Harlem riot of 1943

Harlem riot of 1943
Part of civil unrest during World War II
DateAugust 1–2, 1943
Location
Caused byPolice brutality
Resulted in400
Casualties
Death(s)5
Injuries400
Arrested600

A riot took place in Harlem, New York City, on August 1 and 2 of 1943, after a white police officer, James Collins, shot and wounded Robert Bandy, an African American soldier; and rumors circulated that the soldier had been killed. The riot was chiefly directed by black residents against white-owned property in Harlem. It was one of five riots in the nation that year related to black and white tensions during World War II. The others took place in Detroit; Beaumont, Texas; Mobile, Alabama; and Los Angeles. Five people were killed and another 400 were injured.