The 1989 Miami riot was sparked after
Miami Police Department (MPD) officer William Lozano shot Black motorcyclist Clement Lloyd on January 16, 1989. Lloyd, 23, was fleeing another MPD officer, who was chasing him for an alleged traffic violation. Lozano was on foot investigating an unrelated incident, heard about the situation on his police radio, and later said the motorcycle "veered toward him". He fired a shot at the motorcycle, striking Lloyd in the head and killing him instantly. The motorcycle crashed into an oncoming car, injuring two occupants. Lloyd's passenger, Allan Blanchard, 24, died the next day from his injuries. Several Black witnesses said that Lozano walked almost to the center of the street with his handgun and poised ready to shoot for several seconds as the motorcycle approached.
[ Rioting began almost immediately after the shooting in Overtown,][The Metropole article]
/ref> and on the next day in Liberty City, both predominantly Black neighborhoods of Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
, and continued until January 19, when the Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...
, including star player Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...
, played a scheduled game in Overtown against the Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...
, who were in their inaugural season.[ Schools were closed and police cordoned off a 130-block area and ]teargas
Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce ...
sed rioting crowds.[ In overturning Lozano's conviction, the appeals court argued that the jury had been influenced by fears that failing to convict would lead to further unrest.]Orlando, Florida
Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...
, and Lozano was acquitted.
See also
* 1968 Miami riot
* 1980 Miami riots
* List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States
Listed are major episodes of civil unrest in the United States. This list does not include the numerous incidents of destruction and violence associated with various sporting events.
18th century
*1783 – Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783, June ...
References
External links
"Miami riots 1989"
on YouTube, NBC News coverage of the 1989 riots.
"1989 Miami Riot Live Shot
on YouTube, Channel 4 coverage of the 1989 riot.
{{Riots in the United States (1980–present)
1989 riots
1980s in Miami
African-American riots in the United States
African-American history in Miami
African Americans shot dead by law enforcement officers in Florida
Racially motivated violence against African Americans in Florida
Riots and civil disorder in Miami-Dade County, Florida
1989 in Florida
January 1989 in the United States
Police brutality in the United States
Miami-Dade Police Department