- Violence
- Segregation
- September 22–24, 1906
- City of Atlanta
- General area only
1906 race massacre: Decatur Street and downtown
After newspapers printed unsubstantiated reports of assaults on white women, white mobs attacked Black Atlantans downtown. Estimates of Black deaths run from 25 to 40.
The record
During the governor's race, Hoke Smith campaigned for Black disfranchisement and papers printed sensational assault stories. On the night of September 22 mobs 'surged down Decatur Street, Pryor Street, Central Avenue, and throughout the central business district', beating Black men and women and attacking them on trolley cars (NGE). Estimates of Black deaths range from 25 to 40, though the coroner issued only ten death certificates for Black victims; two white people died. In the aftermath Black businesses left the formerly mixed downtown district for Auburn Avenue and the west side, and Jim Crow ordinances followed quickly (Wikipedia; AUC exhibit).
Today: Downtown blocks around Decatur St, Pryor St and Central Ave, now largely Georgia State University and government buildings.
Where on the map: Decatur St, Pryor St and Central Ave through the central business district, plus streetcar lines.