The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America

Racial violence as a means to maintain segregation was a systemic problem nationwide. Despite this, police forces tolerated and occasionally promoted racial violence. Chapter 9 opens with the experience of Wilbur Gary, another resident of the public housing projects in Richmond, California. In 1952 he bought a home from a fellow navy veteran. The suburb had a restrictive covenant; however, because the Supreme Court had ruled that restrictive covenants were not enforceable, he bought the home. The local homeowner’s association, the Rollingwood Improvement Association, believed they had the right to evict African American tenants and homeowners. The NAACP backed the family, and the neighbors tried to buy the house back in response. When the Garys refused, a mob of 300 White people rioted outside their home. The riot went on for several days, and the police did not step in. The NAACP and a Communist Party-affiliated civil rights group stood guard. The police eventually provided protection for the family as the violence endured for another month. No arrests were made.

Rothstein writes that these incidents were very common and profoundly influenced how African Americans understood the limitations of their housing options.