1980 St. Pauls riot the "Western Daily Press". 16 of those arrested were prosecuted for riot, but all were either acquitted, had the charges dropped or were discharged after the jury failed to reach a verdict. Copycat riots in Southmead, a predominately white working-class council estate, occurred soon after the St Pauls disturbance. Later commentators suggested that poverty and the sus laws were more important causes of the riots than race. The House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee held a session in Bristol and Home Secretary William Whitelaw came to the city to hold meetings with the local authorities and representatives of the
The Fairground Park Riot The Fairground Park Riot The Fairground Park Riot was a race riot that broke out on June 21, 1949 at a newly integrated public swimming pool. The Fairground Pool, in St. Louis Missouri, was one of the largest pools in the American Midwest measuring 440 feet. The pool was able to hold from 10,000 to 12,000 swimmers at a time. During this time period much of the country was suffering from segregation. Missouri was among one of the states that was still segregated. Pickets had been put up at the Fairground Park to protest the segregation of pools. At the