This Day In Black History: April 4, 1968 The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
This Day In Black History: April 4, 1968 The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
This day in Black History April 4, 1968
On Thursday, April 4, 1968 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated by a sniper as he stood while standing on a balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN. News of his death was greeted with an outpouring of grief and rage. Riots erupted all over the country, primarily in black urban areas. At least 110 cities experienced violence and destruction in the next few days, resulting in roughly $50 million in damage. Of the 39 people who died, 34 were black. The worst riots were in Chicago, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Over 22,000 federal troops and 34,000 national guard were sent to aid local police the largest ever called to deal with domestic civil disturbance. In many cities the devastation was so great that it left a permanent scar, which was still evident decades later.
READ MORE: This Day In Black History: April 4, 1968 The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. https://blackwestchester.com/assassination...
This day in Black History April 4, 1968
On Thursday, April 4, 1968 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated by a sniper as he stood while standing on a balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN. News of his death was greeted with an outpouring of grief and rage. Riots erupted all over the country, primarily in black urban areas. At least 110 cities experienced violence and destruction in the next few days, resulting in roughly $50 million in damage. Of the 39 people who died, 34 were black. The worst riots were in Chicago, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Over 22,000 federal troops and 34,000 national guard were sent to aid local police the largest ever called to deal with domestic civil disturbance. In many cities the devastation was so great that it left a permanent scar, which was still evident decades later.
READ MORE: This Day In Black History: April 4, 1968 The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. https://blackwestchester.com/assassination...
In Atlanta, Kings family and his organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), arranged his funeral. A controversial public figure, repeatedly praised and vilified, his life had been threatened many times. King himself had said that he did not expect to live a long life.