Following the assasination of Dr. Martin Luther King on April 4 of 1968, Chicago’s westside neighborhoods erupted in mass demonstrations in resistance to racial and state perpetrated violence. This photo, taken at Homan and 5th Avenues, was taken 2 days later on April 6, 1968 and shows the extent of the fires on the westside during these uprisings. Today, this corner stands blocks away from carceral state institutions in the neighborhood, including a Cook County Circuit Court, Juvenile Detention Facility, and CPD precinct headquarters.
Sources —
ST-17501023-E1, Chicago Sun-Times collection, Chicago History Museum