Racial tension in Omaha, Nebraska
Racial tension in Omaha, Nebraska occurred mostly because of the city's volatile mixture of high numbers of new
Most violence and civil unrest in the 1960s, by contrast, arose out of poverty and problems caused by massive loss of working-class jobs through industrial restructuring. The city's African-American community suffered particularly and erupted in protest.
19th century
The
- The bill introduced in [Omaha City] Council, for the abolition of slavery in this Territory, was called up yesterday, and its further consideration postponed for two weeks. A strong effort will be made among the Republicans to secure its passage; we think, however, it will fail. The farce certainly cannot be enacted if the Democrats do their duty.[2]
During that period, some local newspapers openly editorialized against the presence of blacks in Omaha, for the Confederacy and against the election of Abraham Lincoln.[3] The 1860 census showed that of the 81 Negroes in Nebraska, only 10 were slaves.[4]
Because a clause in the original proposed
Following the Civil War, enough blacks lived in Omaha to organize
20th century
In the early 20th century, social tensions of the rapidly industrializing city absorbing waves of new immigrants and migrants broke out in riots between ethnic minorities. The riots included extensive property damage and some deaths.
South Omaha
South Omaha was where many different immigrant groups established their own neighborhoods. These ranged from Sheelytown for ethnic
Greek Town Riot
Anti-German sentiments
In the immediate years after World War I and defeat of Germany by the Allies, anti-German sentiment ran high across the country. The Nebraska legislature passed a law in 1919 that enforced teaching in English in public schools. (Because of substantial immigration by Germans to Nebraska, in earlier years, studies in German were available in the public schools, along with French and classical languages.) By law, "No person, individually or as a teacher, shall, in any private, denominational, parochial or public school, teach any subject to any person in any language than the English language."[9] Robert Meyer was found to violate this law because he taught German. He was taken to court by the State of Nebraska, and when found guilty he appealed. Although his appeal to the Nebraska Supreme Court failed, the U.S. Supreme Court in Meyer v. Nebraska determined that Meyer had the right to teach the German language as a subject, and to teach it in German. During the course of the year, open discrimination against Germans throughout Omaha was taking hold. Many German-language newspapers were forced to change to English, or to close.[10]
Red Summer
In September 1919, following a summer of racial riots in several other industrial cities, an African-American laborer named
Anti-Black racism
On July 4, 1910, African American boxer Jack Johnson won a major upset at a national match in Reno, Nevada. Upon hearing the news, a dozen fights broke out in different areas of the city between whites and blacks, as happened in other cities. Whites wounded several black men and killed one.[11]
After
In the 1920s,
Civil rights era
In 1947, a student-led civil-rights group called the DePorres Club was forced off the Creighton University campus, where they started. Mildred Brown, a community activist and publisher, invited them to meet at the Omaha Star, the paper she directed for the African-American community for decades.[15]
Omaha jazz legend Preston Love reported that in the 1950s he saw signs in Omaha restaurants and bars that said, "We Don't Serve Any Colored Race", but that he was always welcome as a musician.[16] In the 1950s, the United Meatpacking Workers of America (UPWA) helped use their power to have businesses in Omaha integrate their facilities.
The late 1950s and early 1960s was the period which
In 1955, the
By the early 1960s, economic progress by many African Americans and ethnic Americans became unraveled in the massive job losses caused by restructuring of railroad and meatpacking industries. By the mid-1960s,
In March 1968, a crowd of high school and university students gathered at the Omaha Civic Auditorium to protest the presidential campaign of George Wallace, the segregationist governor of Alabama. After counter-protesters began acting violently toward the activists, police brutality led to dozens of protesters being injured. During the melee, an African-American youth was shot and killed by a police officer. Students' fleeing the outbreak attacked businesses and cars, causing thousands of dollars of damage.[24]
The following day a local barber named
An African-American teenager named
In 1970, an African-American man named Duane Peak was arrested, and quickly implicated six others in a bombing at a vacant house in North Omaha that killed a police officer. On August 31, local
Late 20th century
The 1970s construction of the
In 1981, arsonists burned an
In 1993, the Nebraska Parole Board voted for the first time to unanimously commute the sentences of Rice and Poindexter to time served. The Nebraska Board of Pardons refused to schedule a hearing in the matter. This same sequence of events has occurred no fewer than three times since then, with the same outcome each time.
