1907 Bellingham race riot
The Bellingham riots occurred on September 4, 1907, in Bellingham, Washington, USA.[1] A mob of 400-500 white men, predominantly members of the Asiatic Exclusion League, with intentions to exclude East Indian immigrants from the work force of the local lumber mills, attacked the homes of the Indians.[2] The Indians were mostly Sikhs but were labelled as Hindus by much of the media of the day.[3]
The mob threw the East Indian workers into the streets, beat them, and pocketed their valuables. The authorities co-operated with the mob by corralling the beaten Indian immigrants into the City Hall, ostensibly for their safety.[4] Six Indians were hospitalized[citation needed], and 410 were held in the Bellingham Jail, reportedly under "protective custody". No participants in the mob violence were prosecuted.
Some victims of the riots migrated to Everett, Washington where two months later, they received similar treatment.[5] Similar riots occurred during this period in Vancouver, BC[6] and California.[7]
References
- ^ "1907 Bellingham Riots".
- ^ "White workingmen attack Bellingham's East Indian millworkers on September 4, 1907".
- ^ "News Coverage 1907-2007".
- ^ "1907 Bellingham Riots".
- ^ "The City of Everett".
- ^ "Two-day conference examines city's 1907 race riot".
- ^ "Echoes of Freedom: South Asian Pioneers in California, 1899-1965".
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