Looking back at Jacksonville's Race Riots
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- East Jacksonville has been the epicenter of two major events, first there was Hurricane Dora in 1964 and then the race riots in the later years.
A July 1971 edition of JET magazine asked, "What really caused the racial explosion in Jacksonville?" and pointed to several racial conflicts.
"It was like chaos," said Bruce Moye.
Moye, 53, grew up in the East Jacksonville community and remembers the riots. He said he was only 7-years-old.
"People were looting," he said. "I didn't know any better so I grabbed stuff and ran too."
He remembers the number of businesses that lined Florida Avenue from First Street to Bay Street; most of them are not longer there.
"All were not on fire," he said, "but all of them were tore up."
In fact the losses to the damage was placed at $440,000.