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I agree; very sad and scary -- you could smell smoke and tear gas in Chevy Chase. I also very clearly remember so many sirens. They seemed to go on forever. Rumors ran rampant and I remember my father getting his shotgun and going to his business. 1968 is one year I would never want to re-live.
About a year after the '68 riots I took a job driving a delivery truck in DC. Some of my routes were along the riot corridors of 14th and 7th streets in Northwest and H St. NE. It was an eerie feeling to see all of the gaps in what just a year before had been solid blocks of buildings. Most of those gaps remained empty for years.
I was 10 years old and lived in Vienna. My dad piled myself and my friend and her dad in the car and drove us up to Tysons Corner (mall was a hole in the ground) . I can still remember (he had a way of letting you know what he wanted you to remember, as I realized later in my life) sitting on top of that hill, just watching smoke, the smell. The skyline over the city was black. We discussed news at the dinner table (didn't every DC area family?), so I was very aware Robert K and MLK has both been assassinated. I remember the (irrational fear) the riots were coming to our suburban neighborhood. I remember my parents discussing the handgun Mrs. Dress bought to protect herself. Very troubled times, indeed. Let's just hope future generations will learn from the past.
Two of my bosses worked for the city at the time. They've told me a few stories about being sent out into the rioting neighborhoods in teams of two - one black guy and one white guy - to try to negotiate between the rioters and the police. The white guy was in charge of talking to the police and trying to make sure they didn't open fire, and the black guy was in charge of trying to quell the rioters.
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