9-1-10: Across the Divide: “There Was a Coldness That Happened”

This piece originally aired November 2, 2009.

One of the lesser-noted aftershocks of the infamous 1968 riots was the “Maryland Youth Rally for Decency” at Memorial Stadium on April 20, 1969. It was anything but decent. In a melee tinged with racial tension, scores were injured — including several police officers — and seven were stabbed.

Tyrone Crawley, who grew up in East Baltimore, was there; he was thirteen at the time. He tells us his story.

Tyrone’s story was part of our “Across the Divide” series of personal stories about race. Maryland Morning produced the series in conjunction with Open Society Institute-Baltimore’s yearlong “Talking About Race” series, co-sponsored by the Enoch Pratt Free Library.