Trumbull Park Riots

      Major problems involving ethnicity and race grew at the heart of South Deering during  the Trumbull Park Homes Riots. On August 5, 1953, a black family named the Donald Howards entered the Homes. This triggered a series of riots, confrontations, and bombings which lasted approximately 10 years. These attacks were blamed on the South Deering Improvement Agency (SDIA) and Chicago Police Department (CPD) by the citizens, for not warning them of their incoming neighbors. This only stirred more chaos around the situation and soon the nations' eyes fell upon Trumbull Park.
      Thought the riots were brutal there were no murders involved. Another unsuccessful attempt to enter a small community named Merrionette Manor was made by a black family. This and other attempts fueled the anger of the community more and more. The majority of those who contested the migration of the incoming residents lived within a 12 mile radius of the Trumbull Park and the communities surrounding it.  Also, Torrence Avenue, in the mid to late 1950's, became a tumultuous area as many of the all-white residents attacked the incoming black families. They felt these new incoming families into their neighborhood were a threat to their community. As more and more black families began to enter and settle in and around the Trumbull Park community, the riots became a constant threat. The riots began to spread as far as Rainbow Beach and Calumet Park.  On July 28, 1957 an "uproar" occurred at Rainbow Beach and spread all the way back to Trumbull Park.  The summer seemed to fuel chaos as well, as many of the confrontations stemmed out of territorial claims to beaches and parks. 
      Although these attacks slowed down the migration of minorities to their community, they did not inflict  long-term effects. What was once a 99% white community has now become a minority dominated area. 

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