Future Tense: Past Imperfect

Past Imperfect

The violent civil disturbances that rocked St. Petersburg in October and November can be seen as yet another flash point in the continuing saga of racial tensions.

The paper on which the stories of past disturbances are written have yellowed in their envelopes where some have been stored since the early 1960s. A few of the names of emancipators have changed. Some of the organizations that championed the causes of lcoal African Americans are gone or have morphed into something new.

But one constant thread runs through all of the commentary: the issues that have sent people into the streets to protest, time and time again.

What follows is a slice of some of the historic incidents that have helped to shape the city of St. Petersburg.