Glenville Riots

Dunya Elkhatib

History 1520

Assily

5/8/2017

                                                           Glenville Shootout

Racial tensions were high back in 1960s Cleveland. Racial segregation and racially discriminatory housing practiced left most African Americans able to find housing only in the city's eastern neighborhoods. African American from the deep South mistakenly believed that Cleveland was still a good source of jobs so Glenville became home to poor blacks from the South. The shoot out was a gun battle between a radicalized black power leader and Cleveland Police. The battle led to the death of three policemen, three suspects, and a bystander. At least 15 others (police, gunmen, and bystanders) were wounded. The battle between these two groups ;ed to the Glenville Riots, which members of Cleveland: Now! Were heavily involved in. Losses due to the riots were about $2.6 million, and proved to be the political death knell of Mayor Stokes' Cleveland: Now! redevelopment effort.  Because of that, Cleveland Now! Had gone through a series of court battles along with Ahmed Evan, the leader of the back power group, the Black Nationalists of New Libya. These events will go down in Cleveland history for as long as Cleveland is still standing.

Davis, James "To Those Who Served as Directors of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association During the Period of May 1, 1968 to July 30, 1968" November 5 1973. MS 4501, Box 5, Folder 72. Western Reserve Historical Society. April 28.

Contained in the Western Reserve Historical Society was a letter written to Stoke himself  establishing that two personal injury lawsuits were filed in the Common Pleas Court of Cuyahoga County, Ohio in July of 1970. The Two lawsuits against Cleveland Now! asked for a recovery agreement for $8,820,000 on ccount for personal injuries to two police officers. The reason why Cleveland: Now! was to blame was because the injuries resulted from the expenditure of Cleveland:Now! funds. This lawsuit set back Cleveland: Now! because it was the funds and support coming in that kept the program alive. The lawsuit may have been pursued, but the charges against Cleveland: Now! were dropped due to the technicality that expenditures were ot directly from Cleveland:Now, according to the article written by David T. Ballot in the Plain Dealer.

Bergen, Bus "Ruling Dejects Glenville Victims" May 5 1977. MS 4501, Box 5, Folder 72. Western

Reserve Historical Society. April 28, 2017.

       

         It all started out as one of the most explosive civil cases, ever in the Common Pleas Court. Nine former Cleveland police were wounded in the Glenville shootout and riots, but the 8.8 million dollar lawsuit was brought to an end. The lawsuit charged them with being negligent and allowing their funds to got towards "the purchase of weapons and ammunition," writes Bergen. Many being tried were officials of Cleveland: Now!, many of them being top business men. What did this mean for the officials and the organization who were part of this tragic event? defense lawyer of Cleveland Now said, "These defendants participated in Cleveland Now in good faith and had no idea money they were channeling into the East Side cultural centers through black community leaders was going to used to purchase weapons with which to kill and injure policemen." These events only pushed away Cleveland Now's goal of creating a better society, because the money to help those in need were being used unjustly.

   District Director "Request for the Determination that Cleveland Development Foundation is an

        Organization Described in 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) with Respect to Contributions it Receives under the

        Cleveland Now Program " March 25, 1969. MS 4501, Box 5, Folder 72. Western Reserve

        Historical Society. April 28, 2017

        This document discusses the contributions and line of work it has received to stay intact. The background of the program is discussed to make sure that the fund provided were in fact in proper use. It was laid out what the for Cleveland Now would be used for, such as: "assistance in the clearing and rebuilding of Cleveland's slums, rehabilitation of of blighted areas in Cleveland, the building and relocation housing to aid persons displaced by government action, and protective measure, particularly in revitalization of the downtown and University Circle area and the improvement of local governmental services related to the elimination and prevention of slums and blight, limited to preparations of general plans , surveys and recommendations..." It is brought forth to provide the evidence that Cleveland Now never intended for their fund to be used so unlawful.

          

Roberts, William. “Glenville Violence” !960-1990. Drawing. Cleveland State University. Cleveland                   Memory Project. 3 May 2017. <http//library.csuohio.edu/speccol/index.html>

Editorial cartoon by Bill Roberts depicting subjects involved in the Glenville Shootout.

The events surrounding the Glenville Shootout occurred from July 23, 1968 to July 28, 1968 in Cleveland's Glenville neighborhood. Beginning as a gunfire exchange between Cleveland Police officers and radical militant group leader Ahmed Evans, the shooting erupted into an all out riot as angry crowds gathered resulting in further gunfire leaving seven dead and fifteen wounded. Over the next several days, tensions grew as rioting, looting and arson prevailed. The National Guard was called in and by July 28th. order was restored.

Dillard, Van. “A map of the area of Glenville cordoned by police in the aftermath of                              the 1968 Glenville Shootout” 8 August 1968. Photograph. Cleveland State University. Cleveland                   Memory Project. 3 May 2017. <http//library.csuohio.edu/speccol/index.html>

A map of the area of Glenville cordoned by police in the aftermath of the 1968 Glenville Shootout. A large population of poor African Americans were living in this area during the shootout between Evans and the Cleveland police. A majority of those living in the of Glenville took part of the riots in response to what was described as racial violence that had took place.

