The Cicero Riot of 1951 occurred from July 11-12, 1951, when a mob of approximately 4,000 whites attacked an apartment building an African American family had recently moved into in Cicero, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. The events leading up to the riot began in June 1951 when Mrs. Camille DeRose, owner of the building at 6139-43 W. 19th Street in Cicero, rented an apartment to Henry E. Clark Jr, an African American World War II veteran and graduate of Fisk University, his wife, Johnetta Clark, and their two children in an all-white neighborhood.

After learning of Mrs. DeRose’s decision, a high-ranking Cicero official warned her it would be trouble for the Clarks if the Black family moved into the apartment. On June 8, 1951, around 2:30 pm, a moving van containing $2,000 worth of the Clark family’s furniture was stopped by Cicero police, who told him to leave the town or get arrested for protective custody. Twenty police officers then grabbed Clark. He was hit eight times as he was pushed toward a car parked across the street and shoved inside. The police warned him to get out of Cicero, or he would be killed.

When it was apparent that Sheriff’s deputies could not control the riot, County Sheriff John E. Babbs asked Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson to send in the Illinois National Guard. As the Guard arrived at the scene, rioters fought with them. Armed with bayoneted rifles and using tear gas, Guardsmen ended the riot by setting a 300-meter (328-yard) perimeter around the apartment block. Most of the violence and rioting were completed by the morning of July 12. Through the ordeal, Clark and his family were not injured.

Although over $20,000 in damage had been done to the building, the Cook County grand jury failed to indict any accused rioters. Instead, they indicted Clark’s NAACP attorney, Mrs. DeRose, the owner of the apartment building, her rental agent, and her attorney on charges of inciting a riot and conspiracy to damage property. Those charges were later dropped. A federal grand jury then indicted four Cicero officials and three police officers for violating Clark’s rights due to the riot. The Cicero police chief and two officers were also fined $2,500 for violating Clark’s civil rights. The Cicero race riot was the first to be viewed on television.