It was June 21, 1949, a Tuesday, the first day blacks
were allowed entry into St. Louis municipal swimming pools that were previously
white-only. The decision to integrate the pools resulted in what was considered
the most widespread outbreak of anti-Black violence in the city's post-World War II
history.
The Fairground Pool, in St. Louis Missouri, was one of the largest pools in the American Midwest measuring 440 feet. The pool was able to hold 12,000 swimmers at a time. During this time period much of the country was suffering from segregation. Missouri was one of the states that was still segregated. Pickets had been put up at the Fairground Park to protest the segregation of pools. At the time; however, the federal law did not support segregation of public facilities.
John J. O'Toole, City of St. Louis' Director of Public
Welfare who at the time made the decision to desegregate the pool, realized
that the pools could not continue to be segregated. He said, "I can't
oppose anyone from lawfully using a swimming pool. They are taxpayers and
citizens, too."
On June 21, 1949, African Americans were allowed
access to the city pool for the first time. Until that day, the Fairground Park
swimming pool was only open to white patrons.
On the first day that it was open to Black Americans
too, only 30 to 40 Black Americans showed up. They swam alongside white
children without any problem until a group of white teenagers surrounded the
fence that enclosed the pool and began to shout threats and racial slurs to the
Black American swimmers. The black children were left unattended by responding
white police. Eyewitness reports state that police escorts did not stop mobs of
violent white teenagers from physically injuring black children.
Some witnesses reported that by 6:45 p.m. that day white
mobs escalated to several hundred and of those people only 20 or so were Black
American. The riot escalated rapidly when a lie was spread that a Black man had
killed a white man. Black families were surrounded by armed white males who had
arrived with baseball bats and guns. One eyewitness report revealed that some
of the men had knives. One Black child was beaten until an officer “decided to”
intervene.
Star-Times' also made a report about the riot. The
report included what one middle-aged man at the riot said. According to the
report, the man said, "Kill a nigger and make a name for yourself,"
the other man said. "Kill the black bastards." Star Times'
even included a photograph of white mothers carrying their infants along with
them to miss the excitement. White teenagers went around with their weapons.
They carried with them baseball bats and knives. One reporter stated that they
overheard one of the white teenagers say, "This is a waiting party.
Waiting until it gets dark," and another white teenager replied with,
"I'll kill the bastards." Someone from the crowd spotted some Black
children and shouted, "There's some niggers!" Like a swarm of rats,
they proceeded towards the Black children and surrounded them and began to
attack. They used their clubs, bats, sticks, and their fist to attack the children.
Officers stood by as the attacks occurred.
By then, the mob had grown into thousands. Over 400
police officers were at the scene. By 10 o'clock that night, after hours of racial
violence against Black children, the situation mellowed down; however, the
crowd did not leave until after midnight. To avoid another white riot, the
mayor re-segregated the pools again. Ultimately, in 1950, it was ordered by the
federal court to desegregate the pools of St. Louis.
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