In 1979, Arthur McDuffie was killed by police officers after a high-speed pursuit. McDuffie, an African-American insurance salesman, and former military police officer and United States Marine, was being chased for traffic violations and a driving with a suspended license. According to police officers, he lost control of his motorcycle and attempted to flee on foot, but they “subdued” him. He suffered numerous skull fractures from contact with a blunt object and died after four days in the hospital.
All four officers involved went to court with charges of manslaughter and tampering with evidence. They were put in front of an all male white jury and Janet Reno, the chief prosecutor. An officer who testified in exchange for immunity claimed that McDuffie was beaten until he was motionless, and then they used the police car to damage the motorcycle, so that they could claim his injuries were from when he lost control of his vehicle. Other officers verified this statement and gave more accounts of the violence committed on McDuffie. However, all officers were acquitted.
African-Americans in the Miami area expressed their outrage by protesting on May 17th, 1980, but it eventually turned into a riot. Cars were burned, homes and businesses were robbed, and people were beaten, stabbed, and shot, while the National Guard tried to maintain order. Over the course of three days, 17 people were killed and over 1000 were arrested. There were over 100 million dollars in damages.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/story/23_florida.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_McDuffie
