| 16th | Top riots: 1960s |
The Glenville Shootout was a series of events of violent acts that occurred in the Glenville section of Cleveland, Ohio, United States, from the dates of July 23—July 28, 1968. The violent acts resulted in the deaths of seven people, and injuries of fifteen others.
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The shootout began on the evening of July 23, 1968 in the eastern section of the Glenville neighborhood when two civilian tow truck drivers, wearing uniforms similar to police uniforms, were shot in an ambush by heavily armed snipers while checking an abandoned car. Cleveland police officers were also watching Fred "Ahmed" Evans and his radical militant group, who were suspected of purchasing illegal weapons. The shootout attracted a large crowd that was mostly black, young, and "hostile". When it became clear that the police were ill-equipped to handle the situation, Mayor Carl B. Stokes called in the National Guard. Before the night was over, seven were dead (three of the seven were Cleveland Police officers) and fifteen were wounded.
The following day, Stokes decided to remove all the White police officers from Glenville stationing only African American police officers and community leaders in the predominantly black community, to prevent further rioting and ease tensions in the area. It was the first event in American history in which only African American police officers were sent in to deal with a violent riot or confrontation. While the police and community leaders prevented any more deaths from occurring, there was continued looting and arson throughout the six-square-mile area. On July 25, more police officers and the National Guard entered Glenville and by July 28, order was restored.
Evans surrendered to police on the morning of July 24. He was tried and found guilty of murder and sentenced to death in the electric chair. During his trial, it was discovered that Evans had received some $6,000 in funds from Cleveland: Now!, a program Mayor Stokes had initiated to help revitalize Cleveland neighborhoods. Donations for the program subsequently plummeted. Despite this, however, Stokes managed to win reelection for a second term as the city's mayor.
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