On this day in 1921 two days of disastrous rioting occurred in Tulsa, Oklahoma, directed at the city's prosperous African American community.
The nightmare commenced when a young black man, Dick Rowland, age 19 was briefly arrested the day prior on suspicion of the assault of Sarah Page, maybe age 17.
The originating event remains obscure as Rowland, a shoeshiner, and the Page, an elevator operator, were present in an office building which otherwise seems to have been supposed to have been closed for Memorial Day. What's clear is that Rowland was taking the elevator to a floor of the Drexel Building, where Page worked, as it was the only nearby restroom that accommodated blacks. What happened isn't clear, but the most common theory is that Rowland lost his footing in the elevator, with elevators of the era being somewhat difficult to operate, and that he reached out to Page to steady herself.
A woman's scream was heard and the young man ran from the building. Somebody reported the incident to the police, but it isn't clear whom it was. Rowland was arrested but the police later released him as they did not find anything supporting a charge.
While released, the young man took refuge in the Greenwood district of Tulsa, sometimes billed "The Black Wall Street" due to its prosperity, in the home of his mother or step mother. The event hit the press and black residents soon feared for the results. Dick Rowland was arrested again and a local newspaper claimed he would be lynched, a reasonable fear. Armed black residents took up positions to protect him against a feared assault at the courthouse.
With this having occurred, large numbers of white Tulsa residents also took up arms and ultimately confronted the black residents trying to provide security at the courthouse. Shots were fired and the riot commenced, resulting in the attack upon the city's Greenwood district. Early in the morning of June 1 fires were started in the district and it seems that private aircraft, some potentially carrying policemen, circled overhead with some of the planes having passengers who may have shot at Greenwood residents and dropped Molotov cocktails. The number of people killed in the riot has not been precisely determined. The devastation to the district was massive.
Ultimately, order had to be restored by the Oklahoma National Guard, which was done with some difficulty. Around 6,000 black residents were detained and numerous black residents of Greenwood left homeless. No whites were arrested or prosecuted, although the Tulsa chief of police did lose his position as police inaction was a final straw on a long list corruption complaints against him.
Rowland was released from custody in September after Page wrote a letter to authorities noting that she did not want him prosecuted.
Of Rowland and Page nearly nothing is known. There's been speculation over the years if they knew each other, and if they even had a relationship of some sort, although there's nothing to support that. Rowland was well liked and known to local lawyers who did not believe the charges against him. After the event, he simply disappeared from history.
About Page, this was her only entry into history. Normally noted as being 17 years old there's even speculation that she was a 15 year old divorcee. She simply showed up as an unknown figure in this tragic event, and then disappeared again.
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