What Caused the Harlem Riots of 1935?

The Harlem Riot of 1935 was the first twentieth-century race riot, centered in Harlem, New York. There were many unfavorable conditions imposed on the black community at the time of this riot – conditions such as mass unemployment, frustrating inequality, and police brutality. The incident that sparked the initial outbreak took place on the afternoon of March 19, 1935. Lino Rivera, a black teenager, was caught stealing a pen-knife from a Harlem store on 125th street. The store owner and an employee detained the thief and waited for an officer to arrive at the scene. Meanwhile, a crowd of worried spectators gathered around the store. Rivera was released and escorted out the back of the store, but a few circumstances, such as an ambulance meant to treat the store owner's wounds, and a hearse which was stationed near the scene of the incidents, led spectators to assume that the thief had been killed. Of course, the death of a minor has always stripped people of the ability to keep their emotions in check. The crowd became violent and the rumor of the death of the teenager spread around Harlem, causing the riot.