By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief

CLEVELAND, Ohio-This week marks the 60th anniversary of the Hough Riots, which took place from July 18-24, 1966 on Cleveland's largely Black east side. The original civil unrest began on July 18, 1966, after a White bar owner refused to serve a glass of water to a Black customer.

During the riots, four Blacks were killed, and 50 people were injured. There were some 275 arrests and numerous incidents of arson and fire bombings. The riots would come during the national Civil Rights movement and two years before the assassination of the Rev. Dr Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.

City officials of Cleveland first blamed Black nationalist and communist groups for the riots in Hough, but historians generally dismiss these claims today, arguing that the cause of the Hough Riots was primarily poverty and racism. The riots caused rapid population loss and economic decline in the area, which lasted at least five decades after the riots.

Since the Hough Riots in 1966, there have been two major uprisings in Cleveland: the Glenville Shootouts in 1968 and the riot in May of 2020 during a protest for George Floyd.

• The Spark: Demonstrations erupted nationally following the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.
• The Incident: What began as a peaceful afternoon rally of thousands at the Free Stamp in Willard Park quickly deteriorated. Protesters marched to the Cuyahoga County Justice Center where clashes with police and sheriff's deputies escalated.
• The Fallout: Over the next nine hours, downtown Cleveland saw massive property damage, including 23 fires, 10 torched vehicles (including four police cruisers), and widespread looting of retail stores. The city, led by then-mayor Frank Jackson, was placed under a strict multi-day curfew, and the Ohio National Guard was deployed to restore order. At least 20 people were hospitalised, and 66 to 70 individuals were initially arrested, reports say.