. >> we are on forsyth streemt in downtown beaumont, texts. this was one of the center points of the violence during the race riot of 1943. this was world war ii home front town where there was much business activity being produced for goods for the world war ii effort. home front industries created new jobs and also created new tensions that in some cases resulted in race riots. there were race riots in detroit and harlem and i think mobile and beaumont, texas. in june of 1943, there was this very sad, tragic episode in beaumont, a race riot broke out here june the 15th, 1943. there was a story about a black man having raped a white woman. when this story spread into the shipyard, several thousand shipyard workers, some say at least 2,000 shipyard workers came out of the shipyard, came downtown to the city hall and to the police department and to try tow find the person who had allegedly committed this crime. and they found no one. from there, they broke up into groups and roamed through black parts of town, including forsyth street where we'