The East St. Louis Riots were a series of outbreaks of labor and race-related violence by White Americans who murdered between 39 and150 African Americans in late May and early July 1917. Another 6,000 black people were left homeless, and the burning and vandalism cost approximately $400,000 ($8.46 million in 2021) in property damage. The events took place in and near East St. Louis, Illinois, an industrial city on the east bank of the Mississippi River, directly opposite the city of St. Louis, Missouri. The July 1917 episode in particular was marked by white-led violence throughout the city. The multi-day riot has been described as the "worst case of labor-related violence in 20th-century American history", and among the worst racial riots in U.S. history.