Summary

“Ratcheting Up” describes the day after the attack of the black packinghouse workers. That evening, white gangs shot at black people from their cars, while black snipers returned their fire from hiding spots across the city. Two black soldiers, lieutenants Washington and Browning, were attacked by a group of rowdy white boys as they walked down the street with friends, with Lieutenant Washington managing to kill his attacker and Lieutenant Browning suffering an injury. By the end of the evening, similar violence resulted in 229 injuries and eighteen people were killed. The following day, most black packinghouse workers did not go to work, fearing for their lives. The Chicago Tribune, a ‘white’ newspaper, and The Defender, a black newspaper, reported incorrect information about the number of deaths, each biased towards its own audience’s race. Churches attempted to help those black families...