Historical Marker

The Riot of May 11-12, 1970

Augusta · Richmond County · Erected 2020

The roadside stories worth pulling over for.

The Story

After 16-year-old Charles Oatman, an intellectually disabled Black youth, died beaten in the Richmond County jail, a May 1970 protest erupted into Augusta's deadliest riot. Police gunfire killed six Black men; no officer was convicted.

About this site

The Riot of May 11-12, 1970 is a historical marker in Augusta, Richmond County, erected in 2020. It is one of 148 historical markers documented in Richmond County, among 249 historic sites cataloged across the county on Georgia Roam.

The site sits at 33.4710, -81.9619 near Augusta. The nearest cataloged historic site is Richmond County (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Old Richmond Academy Building, The Signers' Monument, and Congregation Children of Israel.

This record is drawn from Georgia historical-marker records. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.

📍 33.4710, -81.9619 · Augusta, Richmond County

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Nearby in Richmond County

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