In 1995, an African-American gang member murdered an Omaha police officer named Jimmy Wilson, Jr. The city responded by equipping every police car with a camera and giving North Omaha officers body armor. Later that year, arsonists tipped over and burned an African-American woman's car in
In 1996, the Omaha public schools ended court-ordered busing.[30] That same year, the Omaha World-Herald reported that, "One resident of Rose Garden Estates near 172nd and Pacific Streets said privately, for instance, that he finds the prospect of being incorporated into the city 'increasingly scary.' 'I left Benson because I didn't like the changes,' he said. 'Too much crime, too much racial tension, too much school busing. I went to the suburbs to get away from that, and now I'm being forced back in.' The man, an insurance company employee, denied that his problems were based on race, but he asked that this part of the interview be anonymous."[31]
In 1997, an African-American Gulf War veteran named Marvin Ammons was shot and killed by an Omaha police officer. A grand jury indicts the officer for manslaughter, then the judgment was thrown out for jury misconduct. A second grand jury acquitted the officer of wrongdoing and admonished the Omaha Police Department for mishandling the case.[32]
In 2000, George Bibins, an African American who leads Omaha police on a high speed chase, is shot and killed by officer Jared Kruse at the end of the chase.[33] Charges are filed against the officer, but special prosecutors force them to be presented to a grand jury which declines to recommend charges.[34] The Omaha Police Department does not make a decision on the use of force because Jared Kruse refused to be questioned and is allowed to retire a year later for PTSD.[35] A second jury in the civil case refuses to award damages to Bibins' family.[36]
That year, the
Desegregation busing and racial integration in public schools were contentious issues in Omaha. Problems with public schools were a factor in middle-class people moving to the suburbs, but the shift in population to suburbs also followed the growth of the city and highways. Omahans' preference for larger, newer housing was just like that of other Americans. Middle-class African Americans have also moved to the suburbs here and in other cities.[41]
Schooling
From 1976 to 1999, Omaha had a busing plan as an effort to integrate the schools.[28] Busing was an early goal of civil rights leaders and groups in Omaha, including 4CL, who lauded integrated busing as a particularly important step in improving race relations.[42] When the city considered ending busing in the 1990s, Concerned and Caring Educators, a 100-member group of black education administrators and supervisors, praised the system as having improved race relations and the education of Omaha's students.[43]
Omaha Public Schools ended busing to achieve integration in 1999. It responded to parental desires for neighborhood schools and for choice. It has created magnet schools to attract students from middle-class families. As in many other cities, concerns about schools are high. Like some other districts such as Louisville, Kentucky, Omaha has begun to explore socioeconomic integration - assigning students according to family income - to change the makeup of their schools and address low test scores among poor children in the inner city. There have been delays in efforts to unite the Omaha public school district with newly annexed smaller, local districts in the western half of the city.[44]
21st century
Senator Ernie Chambers proposed a controversial school separation plan for Omaha in the Nebraska State Legislature in response to concerns by suburban districts outside Omaha boundaries. The state legislature was interested in seeking a way to use suburban districts to help integrate the city's schools. "The law, intended to resolve a boundary dispute between the Omaha schools and largely white suburban districts, created a learning community of area school districts that would operate with a common tax levy and required them to draw up an integration plan for metropolitan Omaha."[45]
Chambers lobbied to create three districts in the city, with each drawn along geographic boundaries that loosely correlated to the racial segregation of the city: African Americans in
Within a month of the legislature's passing the law, the
In February 2007, unknown assailants robbed,
In October 2007, the Omaha World-Herald noted recent census statistics showed that Omaha, the 43rd largest city in the United States, has the fifth highest poverty rate for African Americans among the 100 largest cities. More than one in three live below the poverty line. The city has plans for public-private development in North Omaha that are intended to revive the area. Investment in infrastructure, parks and street design has already begun.[49]
Some groups have tried to gain political power by opposing immigrants, but more people in the city and community have rallied in support of immigrants, including the Hispanic community, who comprise the most numerous recent immigrants. In 2007, a
In May and June 2020, thousands of
Related publications
- Fletcher Sasse, Adam (2016) North Omaha History: Volume 1. Olympia, WA: CommonAction Publishing.
