1942 Phoenix Thanksgiving Day riot
On November 26, 1942, a riot occurred in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, involving United States Army infantrymen, military police, and members of the Phoenix Police Department. The incident left three people dead and approximately a dozen injured. At the time, Phoenix was experiencing an influx of soldiers as a result of World War II. One unit, the 364th Infantry Regiment, was stationed in the city in June 1942. This unit was composed entirely of African Americans, with the infantrymen experiencing racial discrimination. Such racial segregation was commonplace in Phoenix at the time. On November 26, in celebration of Thanksgiving, infantrymen were allowed to leave their military base. At about 11 p.m. that night, military police (MP) attempted to arrest an infantryman who had become involved in a physical altercation with a woman at a venue in Downtown Phoenix. During the course of the arrest, MPs fired multiple shots, injuring at least one bystander. In the aftermath, some infantrymen returned to their base, told an exaggerated account of the event, and returned with weapons, prompting a firefight between MPs, infantrymen, and, later, local law enforcement officials. Police cordoned off 28 blocks in Phoenix's African-American neighborhood and went door to door looking for men who had been involved in the firefight, shooting into houses where they believed they were hiding. The riot had largely died by the next morning, leaving three dead and multiple wounded. In the aftermath, over 100 members of the regiment were arrested, with 15 receiving courts-martial. One was given a death sentence, though this was later commuted. Several days after the riot, and possibly due in part to the riot, the military declared Phoenix off-limits for military personnel, prompting a reform movement from local business leaders. The 364th was later relocated from Phoenix to Mississippi and, later, Alaska. Concerning historians' views on the riot, Ray Stern of the Phoenix New Times stated in 2020 that, while it differs in some respects from the "race riot[s]" that occurred during the same time period, racial tensions nonetheless were "at the root of the problem".
Excerpt from the Wikipedia article 1942 Phoenix Thanksgiving Day riot (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).1942 Phoenix Thanksgiving Day riot
South 16th Street, Phoenix Central City
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| Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|
| N 33.447222222222 ° | E -112.04777777778 ° |
Address
South 16th Street
South 16th Street
85006 Phoenix, Central City
Arizona, United States
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