels by the army of Belisarius and Mundus who stormed into the Hippodrome.
top ten
The top ten events in America classified as riots have been listed as:
10. The 1965 Watts riots occurred when Marquette Frye, an African-American motorist on parole for robbery, was pulled over for reckless driving.
A minor roadside argument broke out, which then escalated into a fight with police.
Community members reported that the police had hurt a pregnant woman, and six days of civil unrest followed.
Nearly 4,000 members of the California Army National Guard helped suppress the disturbance, which resulted in:
- Death(s) 34
- Injuries 1,032
- Arrested 3,438
- more than 200 buildings destroyed with
- 320 million dollars in damages in 2019 dollar in their own neighborhood
9. Detroit riots of June 20-22, 1943.
The rioting in Detroit began among youths at Belle Isle Park and moved into the city proper and was exacerbated by false rumors of racial attacks in both the black and white communities. This was more about job competition and uncertain economic conditions than race.
- Thirty-four people died and about 1,800 were arrested. Race a
8. New Orleans Massacre, July 30, 1866.
A crowd of black freedmen marching for their liberties against the newly-legislated Black Codes was attacked by a mob of Democrats.
- 44 died ...The victims were from both sides.
7. Detroit 1967 Riot on July 23-27.
- 43 people dead, 2,000 buildings destroyed, and 7,300 people arrested,
6. Memphis riots of 1866, May 1-3
Racial violence was ignited by political, social, and racial tensions following the American Civil War, in the early stages of Reconstruction. The outrage of these riots against the black Americans strengthened the case made by Republicans in the U.S. Congress that helped protect freedmen in the Southern United States and protecting their rights as citizens.
- 48 died
5 Los Angeles Riots of 1992. The beating of Rodney King, and the subsequent acquittal of the LAPD officers sparked riots where more than 2,300 were injured, and thousands were arrested. About 1,100 buildings were damaged.
- At least 52 people were killed in the subsequent rioting.
- There was an estimated $1 billion worth of property damage.
New era of local activism blossomed in Watts, including reformed street gang members who joined with the Black Panther Party to rebuild and monitor police excesses. Numerous members were actually undercover officers, including the FBI. Some of them actually started branches of the Black Panthers. So in fact, the police were policing those who were trying to police the police.
Rodney King
Rodney King was caught by police after a high-speed chase where he had been driving while intoxicated. The chase had endangered civilians and officers.
In a video he was seen being struck by police officers dozens of times. The media did not always show how he he attacked officer, kept getting up after being tasered. He had violently resisted arrest. Did the officers over react? Some of them were eventually charged and covictted of violating King's civil rights ad King was awarded $3.8 million damages stemming from a civil rights trial.
Miss Kelley was on the jury and eventually became his girlfriend. Rodney got in trouble other times because of his alcohol and drug use. He and Kelly spent all the money. At the time of his death in 2012 he was 43. He was found at the bottom of hi pool in Rialto, California by Miss Kelly.
Autopsy says Rodney King was "in a state of drug and alcohol-induced delirium" when he died. It also stated that "The effects of the drugs and alcohol, combined with the subject's heart condition, probably precipitated a cardiac arrhythmia and the subject, thus incapacitated, was unable to save himself and drowned," the autopsy summary said. "There is nothing in the history or autopsy examination to suggest suicide or homicide, and the manner of death is therefore judged to be accident."
Kelley told investigators King was "making grunting and growling sounds and have frothy secretions coming from his mouth." His brother said Rodney "was no longer abusing hardcore street drugs or using Phencyclidine (PCP)." The Coroners report said. PCP was among the combination of drugs found in his blood during the autopsy.
He had just published his 2012 memoir, The Riot Within: My Journey from Rebellion to Redemption.
4. Manhattan Orange Riots, July 12, 1870 & 1871.
This was a dispute brought by the Irish Orange conflict with 5000 armed men and a mob confronting one another in a power struggle.
- over 60 were killed. 25 protestants. 33 Catholics and 3 police and guardsmen trying to restore the peace.
3. Tulsa race Massacre, May 31-June 1, 1921.
A mob attacked businesses and residents in the predominantly African-American Greenwood district. A coverup went unchallenged for 75 years.
- The state of Oklahoma says 39 people died from the violence.
- The Red Cross says more than 300 people died.
2. The Atlanta race riot of 1906
These riots made headline news throughout Europe for its especially brutal character. Officially, 25 people died, but unofficial estimates from a range of organizations put the death toll as high as 100.
The democrats, supported by the KKK, wanted to keep the African Americans as a labor class with little or no vote. African Americans had established prosperous businesses and developed an elite who distinguished themselves from working-class blacks. They were resented by some whites, mostly those in political power.
Their cry was that white women were being molested. That appears that there were some cases of that including the rape of Ethel Lawrence and her aunt and two other women. But those are excuses not reasons to attack a whole community. To do so would be savagery.
1. The Draft Riots of Manhattan, July 13-16, 1863
This explosion of anger at being conscripted into the Union army was bad enough but the fact that military service could be avoided with a payment of $300 (worth about $9,000 now). The anger did turn to the black community probably because of their support of the war and Lincoln who imposed the draft.
The official number of dead is either 119 or 120.
We made this report as a foundation to help everyone understand elements of Crowd psychology which may lead to riots.