Horton, Jerry. “Fred (Ahmed) Evans” 1967. Photograph. Cleveland State University. Cleveland Memory Project. 3 May 2017. <http//library.csuohio.edu/speccol/index.html>

The events surrounding the Glenville Shootout occurred from July 23, 1968 to July 28, 1968 in  Glenville neighborhood. Beginning as a gunfire exchange between Cleveland Police officers and radical militant group leader Fred (Ahmed) Evans, the shooting erupted into an all out riot as angry crowds gathered resulting in further gunfire leaving seven dead and fifteen wounded. Over the next several days tensions grew as rioting, looting and arson prevailed.  The National Guard was called in andby July 28th. order was restored. Fred Evans was later tried and found guilty of murder, sentenced to life in prison.

Cole, Joseph E. “Buildings on Fire in Glenville During Riots of 1968” 1968. Photograph. Cleveland State University. Cleveland Memory Project. 3 May 2017. <http//library.csuohio.edu/speccol/index.html>

The events surrounding the Glenville Shootout occurred from July 23, 1968 to July 28, 1968 in Cleveland's Glenville neighborhood. Beginning as a gunfire exchange between Cleveland Police officers and radical militant group leader Fred (Ahmed) Evans, the shooting erupted into an all out riot as angry crowds gathered resulting in further gunfire leaving seven dead and fifteen wounded. Over the next several days tensions grew as rioting, looting and arson prevailed. The National Guard was called in and by July 28th. order was restored. Fred Evans was later tried and found guilty of murder, sentenced to life in prison.

Bos, Carole "Glenville Riots of 1968" AwesomeStories.com. Jun 21, 2014. May 01, 2017.

      <https://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/Glenville-Riots-of-1968>. Garth Holman, online via Garth Holman's Channel at YouTube.

"You can trace these social riots back every time to unmet social needs" is just one of the few statements spoken by Carl Stokes in this video intended for middle school students, but can be catered to any who wish to learn the history of Cleveland. In this video, Stokes addresses what his plans are for the sake of Cleveland in the wake of these riots and homicides. One of Stokes solutions to avoid any more violence was for white police to steer clear from black neighborhoods because racial tensions were still high. He did address in the video that another incident does not have to result again if this race war were to be resolved and and the social construct of the city were to improve. Carl Stokes's program for the betterment of Cleveland was one way that he tried to resolve the damage done from the riots. The program was called Cleveland: Now!

              Ahmed Evans was the leader of a black power militant group and the one who initiated the gun fight with the police. It all started when eight white police officers were sitting unmarked police cars outside of Evans home. Evans and 12-15 other men walked out of his house and ultimately  shooting began, but it is unclear who had shot first. Evans was passionate in his role as the black power militant leader and was willing to fight against this racial discrimination that had been apart of their lives for too long.  When asked why he did it, he simply replied , "The police has messed with us for too long.

Corsi, Jerome R. "Chapter 5: Cleveland in the Aftermath." Shoot-out in Cleveland : Black Militants and the Police; a Report to the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence. By Louis H. Masotti. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 117+. Shoot-out in Cleveland : Black Militants and the Police; a Report to the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence. Supt. of Docs., U.S. Govt, Jan. 2000. Web. 2 May 2017. <http://site.ebrary.com/lib/clevelandstatedr/docDetail.action?docID=10285681>.

        

        In the wake of violence of July 1968, the people of Cleveland finally took a look at their city. Because of these riots, many though up remedies to bring back the city in to a better state than it was before.

       Six hundred police-men attended a meeting for Fraternal Order of Police(FOP) where there was denunciations of the Stokes administration calling fr resignation of Safety Director, Joseph Mcmanamon. The mayor did not want to fire Mcmanamon, but bean taking steps to correct long-standing problems within the Police Department. Cleveland Police established a "60-man tactical unit", trained in using high powered weapons and prepared to cope in situations involving heavy gunfire. In September of 1968, Mayor Stokes announced a campaign to recruit 500 additional police officers and the NAACP began a program to encourage African Americans to apply for these positions in the police force. Mayor Stokes announced a $186,615 grant from The Ford Foundation to be used for police training, tuition, and giving 900 city employees training in modern management techniques. It was promised that the phone systems were to be improved so called would be answered and responded more quickly and efficiently.

         It looks like a lot was done to improve the social construct of Cleveland, but here were the minority of Police officers who were not happy with the changes, mostly McManamon's resignation.

Masotti, Louis H. "Glenville Shootout." Encyclopedia of Cleveland History: GLENVILLE

SHOOTOUT. Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, 27 Mar. 1998. Web. Apr 1, 2017.

<http://ech.case.edu/cgi/article.pl?id=GS1>.

Before the night was over, 7 people were dead: 3 policemen, 3 suspects, and 1 civilian; and 15 were wounded. When it became clear that the police were neither trained nor equipped to handle the disorders, Mayor Carl Stokes called for the assistance of the National Guard that following day. Stokes believed that putting African Americans in control of their own community would prevent further bloodshed, and the afternoon of 24 July he decided only black policemen and black community leaders would be allowed in Glenville with the rest of the police and the guard stationed on the perimeter.. there were no more casualties, but there was continued looting and arson in the small area. After the National. Guard and the police reentered Glenville the following day, a curfew was established and the vandalism gradually diminished and order was restored 3 days later on 28 July. During the violence, 63 businesses were damaged with a total loss set at $2.6 million. Evans surrendered to the police the morning of 24 July, a day after the shooting began.

Carl Stokes was a man of reason. He saw injustice for the African Americans and the Police Department of Cleveland. With his administration, He set boundaries to calm down the tension between the citizens, the city and the police. He also established programs and received grants to build back the community. Being the first African America mayor to be elected in a major U.S. city, it is no surprise Carl Stokes pushed for a better community with integration and programs for the poor citizens in from his work with Cleveland: Now! to the NAACP.