1968 Washington, D.C., riots

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Following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., a leading African-American civil rights activist, on April 4, 1968, Washington, D.C., experienced a four-day period of violent civil unrest and rioting. Part of the broader riots that affected at least 110 U.S. cities, those in Washington, D.C.—along with those in Chicago and in Baltimore—were among those with the greatest numbers of participants. As the unrest and damage to buildings went on, Lyndon B. Johnson ordered federal troops to enter the city in an effort to restore order. At the same time, Walter E. Washington announced a citywide curfew beginning at 5:30 p.m. By the evening of April 5, roughly 6,000 military personnel had been deployed throughout Washington, D.C., including soldiers from the Army, members of the Marine Corps, and troops from the D.C. National Guard. Ultimately, 13 people were killed, with approximately 1,000 people injured and over 6,100 arrested.