O'Day Short
O'Day H. Short (died January 22, 1946) was an
Base Line Road
During the
While the home was still being completed, Short and his family moved there in the fall of 1945.[1]
Threats
As word got out that the family was black, neighbors became concerned, and asked a sheriff's deputy to advise Short that he was "out of bounds".
In response, Short contacted the
Explosion
On December 16, 1945, the house exploded while the Shorts were inside.
Authorities claimed that the explosion was due to a faulty oil lamp.[5] However, the coroner's jury was skeptical of this conclusion and ruled that the fire was of unknown origin,[1] although they were not informed of the threats,[4] as the coroner considered the reports to be hearsay.[2] An arson investigator hired by the NAACP, Paul T. Wolfe,[4] found the lamp to be mostly intact, and concluded that the fire was deliberately set from outside the house.[7]
Aftermath
Black newspapers decried the deaths as an injustice.
The land on which the home stood is now the site of
It would be another 20 years until a black family would again live in downtown Fontana.[2]
See also
- Residential segregation
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Allen, David (December 16, 2015). "O'Day Short tragedy still smolders in Fontana". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
- ^ a b c d e f Bradvica, David (June 6, 1999). "All They Wanted was the Right to Live... Anywhere" (PDF). Daily Bulletin.
- ^ Delmont, Matt (February 14, 2016). "February 14, 1946". Black Quotidian.
- ^ . Retrieved 8 March 2016.
- ^ a b "Burns Fatal Fontana Child / Three are Dead in Lamp Blast / Burns Fatal to Fourth of Family" (PDF). Daily Report. December 1945.
- ^ "O.H. Short 4th Fontan Victim Dies: Lacked Interest In Recovery" (PDF). Los Angeles Sentinel. Jan 24, 1946.
- ^ "NAACP Brands Fontana Fire As Incendiary; Kerosene Theory Flatly Denied By Arson Expert" (PDF). Los Angeles Sentinel. January 10, 1946.
- ^ Onion, Rebecca (March 8, 2016). "Roller Skating Socials and a Black Rosie the Riveter: Discovering a different side of black history in the archives of the black press". Slate.
- ^ "Violence Threat Against Short Must Not Go Unchallenged: AN EDITORIAL" (PDF). Los Angeles Sentinel. January 3, 1946. p. 1.