May

“Remembering the 1991 Disturbances in Mt. Pleasant”

On May 5, 1991, Washington, D.C.’s historic Mt. Pleasant and Adams Morgan neighborhoods erupted in violence after a confrontation between local police and Latino residents. Three nights of rioting engulfed the area, and four days of curfew ensued. These disturbances mark a controversial and unforgettable chapter in local history.

The Smithsonian presents an onstage conversation “Remembering the 1991 Disturbances in Mt. Pleasant” Sunday, May 8, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the National Museum of American History’s Carmichael Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public and will also be webcast.

On the evening of May 5, 1991, riots broke out in Mount Pleasant after a rookie police officer shot a man while trying to arrest him for disorderly conduct after a Cinco de Mayo celebration. (Image courtesy The Washington Examiner)

This public conversation will revisit Washington in 1991 to describe and understand these events. The panelists and audience will reflect on how this episode affected Mt. Pleasant and surrounding neighborhoods and the organization of the local Latino community. Sharon Pratt, mayor of Washington from 1991 to 1995; former chief of police Isaac Fulwood; Smithsonian curator and Mt. Pleasant resident Olivia Cadaval; former head of the Latino Civil Rights Task Force and local resident Pedro Avilés; local poet, activist and Mt. Pleasant resident Marcos Del Fuego; former publisher of La Nación newspaper José Sueiro; and the audience will share their memories and analyses of the disturbances.

This program is organized by the Smithsonian Latino Center as part of its Latino DC History Project, an initiative to research and exhibit the history of Latinos in Washington and its suburbs.