William C. Fox

Riot, rebellion, or revolution?
On April 4th, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. In the hours after his death, the streets of Washington, D.C. erupted in violence. Though secret service records show incidents throughout the capital city, events were concentrated on 14th St. NW, 7th St. NW, and 8th St. NE. Over 1,000 buildings were damaged or completely destroyed, 2,000 homes were lost, 1,200 Washingtonians were injured, and 13 died. To restore order, President Johnson sent 13,000 national guard troops into the streets of Washington.