Rabbit+Inn+Incident

=__**Rabbit Inn Incident**__= = = --AIM--- Evan Cipra



The “Rabbit Inn Incident,” as it has historically become known, initially started because of a combination of Irish Catholics, African American civilians, and the Tactical Police Force (TPF) that inhabited South Boston in 1974. A former member of the TPF recalls, “Daily, buses carrying blacks away from school were pelted with rocks as they passed the Rabbit Inn” (DeSario 90). This was an act of hatred that the Irish patrons of the Inn expressed toward the African Americans during they time. It was an attempt to drive them out of the city. When the TPF found out about this, it became their goal to put a stop to it. A former Southie African American civilian wrote, “These were days when those who were not ‘with us’ were ‘against us,’ and residents vented their rage against the policemen…who were carrying out their orders to enforce the desegregation process” (O’Connor 219). With the Irish desire to maintain supremacy over the blacks, their attempt to stop the “desegregation process” began when a brick was thrown through a TPF cruiser window during its patrol of the neighborhood. After this, the Irish Catholics wanted superiority, the blacks wanted equality, and the Tactical Police Force wanted retaliation.

__Works Cited__

DeSario, Frankie. //Badge #1: True Stories from a Boston Cop.// History, 2007. 1 Aug. 2007. Web. 8 Jan. 2013.

O'Connor, Thomas H. //South Boston, My Home Town: The History of an Ethnic Neighborhood//. Boston: Quinlan, 1988. Web. 8 Jan. 2013.

--AUDIENCE--- Alex Baldwin The Rabbit Inn Incident ended up being target towards the citizens of Southern Boston. Many people came in protest of the police brutality used during the event. The opposition to the Tactical Police Force included people of all races, and in some cases whites even helped to defend people of other races. "The following day, a thousand South Boston residents turned out for a demonstration against the TPF brutality and TPF presence in their community" (Saba). Even though there were people who viewed the events as unjust, their were those who did not try to help those affect by the TPF brutality. The TPF would often beat minorities in areas where they were working. The event served to cause some people to change their viewpoints to have more support of the busing plan. The people of South Boston were all affected by the TPF's brutality and blatant racism, and some chose to act out against it. This sometimes lead to the persecution of those individuals as was the case with Patrick Perkins, a white person who helped to try to protect a Haitian man from TPF brutality. 

Saba, Paul. "Boston Busing Struggle Sharpens." //Boston Busing Struggle Sharpens. // Web. 8 Jan. 2013.

O'Connor, Thomas H. //South Boston, My Home Town: The History of an Ethnic Neighborhood //. Boston: Quinlan, 1988. Web. 8 Jan. 2013.

--HISTORICAL--- Sean Powell



The Rabbit Inn Incident encompasses more than one actual incident. It started with the attempted arrest of a black man at a local bar in Southie named The Rabbit Inn. The bar was full of mostly black patrons and pushed the cops away as they tried to arrest the man. The police left the building and then returned the next day and "Vandalized the bar and beat patrons for their aiding a criminal" (Saba 1). This of course sparked a major reaction from the public, both black and white as there were both types of people in the bar. The Boston Police force then responded with sending the Tactical Police Force to Southie heavily armed and in riot gear. The resulting violence, which encompassed rioting, fires, and bricks being thrown through windows, was labeled the Rabbit Inn Incident since it started at the bar. The historical significance of this event was the further polarization of the races. This manifested itself in further riots and violent acts that have been captured in many pictures such as the one above. In the end the Police was forced to quell both riots started by blacks and whites in the Southie area and also forced to instill marshall law in some areas.This only compounded issues in Southie and made the situation worse for all involved.

__Works Cited__

Saba, Paul. "Boston Busing Struggle Sharpens." //Boston Busing Struggle Sharpens.// N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Jan. 2013.

Tyler, Steven L. //Desegregation in Boston and Buffalo: The Influence of Local Leaders//. Albany, NY: State University of New York, 1998. Print.

--CULTURAL--- Dalton Kasinger

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Historically, South Boston has been filled with segregation and violence between all different peoples in South Boston. This was the culture of South Boston. Powerful political figures have attempted to slowly route the violence out of South Boston. Author of //Black Families Are to Move Into Projects in South Boston//states, " The announcement that South Boston's public housing projects would be integrated was made by Mayor Raymond L. Flynn..." (Diesenhouse). Public housing was standard with poor families living in South Boston. However, before the desegregation of Mayor Raymond L. Flynn, the houses were either predominantly white or black. It was not until they were desegregated that the two different peoples attempted to live together. However, the cultural conflict extended far beyond racism in South Boston. The police force was heavily involved in the police force and both side in South Boston hated and feared the police force (Chesson). The so named Tactical Police Force or TPF of South Boston was a major cultural influence. One example of their influence is the Rabbit Inn Incident. In the incident, members of the TPF reacted to an attack on several officers of TPF. The reaction was incredibly brutal and destroyed the people and their faculties, thus heavily influencing the culture of South Boston.

Chesson, Michael. "The Athens of America." The American History News Network. 16Apr. 2011. Web. 08 Jan. 2013.

Diesenhouse, Susan. "Black Families Are to Move Into Projects in South Boston." TheNew York Times. 13 Dec. 1987. Web. 08 Jan. 2013 .