Police Surveillance Film of White Rock Lake Riot 1972

[www.texasarchive.org]

This is a film of a March 1972 "riot" at White Rock Lake. Looking at the film, it was shot at the Bath House Parking Lot along Lawther.

Highlights include police officers firing their shotguns in the air, a helicopter landing and what I guess is a Sherriff's Deputy swinging a 2x4 at kids...and connecting.

Really an interesting video because the crowd appears to be pretty easy going, although most seem to have beers in hand. Also strange is that the police liberally use their shotguns, some even discharging them over the crowd, into the lake. That would never, ever happen today.

Footnote: There are quite a few of these old films showing 1950s-70s Dallas. One includes Dallas Police motorcycle patrols stopping cars along Garland Road near the WRL spillway. Same film shows white children crossing a street on Oakland Ave. How old is that! I mean uhhh, Malcolm X Blvd.


Anyway, here is the description header:

This surveillance film of the White Rock Lake riot was made to study crowd behavior and police response to civil disturbances, then a timely topic in police training. White Rock Lake was one of Dallas’ cruising and hang-out spots for youth during the 1960s and 1970s. Approximately 200 Dallas youths were on the bluff near East Lawther and North Cliff Drive in the late afternoon of March 19, 1972 when several fistfights broke out. About 20 police cars converged on the area and attempted to clear the park. The youths taunted police, clapping and chanting peace slogans, until police dispersed the group; at least nine youths were jailed for various offenses. The incident was reported in the Big Spring (Texas) Herald, Monday, March 20, 1972: Cop Kicked, 11 Go To Cell. DALLAS (AP) – A series of scuffles broke out after one youth refused another’s challenge to a drag race and officers carted 11 off to jail from the White Rock Lake area Sunday evening, police reported. Two park policemen summoned reinforcements after advising they were surrounded by a jeering crowd of 150 to 200 young people. Police said patrolman R.D. Alford was kicked in the back and two youths suffered cuts. All three were treated and dismissed. Nine youths were jailed for disorderly conduct and two for stealing a police shotgun from a squad car, authorities said. They said a witness reported the youths were gathered at a beer drinking party when the trouble broke out.This surveillance film of the White Rock Lake riot was made to study crowd behavior and police response to civil disturbances, then a timely topic in police training. White Rock Lake was one of Dallas’ cruising and hang-out spots for youth during the 1960s and 1970s. Approximately 200 Dallas youths were on the bluff near East Lawther and North Cliff Drive in the late afternoon of March 19, 1972 when several fistfights broke out. About 20 police cars converged on the area and attempted to clear the park. The youths taunted police, clapping and chanting peace slogans, until police dispersed the group; at least nine youths were jailed for various offenses. The incident was reported in the Big Spring (Texas) Herald, Monday, March 20, 1972: Cop Kicked, 11 Go To Cell. DALLAS (AP) – A series of scuffles broke out after one youth refused another’s challenge to a drag race and officers carted 11 off to jail from the White Rock Lake area Sunday evening, police reported. Two park policemen summoned reinforcements after advising they were surrounded by a jeering crowd of 150 to 200 young people. Police said patrolman R.D. Alford was kicked in the back and two youths suffered cuts. All three were treated and dismissed. Nine youths were jailed for disorderly conduct and two for stealing a police shotgun from a squad car, authorities said. They said a witness reported the youths were gathered at a beer drinking party when the trouble broke out.This surveillance film of the White Rock Lake riot was made to study crowd behavior and police response to civil disturbances, then a timely topic in police training. White Rock Lake was one of Dallas’ cruising and hang-out spots for youth during the 1960s and 1970s. Approximately 200 Dallas youths were on the bluff near East Lawther and North Cliff Drive in the late afternoon of March 19, 1972 when several fistfights broke out. About 20 police cars converged on the area and attempted to clear the park. The youths taunted police, clapping and chanting peace slogans, until police dispersed the group; at least nine youths were jailed for various offenses. The incident was reported in the Big Spring (Texas) Herald, Monday, March 20, 1972: Cop Kicked, 11 Go To Cell. DALLAS (AP) – A series of scuffles broke out after one youth refused another’s challenge to a drag race and officers carted 11 off to jail from the White Rock Lake area Sunday evening, police reported. Two park policemen summoned reinforcements after advising they were surrounded by a jeering crowd of 150 to 200 young people. Police said patrolman R.D. Alford was kicked in the back and two youths suffered cuts. All three were treated and dismissed. Nine youths were jailed for disorderly conduct and two for stealing a police shotgun from a squad car, authorities said. They said a witness reported the youths were gathered at a beer drinking party when the trouble broke out.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/08/2010 02:03AM by Bill Ferris.

