When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assasinated on April 4, 1968, riots and looting followed in DC. The four-day-long protests left 13 people killed and over 900 businesses destroyed. Fifty years later, here’s a look back on photographs from a time that would leave its mark on Washington for years to come.
Men run on riot-destroyed streets. Photograph courtesy of Library of Congress.
Troops ride past the White House. Photograph courtesy of Library of Congress.A soldier stands at the corner of 7th and N streets, Northwest, as a destroyed building sits in the distance. Photograph courtesy the Library of Congress.Smoke rises over the Capitol while the streets of DC remain empty. Why? An enforced curfew. Photograph courtesy the Library of Congress.The ruins of destroyed buildings on 7th Street, Northwest. Photograph courtesy the Library of Congress.A firetruck in front of Peoples Drug Store on 14th Street, Northwest. Beck Shoes is next door. Photograph courtesy of DC Public Library Special Collections.Men carry food from a food distribution center. Photograph courtesy the Library of Congress.Troops detain two men. Photograph courtesy the Library of Congress.Standing guard. Photograph courtesy of Library of Congress.
Mimi Montgomery joined Washingtonian in 2018. She’s written for The Washington Post, Garden & Gun, Outside Magazine, Washington City Paper, DCist, and PoPVille. Originally from North Carolina, she now lives in Del Ray.
