Greeks in Omaha, Nebraska

The community of Greeks in Omaha, Nebraska has a history that extends back to the 1880s. After they originally moved to the city following work with the railroads, the community quickly grew and founded a substantial neighborhood in South Omaha that was colloquially referred to as "Greek Town." The community was replete with Greek bakers, barbers, grocers and cafes. After a 1909 mob attack on the community, Greek immigrants fled from Omaha. Today even though the Greek-American community is smaller than it was in 1909, it includes many prominent doctors, lawyers, pharmacists, business people and others who have achieved great success here. It currently maintains two Greek Orthodox Churches. [ [http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0700/frameset_reset.html?http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0700/stories/0701_0130.html "Racial Tensions in Nebraska in the 1920s"] , NebraskaStudies.org. Retrieved 12/30/07.]

History

South Omaha, Nebraska was incorporated as a city in 1886. The home of many European immigrant communities, it once hosted a bustling Greek Town where thousands of Greek immigrants settled from the 1870s to 1909. [(nd) " [http://www.stjohnsgreekorthodox.org/parish/history.html History.] " St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church website. Retrieved 6/7/07.]

Greek Town

The principal Greek community in Omaha was centered on South 26th and Q Streets. This was the heart of Greek Town. Other Greek establishments were located around South 24th and Q and South 24th and L Streets. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9C05E1D91731E733A25751C2A9649C946897D6CF "South Omaha mob wars on Greeks"] , "The New York Times." February 22, 1909. Retrieved 5/25/08.]

In 1909, there were over thirty-two businesses owned by and catering to the Greek community in South Omaha, as well as a Greek Orthodox church, a school, and several two and three-story commercial buildings. [(nd) " [http://www.aroundomaha.com/cn/stjohn/abtsjohns.html About St Johns Community.] " St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church website. Retrieved 6/7/07/] [Larsen, L. & Cotrell, B. (1997). "The gate city: A history of Omaha." University of Nebraska Press. P 163.] After a small immigration that started in the 1880s, large-scale growth of the Greek population in Omaha started around 1900, when workers were attracted to jobs in the meatpacking industry. Male Greek immigrants were hired by the South Omaha plants to be linebreakers in a series of strikes as labor tried to organize. [Hill, J. (nd) [http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:olq-HZJRmC8J:www.kued.org/joehill/early/papanikolas_interview.html+%22Joe+Hill+-+Dangers+and+Disasters:+Papanikolas+Interview%22&hl=en&client=firefox-a&strip=1 “Interview: Helen Papanikolas.”] Joe Hill: Early 1900s Labor – Papanikolas. Retrieved 6/7/07.] According to one estimate, by 1909 there were an estimated 2,000 Greeks living in South Omaha. [Larsen, L. & Cotrell, B. (1997). "The gate city: A history of Omaha." University of Nebraska Press. P 163.]

Nativist sentiments were aggravated by the Greeks' being hired as strikebreakers. Attitudes about the Greek community in Omaha were often negative, as expressed by the "Omaha Daily News" when they wrote, "Their quarters have been unsanitary; they have insulted women... Herded together in lodging houses and living cheaply, Greeks are a menace to the American laboring manndash just as the Japs, Italians, and other similar laborers are." Men of these groups had been hired as strikebreakers, and American and ethnic working men also feared their willingness to work for low wages. [ [http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0700/frameset_reset.html?http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0700/stories/0701_0130.html "Racial Tensions in Nebraska in the 1920s"] , NebraskaStudies.org. Retrieved 12/30/07.]

Riot

In February 1909, a Greek immigrant man was taking English lessons from a young woman in South Omaha. For some reason, a policeman named Edward Lowery (of Irish descent) arrested him and the young woman on February 19, 1909. While Lowery transported them to the jailhouse, the Greek man pulled out a handgun and mortally wounded the officer. [Officer Lowery also pulled out his service revolver and shot the Greek man. [http://www.odmp.org/officer/19314-policeman-edward-lowery "Edward Lowery"] , Policeman Down Memorial Page. Retrieved 5/11/08.] Greek immigrants had come to the city as strikebreakers, and earlier arrivals resented them. Among those who were hostile were ethnic Irish, who had a large community in South Omaha. Omaha newspapers were particularly renowned for their yellow journalism during this period. They fanned racist flames with salacious headlines about the case . [Larsen, L. & Cotrell, B. (1997). "The gate city: A history of Omaha." University of Nebraska Press. P 165.] The "Omaha Daily News" wrote, "Their quarters have been unsanitary; they have insulted women... Herded together in lodging houses and living cheaply, Greeks are a menace to the American laboring manndash just as the Japs, Italians, and other similar laborers are." [(nd) [http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0700/stories/0701_0130.html "Racial tension in Nebraska in the 1920s."] NebraskaStudies.Org. Retrieved 6/7/07.]

