Park Street riot

The Park Street riot occurred in Park Street and George Street Bristol, England, on 15 July 1944, when 400 African-American US servicemen (GIs) refused to return to their camp after US military policemen (MPs) arrived to end a minor fracas. More MPs were sent, up to 120 in total, and Park Street was closed with buses. In subsequent confrontations an MP was stabbed, a black GI was shot dead, and several others were wounded.^[1]

Background

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During the Second World War, African-Americans formed 10 per cent of the US Army personnel in Britain, a total of about 150,000 in 1944.^[1][2] Most were in labour companies, engineers, stevedores and transport units. Many were based in the Bristol area because of the docks there.^[1]

The US Armed Forces were at the time racially segregated; the soldiers of the labour companies were almost entirely black, while most of their officers were white, as were the MPs. Military commanders tended to treat these service units as “dumping grounds” for less competent officers, and leadership in the labour companies was poor.^[3]

The British government did not approve of segregation but decided they could not interfere in the treatment of African-American people enlisted in the US Army. The British authorities would not organise segregated facilities nor enforce segregation in non-US Army facilities. In response the US Army administration encouraged separate days of the week for black and white troops to have leave passes, and developed a policy to segregate many facilities in Britain.^[1]

Riot

On the evening of Saturday 15 July approximately 400 black GIs gathered in the area of Park Street. ^[4] Some were accompanied by British women, and the GIs were stopped by a US military policeman.^[5] Black GIs had been banned from some of Bristol’s public houses, which resulted in what could have been a minor disturbance turning into a full-scale riot involving 120 armed MPs.^[1]

As the GIs were being taken back to their camp, one MP was stabbed in the leg and there was some shooting. Several black GIs were injured, and one was killed.^[6]