American Experience (1988)

Episode Overview

Title: The Riot Report Plot: In the summer of 1967, violence flared in Black communities nationwide, prompting President Johnson to establish a commission to investigate the causes and potential solutions to these disturbances. This bipartisan panel produced a candid report on the state of racial relations in America, revealing uncomfortable truths that would ultimately lead to its dismissal in the political arena. The findings, though illuminating, faced a grim fate, as their stark honesty clashed with the prevailing political climate of the time.