User:Halvorsen brian/St. Johns, Oregon riot of 1910

March 22, 1910: Race riot ensues
The riot originated in a saloon where mob leader Gordon Dickey threw a glass of beer at one of the Hindu residents. A fight between the two races ensued. A crowd gathered outside of the salon, and soon they mobilized to the homes of the Hindu residents. Mob members broke windows, looted homes, and even assaulted Hindu residents in their homes. In one case, a mob member threw a Hindu from a second story building, breaking his ankle in the process. The unnamed victim was treated for his injuries at Good Samaritan Hospital. Most of the town's Hindu population were displaced of St. Johns by the mob. Most left the town for Portland. Many Asian residents were forced out as well. Police authority in St. Johns failed to react swiftly that night. After a total of 38 Hindu resident's were beaten by mob members, the violence was stopped when the police and fire deparment responded by order of St. Johns' mayor J. F. Hendricks, who personally reported to the scene. Twenty-one people were arrested by the end of the night, including Dickey, who started the fight.

March 23–26, 1910: The days after
On March 23, 1910 city officials announced that 40 to 50 more arrests were planned in connection with the riots. They also made an additional arrest of a citizen named J. Dillon.

Aggressors
The ringleader of the anti-Hindu riots was a foreman at the Columbia Pulp & Paper Company, Gordon Dickey. Dickey was utimately found guilty, but as the St. Johns Review stated "while the law may brand there participants as criminals it is unlikely that they will ever be regarded as such in the eyes of [the] St. Johns people". Sentiment throughout the trials was one of quiet acceptance for the defendant's actions.