Fort Lawton riot
The Fort Lawton riot refers to a series of events in August 1944 starting with a violent conflict between U.S. soldiers and Italian prisoners of war at Fort Lawton in Seattle, Washington during World War II. After the riot, prisoner Guglielmo Olivotto was found dead. This led to the court-martial of 43 soldiers, all of them African Americans.
| Part of World War Two | |
Headstone of Pvt. Guglielmo Olivotto at Fort Lawton military cemetery, Seattle | |
| Date | August 14, 1944 |
|---|---|
| Location | Fort Lawton, Washington, United States (U.S.) |
| Participants | United States Army soldiers and Italian prisoners of war (POW) |
| Outcome | 1 Italian POW killed 28 U.S. soldiers convicted and imprisoned |
In 2005, the book On American Soil helped to convince the U.S. Army Board for Correction of Military Records that prosecutor Leon Jaworski had committed "egregious error," and that all convictions should be reversed. President George W. Bush signed legislation allowing the Army to disburse back pay to the defendants or their survivors.
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