On this date in 1967, Milwaukee joined the list of cities that erupted into violence, joining hundreds of other American cities in the nation's civil rights battle in the late 1960s.
Police and city officials faced anger and frustration from Watts to Detroit to Milwaukee in city after city as Blacks raised the country's consciousness to the dangers of racial discrimination and segregation. President Johnson had called for a national day of prayer, but Milwaukee had exploded before the day was out.
Mayor Henry Maier and Police Chief Harold Breier watched their control over the nation's most segregated city collapse. The disturbance lasted until August 3, and the National Guard was called in. Four persons were killed.
