Today in Labor History June 2, 1780: The Gordon Riots began on this date in England and lasted through June 9. The riots began as a pogrom against Catholics. However, it grew into a mass worker insurrection that included ex-slaves, impressed sailors and debtors, English, Irish, Italians, Germans and Jews. The insurrectionists liberated two thousand prisoners and destroyed every major prison in London. They wrote on the prison walls, “Freed by the Authority of His Majesty, King Mob." Rioters also destroyed the homes members of the ruling elite, as well as toll houses and the Bank of England. The rich fled the city in terror. It was the most destructive protest in the history of London. The military was called in. They slaughtered up to 700 workers. The political context for the insurrection included low wages and inflation due to England’s wars with the U.S., Spain and France, as well as the desire for universal suffrage.
Today in LGBTQ History May 22, 1930: Harvey Milk, gay rights activist and San Francisco’s first openly gay city Supervisor, was born. Former supervisor Dan White assassinated him and Mayor George Moscone. White only got a couple years in jail using the infamous Twinkie defense leading to the White Night Riots in San Francisco.
Today in Labor History March 3, 1991: An amateur video caught LAPD beating Rodney King. Four officers were tried for excessive force. The jury acquitted three and reached no verdict for the fourth. Within hours of the acquittals, riots erupted in cities across the U.S. The biggest was the Los Angeles riots, which lasted six days and killed 63 people, and injured 2,383. The National Guard, Army and Marines came in and ultimately quashed the riots.
Today in Labor History February 18, 1970: A jury found the Chicago Seven not guilty of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. However, Judge Julius Hoffman still convicted all the defendants with contempt and sentenced them to jail time ranging from 3 months to over 4 years. These were all reversed on appeal. Black Panther Bobby Seale had been a codefendant, but his case was declared a mistrial. Judge Hoffman had ordered him physically gagged during the trial.
Today in Labor History February 9, 1886: President Cleveland declared martial law in Seattle because of anti-Chinese violence instigated by the Knights of Labor. The union, which was one of the first to organize workers of different ethnicities, as well as women, was notorious for their anti-Chinese sentiment. They participated in numerous other anti-Chinese riots and supported the xenophobic Chinese Exclusion Act.
Today in Labor History February 8, 1886: Black Monday Riot in Trafalgar Square, London. Two rival organizations were demonstrating against unemployment and low wages, the London United Workmen’s Committee and the Social Democratic Federation. Despite their rivalry, both groups participated without any major fights. However, angry workers started spilling into the West End, smashing windows, looting and destroying property.