Chinese massacre of 1871 in Los Angeles Chinatown
- When
- 1871
- Where
- Calle de los Negros
- Episodes
- 1
On October 24, 1871, a mob of approximately 500 white and Latino Americans attacked Chinese residents in Los Angeles' Calle de los Negros. The violence resulted in the deaths of nineteen Chinese immigrants, representing over ten percent of the local Chinese population. The massacre occurred amidst a feud between Chinese Tong factions and was characterized by mob brutality, including hangings and shootings, followed by contested legal proceedings.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. Los Angeles in the 1850s was known for its rough frontier nature and high incidence of lynchings. In 1854, the California Supreme Court ruled that Chinese immigrants could not testify against white citizens, leaving them vulnerable to abuse. The immediate context involved a feud between the Hong Chow and Nin Yung Tong factions over the alleged abduction of a Chinese woman, Yut Ho, which escalated into a confrontation in the days preceding the riot.
The Massacre. Approximately 500 white and Latino Americans attacked, harassed, robbed, and murdered Chinese residents in the old Chinatown neighborhood, specifically on Calle de los Negros. Rioters climbed to rooftops, used pickaxes to puncture roofs, and shot at people inside. The mob ransacked Chinese-occupied buildings and prevented residents from escaping. Nineteen Chinese immigrants were killed, with fifteen hanged by the mob during the riot.
People involved
- Mob · Perpetrators
- Chinese Residents · Victims
Sources
- Los Angeles Chinese massacre of 1871 Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-29
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.