The Riot Report | Full Documentary | American Experience | PBS

When Black neighborhoods in scores of cities erupted in violence during the summer of 1967, President Lyndon Johnson appointed the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders — informally known as the Kerner Commission — to answer three questions: What happened? Why did it happen? And what could be done to prevent it from happening again? The bi-partisan commission’s final report, issued in March of 1968, would offer a shockingly unvarnished assessment of American race relations — a verdict so politically explosive that Johnson not only refused to acknowledge it publicly, but even to thank the commissioners for their service. THE RIOT REPORT explores this pivotal moment in the nation’s history and the fraught social dynamics that simultaneously spurred the commission’s investigation and doomed its findings to political oblivion. Official Website: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexpe... | #RiotReportPBS © 2024 WGBH Educational Foundation 00:00 Prologue 03:38 The hot summer of 1967 09:35 The need for a commission 11:27 LBJ and the Great Society 19:10 The War on Crime 29:22 Appointing the Kerner Commission 40:38 Searching for “outside agitators” 45:56 Conducting hearings 51:19 Touring impacted cities 56:55 The history of urban unrest 1:00:50 Policing Black neighborhoods 1:09:49 Becoming a political bombshell 1:13:30 Publishing the report 1:22:02 The Commission’s findings 1:35:51 The assassinations of King and Kennedy 1:39:54 The Kerner Commission’s impact #20thCentury #CivilRights #UrbanHistory #LBJ #History #Documentary This program is made possible by viewers like you. Support your local PBS station: https://www.pbs.org/donate Subscribe to the AMERICAN EXPERIENCE channel for more videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/AmericanExp... Enjoy full episodes of your favorite AMERICAN EXPERIENCE shows anytime, anywhere with the free PBS App: https://to.pbs.org/2QbtzhR FOLLOW AMERICAN EXPERIENCE Facebook:   / americanexperiencepbs   Instagram:   / americanexperiencepbs   Threads: https://www.threads.net/@americanexpe...