Aug 15, 2025 - Politics & Policy

In photos: The Watts Uprising 60 years ago

Russell Contreras

Black and white aerial photo of a building on fire with thick smoke and debris on the street; nearby is a barber shop and a few people stand on the sidewalk. — Three stores burn to the ground in the Watts area of Los Angeles amid rioting, which the police later called the worst riot in the city's history, in August 1965. Photo: Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Images.

This week is the 60th anniversary of a shocking uprising in the Watts area of Los Angeles, which foretold similar unrest in cities throughout the 1960s and 1970s over poverty, police abuse and discrimination.

Six days of unrest in August 1965 resulted in 34 deaths, over 1,000 injuries, nearly 4,000 arrests and the destruction of property valued at $40 million in the predominantly Black neighborhood.

Through the lens: Here are some images from that tense week that captivated the nation and prompted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to call for more focus on economic inequality.

Black-and-white photo of people outside a building; two individuals bending to pick items from the ground, others carrying boxes and standing in line near an entrance. — \People carry clothing and packages from stores in the Watts area of Los Angeles amid looting, rioting and burning in an August 1965 uprising. Photo: Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Images

Black and white night photo showing an overturned car next to a tilted street sign with three parked police cars nearby and a partially visible illuminated sign reading Shell. — An overturned car and a street littered with debris mark the scene of riots that raged through the night in the Watts district of Los Angeles. Photo: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

Black and white photo of a city street with smoke rising in the distance, people scattered along sidewalks, a fire truck in the middle, and debris on the road. — Protestors on the burned-out streets of the Watts District. Photo: Keystone/Getty Images

Two police officers frisk a Black man at night in front of a church marquee that says "God is Love" and "For Sale Church to be Moved." The man stands with arms raised. — A suspect is being searched by two armed police during the Watts Uprising. Photo: Harry Benson/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Black and white photo of people lying face down on a street at night, surrounded by uniformed soldiers and police officers standing on the sidewalk under streetlights. — Armed police stand by as suspected rioters lie face down in the street during the Watts Uprising, August 1965. Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Black-and-white photo of armed soldiers walking on a street with heavy smoke rising from a fire near a discount department store and other businesses. — Armed National Guardsmen march toward smoke on the horizon during the street fires of the Watts Uprising. Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Black and white photo of a street with a wooden sign saying "TURN LEFT OR GET SHOT." Several vintage cars block the road, with palm trees and utility poles in the background. — A makeshift sign urging drivers to 'Turn Left Or Get Shot' during the riots in the Watts area. Photo: Keystone/Getty Images

Black and white photo of a man in a white t-shirt and light pants sitting in a chair inside a store, holding a shotgun, surrounded by shelves stocked with various bottles and boxes. — With his .22 hunting rifle on his lap and a revolver in his belt, heavyweight boxer Amos Lincoln, aka Big Train, guards the family drug store during rioting in the Watts area. Photo: Daily Express/Archive Photos/Getty Images

Silhouette of a soldier holding a rifle with a bayonet, standing in front of a large water fountain and illuminated streetlight, with storefronts and signs in the background at night. — Silhouetted by the cool gush of a broken fire hydrant, a National Guardsman stands ready for further trouble in the strife-torn Watts district. Photo: Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Images

Black and white photo of a damaged urban street with rubble, broken buildings, utility poles, and a Jeep with a soldier holding a rifle driving past a hardware store. — National guardsmen in a jeep patrol a rubble-strewn street in the Watts neighborhood after a several-day-long riot. Photo: PhotoQuest/Getty Images

Black and white photo showing Martin Luther King Jr. speaking passionately to a crowd indoors, surrounded by attentive people, some holding microphones and cameras. — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. addresses a group of Watts district residents on August 18, 1965, and tells them he is "here to support you because you supported me in the South." King spoke only a few blocks from the worst damage left after nearly a week of rampages. Photo: Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Images

Two African American men raising fists, one speaking into a microphone, the other wearing sunglasses and a white suit with a button. Text reads "WATTSTAX" in pink and black. — A lobby card for Wattstax featuring Jesse Jackson, 1973, eight years later, to draw attention to rebuilding Watts and uplifting Black Americans. Photo: LMPC via Getty Images

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In photos: The Watts Uprising 60 years ago

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