April 5th 1968, A Young Boston Mayor And James Brown Help A City Heal

On April 4th, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. The next night, James Brown was scheduled to play in Boston, which was a potential powder-keg regarding race relations.

The day after the assassination, riots had broken out all over the country, and Mayor Kevin White and other Boston City officials were concerned about Mr. Brown's concert at the old Boston Garden.

There had been some trouble in the Roxbury and South End sections of the city the night before, and the mayor gave some consideration to cancelling the show.

Fearing that move might escalate tensions, Mayor White and city councilman Tom Atkins came up with a plan that involved convincing James Brown to allow local PBS station WGBH to broadcast the concert. After some negotiations, Brown agreed.

The idea that many Bostonians would sit at home and watch the concert rather than take to the streets seemed to have paid off, as Boston saw less crime that night than on a normal Friday night in April.