Herman Hill Riot
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The 1979
Easter Sunday Easter, also called Pascha (Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek language, Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, de ...
Herman Hill riot in
Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...
, United States – a confrontation between 500 law-enforcement personnel (from Wichita and surrounding jurisdictions) and the 3,500 attendees at a rock concert in Herman Hill Park – was one of the largest riots in the history of Wichita, drawing national attention and creating political and legal controversy.
Police-Community Relations in the City of Wichita and Sedgwick County
'' July 1980, "A report of the Kansas Advisory Committee to the
United States Commission on Civil Rights The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (CCR) is a bipartisan, independent commission of the United States federal government, created by the Civil Rights Act of 1957 during the Eisenhower administration, that is charged with the responsibility f ...
prepared for the information and consideration of the Commission."
National Institute of Justice The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). NIJ, along with the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Offic ...
,
United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...
, Washington, D. C 20531, as archived by the National Criminal Justice Referral Service (NCJRS), retrieved May 10, 2017
Hohl, Paul
"Wichita Police Seek Tighter Controls at Rock Concerts,"
May 5, 1979, ''Billboard,'' as depicted in GoogleBooks, retrieved May 10, 2017
The event resulted in over 50 injuries, to more than two dozen police officers and dozens of civilians, and over 80 arrests. Tear gas was used and firearms were discharged. The event triggered extensive local, state and national attention, including investigations by authorities at all those levels, and raised major questions about the conduct of law enforcement in the Wichita area.


Details

The Herman Hill riot was a riot that took place in Wichita,
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
, between the audience at a local rock concert in Herman Hill Park and the
police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
on April 15, 1979 (Easter Sunday). Reports stated that 53 people were injured during the riot. The concert began in an undeveloped park on the southern edge of the city purportedly capable of holding 1,500 people; later crowd estimates ranged between 3,500 and 5,000 people, but attendees estimated the number to be closer to 1,000. Police responded to complaints about loud noise and drug use. As news of the concert spread, motorcycles, along with some cars and pick-up trucks, began illegally parking on a section of grass that had previously been used as an overflow parking area. The conflict began when police ordered people to remove these vehicles from the grass. Tensions escalated after officers who responded to the complaints saw an individual dispensing beer from the back of a pick-up truck. A combination of the people's refusal to disperse, the confrontation with the owner of the pick-up, and the fact that the officers were greatly outnumbered caused the officers to call for reinforcements. The second wave of police launched
tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...
canisters into the crowd. Many children were present and were overcome with the gas. In retaliation, some in the crowd began throwing rocks and bottles. A police car was overturned. In panic, many of the concert-goers fled into the surrounding residential area and were sheltered for several hours by local residents. As a result of the riot, 62 adults and 22 juveniles were taken into custody. Reports stated that 22 citizens and 31 police officers were injured during the riot. Many local law enforcement agencies attended, including the
Kansas Highway Patrol The Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) is the highway patrol agency for the U.S. state of Kansas. While the patrol's primary focus is maintaining the safety of State, Federal and Interstate highways, it also is charged with providing support for count ...
, Sheriff's Offices and Police Departments of nearby towns (including Arkansas City, Colwich, Goddard, Derby and Haysville). Representatives of a total of 22 different law enforcement groups were present on the scene. Reports cited damage of around $10,000. At least two citizens were shot at. There was public outcry against the police's handling of the riot. There were no lasting injuries among officers, and police were not found to have broken any laws. In an interview, the city's police chief denied that brutality was used in quelling the riot. After the statement, a video tape was shown in which police hit civilians with batons. In the years following the riot incident, Herman Hill Park has evolved into a neighborhood-centered and family-friendly destination. The City of Wichita established a police substation in the northeast corner of the park. In 2003, the Water Center, a
groundwater remediation Groundwater remediation is the process that is used to treat polluted groundwater by removing the pollutants or converting them into harmless products. Groundwater is water present below the ground surface that saturates the pore space in the sub ...
facility and interactive museum, opened to the public. Paved trails allow visitors to walk alongside a creek, view an aquarium of native fish, and watch the Arkansas River as it flows out of the city. This event inspired a song by
Manilla Road Manilla Road was an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Wichita, Kansas, founded by Mark "The Shark" Shelton (vocals, guitar) and Scott "Scooter" Park (bass). Beginning in 1977, the early years of Manilla Road were spent playing m ...
, "Herman Hill", released in 1979.


References

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External links


WATER CenterSong
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herman Hill Riot History of Wichita, Kansas Riots and civil disorder in Kansas Police brutality in the United States 1979 in Kansas Law enforcement in Kansas April 1979 in the United States