1977 SPECIAL REPORT: "CHICAGO PUERTO RICAN RIOT"

The Humboldt Park riot, occurring on June 4–5, 1977, was a significant conflict between Puerto Ricans and the Chicago Police Department in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood. It began after a Puerto Rican Day celebration, sparked by the police shooting deaths of two Puerto Rican men, Julio Osorio (26) and Rafael Cruz (25), both killed by Sergeant Thomas Walton.

Autopsy reports indicated both were shot in the back. Police claimed Osorio fired at officers, missing them but wounding another person, prompting the shootings, while Puerto Rican witnesses alleged police stormed the park, attacking indiscriminately.

The riot lasted a day and a half, involving around 3,000 people, mostly young Puerto Ricans. It escalated from gang-related tensions (involving the Latin Kings and Spanish Cobras) into broader clashes with police, marked by looting, vandalism, and two major fires that left 15 families homeless.

Rioters threw rocks, bottles, and Molotov cocktails, damaging 17 police vehicles. Approximately 116 people were injured, including 38 police officers and 3 firefighters, with 119 arrests made. One officer was reported to have set fire to a Puerto Rican flag, further inflaming tensions.

The riot occurred hours after a bomb exploded in the Cook County Building, claimed by the FALN (a Puerto Rican independence group), though police dismissed a connection. Puerto Ricans in Chicago faced ongoing issues like displacement, housing discrimination, unemployment, and police brutality, which fueled the unrest.

A University of Chicago study noted police relations as a major community concern, second only to unemployment. The riot led to the establishment of the Division Street Puerto Rican Day Parade in 1978, a symbol of community resilience.

Police response was hampered as many officers were assigned to a rock concert at Soldier Field. A subsequent report by the Cook County Special Bail Project criticized the police for not implementing mass arrest procedures, prolonging detainee processing (13–19 hours). Superintendent James Rochford issued a gag order, and increased police presence post-riot led to complaints of harassment.

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