Sixty one years ago this past Saturday, July 6th, there was a “race riot” in Garnett. Not, the kind you are thinking about. It was the Garnett Grand Prix and the best drivers in the United States drew over 50,000 people to Garnett. As the race trials on Saturday ended, event goers converged on the downtown area, hitting local bars. The party spilled out onto the streets and the Courthouse Lawn. As the rowdiness and drunkenness grew on the streets and recognizing a growing problem, Garnett Police Chief Sam Greer closed the bars to prevent any further disturbances, but it didn’t work. Mayhem ensued and Greer asked for help from the Kansas National Guard and was initially turned down.
Chief Greer appealed to the highway patrol and other local Sheriff’s departments to bring tear gas. Police officers struggled with the protesters as they were “hit with beer cans, struck with explosive fireworks and pummeled with bare hands”. Around 12:30 am, the first of the auxiliary officers arrived to aid the local authorities. Among them, Ottawa Police Chief Robert Cowdin and the night would turn deadly.
We’ll continue the story in tomorrow’s news cast…
