Illustrations -- An overview of race riots in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles -- pt. 1. Chicago's struggles to control space -- The bloody riot of 1919 and its consequences -- The Black uprising after King's assassination in 1968 -- pt. 2. New York's struggles for equity and social justice -- The Harlem riots of 1935 and 1943 -- The Harlem-Bedford Stuyvesant uprising of 1964 -- pt. 3. Los Angeles's futile uprisings -- The Watts riot of 1965 : the beginning or the end? -- Riot redux : South Central, 1992 -- Explaining differences, predicting convergence? -- Bibliography -- Index.