The Memorial Day massacre of 1937 occurred during the Little Steel strike, a labor dispute that arose after U.S. Steel signed a union contract while smaller steel manufacturers, including Republic Steel, refused to do so. In response, the Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC) of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) called a strike to pressure these smaller steel companies into accepting unionization.
On Memorial Day, May 30, 1937, unionists, their families, and sympathizers gathered at Sam's Place, a former tavern and dance hall serving as SWOC headquarters at 113th Street and Green Bay Avenue. The gathering included an outdoor picnic lunch, speakers, and songs, with the crowd estimated between 1,500 to 2,500 people, including picketers, families, strike sympathizers, and curious passersby. The crowd subsequently began marching across the prairie toward the Republic Steel mill to picket. However, a line of approximately 300 Chicago policemen blocked their path. When foremost protesters argued their right to continue, the police opened fire on the unarmed crowd, shooting and killing ten demonstrators as the crowd fled.
The incident represented a dramatic escalation of violence during the labor disputes of the 1930s and highlighted the tensions between labor organizers and law enforcement during this period of American industrial conflict.
Ten unarmed demonstrators killed by Chicago Police
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