I had been drafted by then and I never heard of it. My daddy was a Dallas fireman and his fellow fireman Ben Hundley had always had the concrete boat houses with the snack bar worked by his wife Hellen Hundley. We always kinda camped at the first tree close the bank from the snack bar. Almost right across the back in the early 60's there were some hills that were being used by some guys ridding motorcycles but that made to much noise for fishermen trying to get drunk (your know you have had enough when your too drunk to fish~~~time for a nap). Shortly after they got started running everybody nuts a lot of injuries started to happen, so the park department brought in big trees that had been cut and filled in the gaps between the hills. I remember my daddy fishing and drinking beer untill like 1 am then we would go home and be out on the lake by 6 or 7 am. Then in 1970 he retired moved to the weekend cabin at Tawakoni, and after a some years made deduction that if you want to quit fishing just move to the lake, he didn't fish at all after moving within 50 yrds from the water. I go way back with White Rock Lake back when the bathhouse was a real swimming hole (later in the early 70's it was just a place to park and play you radio and try to look cool. but back in the 50's when Yellow Jacket Speed Boats were all over the lake the water would get over your head. lol and caught some big catfish, I learned how to make beef blood dried out and tough enough to stay on a trotline we dried it on the roof of Ben Hundley's boat houses, and learned how to fish rubber-band lines with a bell. (I still do that). I'm starting to ramble so I'm out of here~~~~ here to represent ~ SOUTH SIDE peace OUT

I think this video was filmed later than 1972. The reason is, Dallas Police vehicles didn't get the blue and white graphics package until mid 1973. Also, the Pontiac Lemans and Chevrolet Malibu police cars appear to be 1977 and 1978 model years. March 19 again fell on a Sunday in 1978, perhaps this is Sunday, March 19, 1978?? I checked the Dallas Morning News archives for March 20, 1972 also, and there was no mention of the altercations at White Rock Lake. Their archives online go up until 1977, and then start at 1985-present. Very interesting video!!

Bobby, did you find the video to be watchable? I went to their site, back when Bill first posted this, and the video was so slow and jerky (I assumed bandwidth problems on their site) that it was practically unwatchable. I'll try to watch it again. You're right about the DPD cars though - they had some Le Manses 400 in '77, and they bought some police Novas in '78 (Plano also had some of both).

Going back even further, does anybody remember the metallic blue cars they had for awhile (Plymouth Fury)? I still have an old DMN clipping from '73 (I'm pretty sure it was '73) about the then-new cars.

I would agree with the other replies. I am a Car Guy, and the first thing I saw that wasn't 1972, was a 1977 or 78 Trans Am, and then realized the police cars like the Malibu was a 1976 or 1977. So I would date it 1977 or 1978. And I didn't see myself on there either.( I hung out on the other side of the lake) I remember there used to be (Park Police) at Whiterock Lake, and I think they were given older police cars if I remember correctly,which would probably date the film 1978. My Question is, Were those (park police) in the film,and do the (park police) still exist? Brad F.

Brad, the Park Police were disbanded some years ago (sometime in the '80s, IIRC), and their duties taken over by DPD.

Hey Sharkens,

I was able to watch the video fairly easily. We have AT&T U-Verse, and it seems to stream really well. I was able to "google" the video, and a better version was available there if you want to try that. I went down to the J. Erik Johnson Library downtown a couple weeks ago to research something in an old telephone book. I noticed when I was there that they have archived newspapers on microfilm. I will try to make it down there one afternoon this week and research this event. I am willing to bet that if it took place on a Sunday, and that Sunday was March 19, it was 1978 since it fell on a Sunday that year. I will let you know!!

Also, Brad I ran a google search, and I found an article that the Dallas Park Police were folded into DPD in 1986. I suppose the officers in the video wearing brown/khaki uniforms were the park police officers. I remember the cars, they looked very much like DPD cars, but had "Park Police" on the front fender and additional overhead

I don't know about you guys, but I am really enjoying this forum and the DHS website!

All the best,

Bobby

Thanks Bobby, I'll Google it tonight. We're on FiOS (the standard 15MBPs speed), so bandwidth isn't an issue for me. Maybe their site was slow, or having problems, that day.

You are welcome!

We just came across this forum during some research and wanted to let you all know that 1977 is correct; we had the wrong date. The film has been updated on our site! Thanks for your knowledge and spotting our error. [www.texasarchive.org]

Going back even further,







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