- Fletcher Sasse, Adam (2016) North Omaha History: Volume 2. Olympia, WA: CommonAction Publishing.
- Fletcher Sasse, Adam (2016) North Omaha History: Volume 3. Olympia, WA: CommonAction Publishing.
See also
- History of North Omaha, Nebraska
- Timeline of North Omaha, Nebraska history
- History of Omaha, Nebraska
- History of slavery in Nebraska
- Timeline of racial tension in Omaha, Nebraska
External links
- History of Racism in Omaha by Adam Fletcher Sasse on NorthOmahaHistory.com
- History of Police Brutality in Omaha by Adam Fletcher Sasse on NorthOmahaHistory.com
- Fast Facts about Omaha's African American community
- Discover North Omaha website
- Discover Black Omaha website
- Nebraska Black Oral History Project finding aid and digital collection, digitized by Archives and Special Collections, University of Nebraska at Omaha Libraries; original held by History Nebraska.
References
- ^ Bristow, D. (2002) A Dirty, Wicked Town: Tale of 19th Century Omaha. Caxton Press.
- ^ A Daily Nebraskian newspaper editorial from 1859, as quoted in Bristow, D. (2002) A Dirty, Wicked Town: Tale of 19th Century Omaha. Caxton Press.
- ^ Several sources in Bristow, D. (2002)
- ^ (1938) Authur Goodlett. American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940.
- ^ (2003) The Negroes of Nebraska: The Negro goes to church. Memorial Library.
- ^ (1895) "Negroes in Omaha," Omaha Progress February 21, 1895.
- ^ Bristow, D. (2002)
- ^ "Revolt over Japanese; South Omaha School Children Want Them Expelled", The New York Times. April 18, 1905. Retrieved 4/20/08.
- ^ "U.S. Supreme Court: MEYER v. STATE OF NEBRASKA, 262 U.S. 390 (1923)" Archived 2007-08-09 at the Wayback Machine. University of Kansas City. Retrieved 9/3/07.
- ^ Folsom, B.W. (1999) No More Free Markets Or Free Beer: The Progressive Era in Nebraska, 1900-1924. Lexington Books. p 112.
- ^ "Omaha negro killed", The New York Times. July 5, 1910. Retrieved 4/20/08.
- ^ Malcolm X. (1973) The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Penguin Books Ltd.
- ^ "A Street of Dreams," Nebraska Public Media. Air Date, 08/01/1994. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ Davies, P. (2002) American Road: The Story of an Epic Transcontinental Journey at the Dawn of the Motor Age. Henry Holt and Co. P 107.
- ^ (n.d.)Mildred Brown Archived 2014-06-06 at the Wayback Machine Nebraska Studies.
- ^ Bristow, D. (n.d.) Swingin' with Preston Love Archived 2007-02-16 at the Wayback Machine. Nebraska Life.
- ^ Lois Mark Stalvey, Three to Get Ready: The Education of a White Family in Inner City Schools, University of Wisconsin Press. Retrieved 9/21/07.
- ^ Civil Liberties Docket. Vol. I, No. 2. December, 1955.
- ^ Suggs, H.L. (1996) The Black Press in the Middle West, 1865-1985. Greenwood Publishing Group. p 239.
- ^ Luebtke, F.C. (2005) Nebraska: An Illustrated History, University of Nebraska Press. p. 334.
- ^ Levine, B.J. (2004) Resolving Racial Conflict: The Community Relations Service and Civil Rights. University of Missouri Press. p 105.
- ^ (n.d.) National Guard Mobilized in North Omaha Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine. Black Facts Online.
- ^ a b Olson, J.C. and Naugle, R.C. (1997) History of Nebraska. University of Nebraska Press. p 371.
- ^ "Peaceful protest turns violent" Archived 2008-09-20 at the Wayback Machine, The Creightonian Online. Retrieved 4/16/08.
- ^ Luebtke, F.C. (2005) Nebraska: An Illustrated History. University of Nebraska Press. p. 372.
