[Train Whistle] On May 9, 1970, the news of the death of Charles Oatman spread throughout black Augusta. Oatman, an intellectually disabled 16-year-old student at AR Johnson High School, was in police custody when he was found beaten to death in his cell. Though authorities initially stated that he’d fallen from his bunk, autopsy reports note bruises, cigarette burns, and other markings indicating torture over several weeks. With longstanding disenfranchisement, distrust, and racial injustices already present in Augusta, Oatman’s death acted as a last straw for Black Augusta. On May 10th hundreds of Black citizens organized and met at the county jail demanding answers from White officials for Oatman’s death and explanations for the negligence of the police. Officers were positioned on the roof of the jail with weapons drawn. The group disbanded with the understanding that they would meet at the Municipal building the next day to talk to officials about jail conditions. On the evening of May 11th, a group of several Black Augustans met outside of the Municipal building surrounded by armed officers and the National Guard. There they learned that after a short investigation, the Sheriff had charged two other inmates with manslaughter. For many in the crowd, this investigation was unjust, and a riot erupted. The crowd moved to Broad Street, vandalizing storefronts, and eventually found its way to 9th and Gwinnett Street’s— the Black neighborhood of Augusta. The crowd targeted White and Chinese American owned businesses, ransacking some and setting fire to others. Businesses owned by Chinese and White Americans known to be allies to their black clientele remained undamaged. By the end of the night 60 people were injured. Six people—Charlie Mack Murphy (age 39), William Wright, Jr (18), Sammy McCullough (20), John Stokes (19), John Bennett (28), and Mack Wilson (45) were dead. All were unarmed and shot in the back at the hands of policemen. [Train Whistle]
