Asylum Mobilitarium: February 2015

Monday, February 23, 2015

Mustangs on Iwo Jima, March 1945

March 2015 Dallas Police Shield

You know one thing that you usually don’t think of when you think of the city are strikes that become violent. Dallas is generally not known as a union town, although there are the occasional picket lines that show up but generally the police do not get involved.

On March 9, 1935 things did get out of hand at The Lorch Manufacturing Company which was located at Commerce and Lamar. The strikers were made up mostly by women who worked in the manufacturing plant.

The riot happened on the second day of the strike, a Friday. Intermittently for two hours the police and strikers fought with fists flying and bloody faces and arms resulting from the fighting and objects being thrown from the strikers as well as on-lookers.

The was a city wide call-out of on duty police and the day shift was held after it’s normal 3 P.M. getting off time.

Traffic was blocked during the two hours as picket’s hurled threats at strike breakers who were being sent home in taxi-cabs. Seventeen people were arrested and charged with assault and battery, disorderly conduct and ‘affray.’

Sporadic outbreaks of violence were occurring until women strike breakers were cleared of the building. Some women strikers who were arrested and refused to walk to nearby squad cars were dragged by police, with on-lookers cheering and yelling when the women would knock a hat off of an officer, throw it into the air and was then stomped by the strikers when it hit the ground. Officer’s uniforms were also torn and blood smeared on them as the women fought the police. There was a call for more police after the first hour. Cover showed up with tear gas and riot guns that were not used.

One woman who was lying on a sidewalk injured and waiting on an ambulance was offered a drink of water by a police officer. On-lookers were heard yelling not to drink it since it was probably poisoned!

Two strikers were taken to St.Paul Hospital including Mrs. Eura Carson, 600 W. Commerce St. and Mrs. Edna Beaman, 4120 Simpson St.

Apparently the DPD suffered the most because orders had been issued to ‘strike’ the protesters only when necessary! Four officers were injured but none required going to the hospital. Detective Joe Parker’s clothes were badly torn and his face scratched deeply. He also complained of a $20.00 pair of glasses that were broken. He was taken to the ‘Emergency Hospital’ known as old Parkland Hospital now.

Men were also arrested as husbands and fathers of the striking women showed up and tried to fight their way through the picket lines to get to their wives and daughters. Three members of one family was arrested including the husband and sons of one of the women taken to St. Paul hospital.

Lester Lorch , president of the company said that 137 people worked that day despite the strike and walked out through the police and strikers lines. Strikers were estimated as around 50 people with an equal numbers of sympathetic onlookers.

There were 35 police on duty at the riot, which today wouldn’t seem that many.

It’s not known if the strikers showed up the next workday.