- ^ "Firebombings in Omaha", The New York Times. June 26, 1969. Retrieved 4/21/08.
- ^ (n.d.) Distilled in Black and White Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine Omaha Reader.
- ^ a b 1954-1979. Omaha World Herald (Nebraska) June 13, 2004
- ^ a b Burbach, C. "Robbery, fire evoke memories of neighborhood's racist past," Omaha World Herald. February 26, 2007.
- ^ Omaha World Herald, June 13, 2004
- ^ Freed, K. "The Lure of the Suburbs: Do City Problems Grow With Growth?" Omaha World Herald. August 7, 1996.
- ^ Omaha World-Herald (16 October 2019). "List: Omaha police officers who left the force after in-custody deaths". omaha.com. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ Tribune News Services (27 July 2000). "WHITE COP CHARGED IN SHOOTING DEATH OF BLACK SUSPECT". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ Earl, David (22 October 2017). "Lawyers call Nebraska's grand jury law flawed, seek a fix". KETV. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ Omaha World-Herald (16 October 2019). "Omaha police officers who left the force after in-custody deaths". omaha.com. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ Olson, Eric (22 January 2004). "Jury denies all damages to Bibins' family". JournalStar.com. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ Bauer, Scott (25 March 2006). "Impact of term limits on state's unicameral government feared". journalstar.com. The Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
in private, supporters frequently mentioned the forced removal of Chambers as a reason to vote for the [term limits] amendment.
- ^ Associated Press (April 25, 2005). For the Record. Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved on 24 May 2006.
- ^ Kies, Justin (29 October 2021). "North Omaha street, building to be renamed in honor of former State Senator Chambers". wowt.com. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ Walton, Don (13 March 2022). "Ernie Chambers museum bill expected to move ahead without state funding". JournalStar.com. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ "One resident of Rose Garden Estates near 172nd and Pacific Streets said privately, for instance, that he finds the prospect of being incorporated into the city "increasingly scary." "I left Benson because I didn't like the changes," he said. "Too much crime, too much racial tension, too much school busing. I went to the suburbs to get away from that, and now I'm being forced back in." The man, an insurance company employee, denied that his problems were based on race, but he asked that this part of the interview be anonymous (Freed, Kenneth. "The Lure of the Suburbs Do City Problems Grow With Growth?" Omaha World Herald (August 7, 1996)). This article noted other similar instances.
- ^ A Street of Dreams.
- ^ Ngyren, J. "Black Group: Ending Busing A Step Back", Omaha World Herald, March 14, 1996.
- ^ Robb, J. "Dream of integrated schools fading, Archived 2007-09-27 at archive.today Omaha World-Herald. November 1, 2005. Accessed 4/27/07.
- ^ a b Dillon, Sam (April 15, 2006). "Law to Segregate Omaha Schools Divides Nebraska". The New York Times.
- ^ Saunders, Michaela. Chambers up close A Q&A with the senator, whose OPS views are rooted in his youth. Omaha World Herald (April 30, 2006)
- ^ Sam Dillon (May 17, 2006). "Schools Plan in Nebraska Is Challenged". New York Times.
- ^ Burbach, C. (2007)
- ^ Kotock, C.D. (2007) "Big plans in store for north Omaha" Archived 2012-09-12 at archive.today, Omaha World-Herald, October 3, 2007. Retrieved 10/4/07.
- ^ Ruggles, R. and Cole, K. (2007) "Huge police presence subdues Nazi rally"[permanent dead link], Omaha World-Herald. September 2, 2007. Retrieved 5/13/08.
- ^ "A History of Police Brutality in Omaha" by Adam Fletcher Sasse on NorthOmahaHistory.com
- ^ Conley, Alia (Jun 21, 2020). "Man shot by pepper ball at Omaha protest still can't see out of his right eye". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
- ^ Gowen, Annie (June 3, 2020). "'What about James?' Shooting of black protester fuels more anger in Omaha". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
- ^ Ockerman, Emma (July 29, 2020). "Police Arrested 120 Anti-Racism Protesters in Omaha, and Barely Anyone's Talking About It". Vice. Retrieved August 6, 2020.