Today in history On August 19, 1991 – Crown Heights riot begins

 

In August 1991, the Crown Heights riot erupted in Brooklyn, New York, marking one of the most intense episodes of racial and ethnic tension in the city’s modern history. The conflict was sparked on August 19 when a car in the motorcade of a Hasidic Jewish leader accidentally struck two Black children, killing seven-year-old Gavin Cato and severely injuring his cousin. 

The tragedy quickly escalated into violence after emergency services were accused of prioritizing the Jewish driver over the injured children, fueling resentment in the predominantly Black neighborhood. Long-standing tensions between the Caribbean American and Hasidic Jewish communities, who lived side by side in Crown Heights, boiled over as residents accused Jewish groups of receiving preferential treatment from city authorities.

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In August 1991, the Crown Heights riot erupted in Brooklyn, New York, marking one of the most intense episodes of racial and ethnic tension in the city’s modern history. The conflict was sparked on August 19 when a car in the motorcade of a Hasidic Jewish leader accidentally struck two Black children, killing seven-year-old Gavin Cato and severely injuring his cousin. 

The tragedy quickly escalated into violence after emergency services were accused of prioritizing the Jewish driver over the injured children, fueling resentment in the predominantly Black neighborhood. Long-standing tensions between the Caribbean American and Hasidic Jewish communities, who lived side by side in Crown Heights, boiled over as residents accused Jewish groups of receiving preferential treatment from city authorities.

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