Greeks in Omaha, Nebraska

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The community of Greeks in Omaha, Nebraska has a history that extends back to the 1880s.

Contents 1 History 2 Greek Town 3 Greek Town Riot 4 Present 5 See also 6 References

[edit] History

With a mild immigration that started in the 1880s, large scale Greek immigration in Omaha started around 1900, when strikes occurred in the South Omaha meat packing industry. Male Greek immigrants were hired by the plants to be linebreakers in the strikes. According to one estimate, by 1907 there were an estimated 2,000 Greeks in South Omaha.

[edit] Greek Town

Greek Town was a historical community in South Omaha, Nebraska that housed more than 1,000 Greek immigrants between the 1870s and 1909. In 1907 Greek Town became home to St. John's Greek Orthodox Church, the first congregation for Greeks in Nebraska. By 1909 there were over thirty-two businesses owned by and catering to the Greek community, as well as the church, a school, and several two- and three-story buildings.^[1]

[edit] Greek Town Riot

In 1909 South Omaha's Greek Town was destroyed, burnt to the ground by a mob. That year, a Greek man killed an Irish South Omaha police officer while trying to escape arrest for whistling at an WASP woman. When the Greek was arrested, a mob almost lynched him when as police transferred him from the South Omaha jail to the Omaha jail. The papers kept printing yellow journalism stories. ^[2]

Soon after, 1,000 men stormed "Greek Town," looting homes and businesses, beating Greek men, women and children, and eventually burning down every building in the area. After beating, looting and rioting through the community the terrorists forced the entire population of hundreds of Greek immigrants to leave the city within one day.^[3] Omaha and South Omaha police did not respond, and in the next several days the Greeks living in Omaha moved to Council Bluffs, Sioux City and Salt Lake City.

Soon after, a federal district court trail was held in which the Greek vice-consul asked the American federal government to provide an explanation of the expulsion, particularly the absence of government protection. The court trials dragged on, no excuse was ever provided, and to this day the Greek community in Omaha is almost completely gone.^[4]

[edit] Present

The Greek community in Omaha has largely recovered, although more integrated than ever before. Evidence is provided in the form the of the expansion of St. John's Church, which is still the primary anchor of the community. Recently the Church has announced the establishment of the Greek Orthodox Church of Greater Omaha, which will be a daughter parish of Saint John's. With two parishes under the jurisdiction of His Eminence Isaiah of the Denver Metropolis, Omaha's Greek community continues to grow and look forward to the future.^[5]

[edit] See also

• History of Omaha, Nebraska
• South Omaha
• Diaspora politics in the United States
• Timeline of Racial Tension in Omaha, Nebraska
• List of riots related to urban decay

[edit] References

1. ^ (n.d.) History of St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church
2. ^ (n.d.) Racial tensions in Nebraska in the 1920s NebraskaStudies.Org
3. ^ Larsen, L. & Cotrell, B. (1997). The gate city: A history of Omaha. University of Nebraska Press.
4. ^ From an interview with Helen Papanikolas in (n.d.) Joe Hill - Dangers and Disasters: Papanikolas Interview.
5. ^ (n.d.) About St. John's

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