Tampa had many of the same issues that plagued other cities where riots broke out in 1967. It was a black community that was marginalized politically and economically, and had a problem with police violence. And just as in many other cities, an incident of police brutality set off the riots, when a teenager named Martin Chambers was shot and killed by the police. But something different emerged from Tampa: The people who brought peace to the city were ultimately some of the same black teenagers who had participated in the riot, when a youth patrol dubbed the White Hats was established. “They were given a chance to be leaders,” said Carr Brazelton, who was a member of the teen patrol. “That’s what they wanted.”
Video by Mahlia Posey, Timeline editorial fellow on the Long Hot Summer project
