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The summer of 1969 was a time of significant unrest for the entire nation, and Seattle was no exception.

In August of that year, thousands of teenagers from across Seattle rioted in the University District for several nights. Writing in Historylink.org, authors Alan J. Stein and Walt Crowley noted that “promptly at 10 p.m. [on Aug. 14], the events of the previous night began to replay when a group of Black teens broke into a TV repair shop.” Police responded quickly, but the crowd grew.

The headline in Seattle’s underground “Helix” newspaper reflected the tension of the day and the times: “Police Riot. Pigs Declare War on Youth.” All told, police arrested 21 people that night and even roughed up five reporters. Order wasn’t restored until 1 a.m.

“Again and again, clusters of rioters scattered and assembled to do battle,” Stein and Crowley wrote. “Finally weary of these hit-and-run engagements, the police shut University Way to traffic and systematically gassed the street from 42nd to 45th with foggers and grenades.”

The famous “Ave.” didn’t return to normal until Aug. 17.