The private was pistol-whipped for “interfering” with an arrest, which caused already escalating tensions to explode. The all-Black Third Battalion of the Army’s 24th Infantry Regiment had been harassed, abused, and had slurs thrown at them for weeks simply for daring to exist. This incident was the final straw.
Black soldiers from the nearby base marched towards Houston to protest peacefully. They met an angry white mob outside the city. When the dust settled, five white police officers, eleven white civilians, and four Black soldiers had died. That’s when the narrative spin began.
White officers wrote reports claiming the foot soldiers mutinied. Other reports clearly stated they found soldiers unarmed but were accused of murder anyway. 118 Black soldiers were tried and represented by a single person who wasn’t an attorney.
Over 200 witnesses were called in, many of whom had conflicting testimony. Ultimately, it didn’t matter. Of the defendants, only five were acquitted, fifty-eight were imprisoned, and thirteen were given murder sentences.
Little has changed since the time of this so-called “race riot.” The police state often takes our peaceful resistance and support of our community and creates a narrative that makes us the villains. These men stood up for the Black community regardless of what they assumed would be the outcome. We all need to continue to stand up and fight the wrongdoing against our community.