Incident Summary:
06/02/1985: The east side home of a black family in the Slavic neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, United States, was firebombed by an explosive that was thrown through a window of the home, resulting in the death of elderly black woman, Mabel Gant, who burned to death as she was trapped in her first floor bedroom during the fire. Two white teenagers from the neighborhood were arrested as suspects and authorities were searching for additional suspects. The Gant family was one of few black families in the white Polish neighborhood, and authorities confirmed that the gasoline bombing was racially motivated. This was one of several in a wave of racially motivated incidents in the area as well as other states at the time.
Overview
GTD ID:
198506020008
When:
1985-06-02
Country:
United States
Region:
North America
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Ohio
City:
Cleveland
Location Details:
at residence in city's Slavic Village neighborhood
What
Attack Information
Type of Attack () |
Facility/Infrastructure Attack |
Successful Attack? () |
Yes |
Target Information ()
Target Type: Private Citizens & Property |
Name of Entity |
home of Mabel Gant's family, a black family in a predominantly white, Slavic neighborhood |
Specific Description |
home of a black family in a predominantly white neighborhood |
Nationality of Target |
United States |
Additional Information
Hostages |
No |
Ransom |
No |
Property Damage |
Yes |
Extent of Property Damage |
Minor (likely < $1 million) |
Value of Property Damage |
Unknown |
How
Weapon Information
Type |
Sub-type |
Incendiary |
Molotov Cocktail/Petrol Bomb |
Weapon Details |
gasoline firebomb thrown through window of home |
Additional Information
Suicide Attack? | No |
Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
Criterion 1 () |
Yes |
Criterion 2 () |
Yes |
Criterion 3 () |
Yes |
Additional Information |
Sources indicate that the Gant family had been threatened and their home vandalized, but they did not relocate out of the community until their home was bombed. The seven other occupants in the home were able to escape the fire and relocated to another residence, an apartment in a public housing complex furnished with donations. This was one of several racially motivated incidents in the area as well as other states at the time. |
Who
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name |
Claimed Responsibility |
White supremacists/nationalists |
No |
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators |
Unknown |
Number of Captured Perpetrators |
Unknown |
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties |
1 Fatalities / 0 Injured |
Total Number of Fatalities |
1 |
Number of U.S. Fatalities |
1 |
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities |
0 |
Total Number of Injured |
0 |
Number of U.S. Injured |
0 |
Number of Perpetrators Injured |
0 |
Sources
Sources
Aurelio Rojas, "L.A. couple, weary of fighting, leaves white neighborhood," Baltimore Afro-American, June 7, 1986. |
"Arrest teens for firebomb," The Bryan Times, Bryan, Ohio, June 5, 1985. |
"Insurance Company Won't Pay Insurance To Victim's Relatives," The Associated Press, October 14, 1985. |
Criteria
Criteria 1
The act must be aimed at attaining a political, economic, religious, or social goal. In terms of economic goals, the exclusive pursuit of profit does not satisfy this criterion. It must involve the pursuit of more profound, systemic economic change.
Criterion 2
There must be evidence of an intention to coerce, intimidate, or convey some other message to a larger audience (or audiences) than the immediate victims. It is the act taken as a totality that is considered, irrespective if every individual involved in carrying out the act was aware of this intention. As long as any of the planners or decision-makers behind the attack intended to coerce, intimidate or publicize, the intentionality criterion is met.
Criterion 3
The action must be outside the context of legitimate warfare activities. That is, the act must be outside the parameters permitted by international humanitarian law (particularly the prohibition against deliberately targeting civilians or non-combatants.
Doubt Terrorism Proper
The existence of a "Yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper?" records reservation, in the eyes of GTD analysts, that the incident in question is truly terrorism. Such uncertainty, however, was not deemed to be sufficient to disqualify the incident from inclusion into the GTD. Furthermore, such a determination of doubt is subsequently coded by GTD analysts as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Alternate Designation
The determination of "yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper" by GTD analysts is coded as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Successful Attack
Success of a terrorist strike is defined according to the tangible effects of the attack. For example, in a typical successful bombing, the bomb detonates and destroys property and/or kills individuals, whereas an unsuccessful bombing is one in which the bomb is discovered and defused or detonates early and kills the perpetrators. Success is not judged in terms of the larger goals of the perpetrators. For example, a bomb that exploded in a building would be counted as a success even if it did not, for example, succeed in bringing the building down or inducing government repression.
Type of Attack
This field captures the general method of attack and often reflects the broad class of tactics used. It consists of the following nine categories:
- Assassination
- Armed Assault
- Unarmed Assault
- Bombing/Explosion
- Hijacking
- Hostage taking (Barricade Incident)
- Hostage taking (Kidnapping)
- Facility / Infrastructure Attack
- Unknown
Target Information
This field captures the general type of target. It consists of the following 22 categories:
- Abortion Related
- Airports & Airlines
- Business
- Government (General)
- Government (Diplomatic)
- Educational Institution
- Food or Water Supply
- Journalists & Media
- Maritime (includes Ports and Maritime facilities)
- Military
- NGO
- Other
- Police
- Private Citizens & Property
- Religious Figures/Institutions
- Telecommunication
- Terrorists
- Tourists
- Transportation (other than aviation)
- Unknown
- Utilities
- Violent Political Parties