We could hear all the rioting, yelling, screaming and more.
It was a very scary time as I was six going on seven years old then. My dad (a US Marine) did all he could to reassure us we'd be ok but we knew he was nervous. My mom was almost out of her mind afraid. It wasn't until we were well outside the city that night that dad would let us get off the floor and onto the back seat and uncover ourselves.
What's happening today reminds me so much of that evening as a young child. I tend to agree with you, it's worse.
In Dayton Ohio Black Motorcyclists called something “Raph Brown” where throwing three foot long lengths of Chains at kids, and they came down our street and threw 4 chains at my sister’s as they rode past terrorizing our neighborhood.
In 1972 four black men stopped across the corner from my house at a Doctor’s house and shoved 38 cal pistol down his son’s mouth, and two went inside and grabbed his other son who they dragged outside and had them kneel - they were going to execute them, and that’s when about 15 neighbors came out with all sorts of weapons and a shoot started - the one pistol whipping the first boy fired his gun at the men coming out of their houses and it was like a war movie. Two black men were shot dead on the lawn. One was driving away and one was screaming to wait and chasing the car. He was killed in the street and as the men rushed upon the yard and street they fired at the swerving vehicle and I remembered the back window being shot out as the car ran in the sidewalk and then crashing to a stop in the driveway two yards later and the guy fell out of his car still shooting at the neighbors who blasted his into a pulp. Needless to say our family moved (stepmom, step brother and my dad) moved out of the city that weekend. About a week before that my step brother and I saw two bullet riddled (automatic fire) police cars with blood all other the driver seats in the police precedent parking lot while delivery the Morning Journal Heard about 4 am. We went and got my dad and by time we got back the cars were gone 15 minutes later. There was nothing ever published in the paper’s. Dayton was a War Zone on both side of State Route 49/Salem Ave within a mile of the city.