The Troopers who were assigned to Kent and Sussex counties Troops were sent to Troop 2. Only a skeleton force was left at the other Troops located in New Castle County. The Delaware State Police who were nearest to the City of Wilmington were sent to Troop 2 located south of the city. All days off were canceled, vacations were canceled and all troopers were to report to their assigned Troop. In addition to the Delaware National Guard, the Governor activated the entire Delaware State Police Department. He also proposed and signed legislation granting him sole authority to impose martial law and ban the sale of alcohol and established a riot commission. Terry (a southern-style Democrat) publicly warned of minority violence and conspiracies and placed fifteen hundred National Guardsmen on standby alert at Wilmington's airport. At the request of Wilmington Mayor John Babiarz, state police were summoned to increase patrols. Heightened racial tensions and altercations in July 1967 were followed by two days of sporadic vandalism, looting, and firebombing. The flight of white city dwellers to the suburbs, migration of southern blacks to the city, and lingering bad feelings from the construction of I-95 resulted in a divided city, and attempts by local leaders to alleviate the social issue plaguing the city were unsuccessful. There had already been a race riot in 1919. Prior to the events of the late 1960s, tensions were already running high in Wilmington. Despite the quick cessation of rioting, the governor refused to recall the Delaware Army National Guard and Delaware Air National Guard, leaving them in the city as an occupying force until the following year. The riot did not cause any fatalities, though there were numerous injuries, arrests, and buildings burned. The Wilmington Riot of 1968 occurred in Wilmington, Delaware, in April of that year following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
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