Watts Riots, What I've Learned through Research

What was done after the riots in order to prevent Watts from becoming a repeated war-zone? It only makes sense that the efforts would be focused on easing the three sources of the uprising: Education, the deteriorating workforce, and habitual animosity between the Blacks and the police. Nevertheless, a list of reforms does not indicate the effects; we must analyze the progression of these remedies and their effectiveness of society. Thousands of ideas originated out of desperation for change within the Watts area, but instigation does not mean accomplishment. In order for a program to be considered accomplished it must clearly define a goal, follow through with execution, and see advancement or additions to the program.

Although this plan seems straightforward, many reforms left the people of Watts with nothing more than a false hope for change. Immediately following the uprising, a multitude of Federal Programs commenced, with high hopes of a radical change for the city of Watts. A few of these reforms included adding a Watts bus run to the Southern California Rapid Transit District, placing over 2,000 African Americans in jobs within one hundred aerospace and industrial corporations, and allocating money to the state in order to relieve the dire housing situation in Watts. Louis Smith, an employee of CORE who helped start a job reform program named Operation Bootstrap, warns the people of Watts in the Wall Street Journal just a year after the riots:

“When levels of expectation are raised and bureaucratic or other obstacles keep those expectations from being realized, the net effect is often worst than if the encouragement hadn’t been provided in the first place.” (Watts 1)

Most of the federal projects quickly encountered problems that prevented them from becoming a successful public reform. For example, even though the Rapid Transit District did add a bus route that stops in Watts, less than 1% of the neighborhood’s adults actually use the system due to the lack of employment outside of their area. The neighborhood quickly disintegrated into an imprisoning confine, as no one would hire an African American from Watts outside of the areas boundaries, therefore negating the need for this twenty-seven million dollar project. In addition, promises of ”Operation Cool It,” a summer swimming project also nose-dived when Washington failed to issue the $300,000 grant, and similarly, the Office of Economic Opportunity had promised the Youth Opportunities Agency $3.5 million to provide summertime employment and recreation, but later stated there had “been a mistake”—the money was reapportioned to other programs instead. This lack of follow-through and poor division of funds left Watts with nothing but wrong anticipations and ultimately a feeling of deceit.