Douglas (Bronzeville) in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Casmere Lazzeroni

1854-1919

— Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project —

Casmere Lazzeroni Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 13, 2026

1. Casmere Lazzeroni Marker

Inscription. I am searching

Erected 2025 by Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Disasters. In addition, it is included in the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project, Illinois series list. A significant historical date for this entry is July 28, 1919.

Location. 41° 49.657′ N, 87° 37.579′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Douglas (Bronzeville). It is on South State Street north of 37th Street. The marker is embedded in the sidewalk in front of the Chicago Bee Branch of the Chicago Public Library. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3647 South State Street, Chicago IL 60609, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At

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least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Eugene Temple (within shouting distance of this marker); Chicago Bee Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Overton Hygienic Building (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Haymarket Police Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); Welcome to Bronzeville (approx. ¼ mile away); Chicago Race Riot of 1919 (approx. ¼ mile away); Joseph Sanford (approx. ¼ mile away); Hymes Taylor (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

More about this marker. The sidewalk marker is one of several erected by the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project in remembrance of those killed during the deadly racial violence that gripped Chicago in the summer of 1919. Inspired by the Stolpersteine ("Stumbling Stones") project in Europe, which erects sidewalk markers honoring Holocaust victims, these markers in Chicago have been placed on sidewalks at sites where people were killed in 1919.

Regarding Casmere Lazzeroni. Casmere Lazzeroni (both names appear with different spellings in various government documents) was born in Italy in the

Two Riot of 1919 markers in front of the Chicago Bee Branch of the Chicago Public Library image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 13, 2026

2. Two Riot of 1919 markers in front of the Chicago Bee Branch of the Chicago Public Library

1850s and appears to have emigrated with his family to Chicago in the mid-1880s. In Chicago, he settled on the city's Southeast Side neighborhood at 83rd Street, about seven miles from the spot of this marker. At the time of his death, he was about 65 years old and operated a banana cart.

On July 27, 1919, Eugene Williams, a Black 17-year-old, was riding in a homemade raft with four friends in Lake Michigan when it accidentally floated past the invisible boundary that demarcated what was a de-facto "whites-only" part of the beach. A white man, George Stauber, threw stones at the boys and killed Williams. The scene set off a wave of protests followed by a week of racially driven violence. Between July 27 and Aug. 3, 38 people died (23 were Black and 15 white), more than 500 were injured, and more than 1,000 people, most of them Black, had their homes destroyed.

On July 28, violence was increasing here on the south side, where rumors of the mistreatment and murder of Blacks by white gangs led to retaliation. During the late afternoon of that day, Lazzeroni was, for unknown reasons, some 7½ miles from his home driving his fruit wagon

Violence during the 1919 Chicago Race Riots image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jun Fujita; Chicago History Museum (ICHi-065493), July 1919

3. Violence during the 1919 Chicago Race Riots

Caption from the Chicago History Museum: "Victim being stoned and bludgeoned under corner of house during the race riots in Chicago, Illinois, 1919."

on this block of S. State St. when he was, according to the government report on the riots, attacked by a group of boys and stabbed to death. Two boys, age 16 and 18, were eventually convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the murder; both were released from prison in 1933 after claiming they had been tortured into a confession in 1919 and amid conflicting testimony by an eye witness. Lazzeroni was buried in Chicago's Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Also see . . . Casmere Lazzeroni. From the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project website. (Submitted on May 13, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 14, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 13, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 9 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 13, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 3. submitted on May 14, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.