When the Greek perpetrator was finally apprehended, two state legislators (one of Irish descent) and an attorney called a mass meeting of more than 900 men. They "harangued the mob", raising emotions against the Greeks. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9C05E1D91731E733A25751C2A9649C946897D6CF "South Omaha mob wars on Greeks"] , "The New York Times." February 22, 1909. Retrieved 5/25/08.] The mob, gathering more men along the way, thronged around the South Omaha Jail where the Greek prisoner was being held. The police decided it was unsafe to keep him there and decided to move their prisoner to the main Omaha jail. The mob followed the police wagon as it left the jail. More than once they got their hands on the prisoner. At one point they almost lynched him.

After the wagon escaped their grasp, the aroused men turned back towards South Omaha. On February 21 a mob of more than 1,000 men stormed "Greek Town." [Larsen, L. & Cotrell, B. (1997). "The gate city: A history of Omaha." University of Nebraska Press. P 164.] The "New York Times" carried an article about the riot stating that 3,000 men were in the mob. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9C05E1D91731E733A25751C2A9649C946897D6CF "South Omaha mob wars on Greeks"] , "The New York Times." February 22, 1909. Retrieved 5/25/08.] They looted homes and businesses, beat Greek men, women and children, and burnt down every building in the area. One Greek boy was reportedly killed. [Hill, J. (nd) [http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:olq-HZJRmC8J:www.kued.org/joehill/early/papanikolas_interview.html+%22Joe+Hill+-+Dangers+and+Disasters:+Papanikolas+Interview%22&hl=en&client=firefox-a&strip=1 “Interview: Helen Papanikolas.”] ] The entire population of Greeks in South Omaha were warned to leave the city within one day, or risk the ongoing wrath of the mob. During the violence, the South Omaha police could not control the mob. They asked for help from Omaha, then a separate city, but Omaha decided against sending its own police forces to South Omaha. Within a few days, all the Greeks living in South Omaha fled the city, moving to Council Bluffs, Sioux City and Salt Lake City. [Larsen, L. & Cotrell, B. (1997). "The gate city: A history of Omaha", Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, p. 166.]

Soon after, the Greek who mortally wounded Lowry was brought to trial. The suspect was convicted and sentenced to death. The Nebraska Supreme Court reversed the verdict on appeal, because the mob passions in the city had denied him a fair trial. During a second trial, the man was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to 14 years in prison. After serving five and a half years, the man was furloughed by the governor and deported from the United States. [ [http://www.odmp.org/officer/19314-policeman-edward-lowry "Edward Lowry"] , "Policeman Down Memorial Page", retrieved 5/11/08] At the trial, the Greek vice-consul to the United States asked the Federal government to provide an explanation of the expulsion of Greeks from Omaha, as well the failure in government protection of Greek residents. The court trial dragged on and no excuse was ever provided. [Larsen, L. & Cotrell, B. (1997). "The gate city: A history of Omaha." University of Nebraska Press. P 166.]

Today

The Greek community in Omaha has never recovered from this incident. Today, Greek Americans in Omaha number 1,000 at the most; with the Greek economy having improved and restrictive immigration laws of the US, few Greeks have immigrated in recent decades.

There are now two Greek parishes: St. John's Church, the historical anchor of the community, and the Greek Orthodox Church of Greater Omaha, which is also known as GOCGO. [ [http://www.synaxis.org GOCGO] . Retrieved 4/23/08.] Although there are two Greek Orthodox parishes in Omaha, the total number of parishioners is fewer than during the 1960s and 1970s.

Saint John the Baptist continues to flourish in its original location, undergoing a revitalization effort in concert with Omaha's mid-town rebuilding program. Saint John's has active outreach with various ministries in the mid-town area. Saint John the Baptist is known for its "Big Fat Greek Festival", which is held in September. This annual celebration features authentic Greek food and entertainment. On June 13 through June 15, 2008, St. John the Baptist celebrated its Centennial anniversary highlighted by a visit from Dimitrious the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in America.

With two flourishing parishes under the jurisdiction of Isaiah of the Denver Metropolis, Omaha's Greek community continues to assimilate with Omaha. With more than 100 years in the Nebraska and Iowa, Greek Americans have a long history in the Omaha area. [(n.d.) [http://www.synaxis.org/cn/stjohn/abtsjohns.html About St. John's] ] [(n.d.) [http://www.synaxis.org/aboutus.htm About GOCGO] ]

Notable Greeks from Omaha

Omaha has been featured in films by Omaha native Greek-American Alexander Payne. The Oscar-nominated director shot parts of "About Schmidt", "Citizen Ruth" and "Election" in the city.

In 2005, Payne joined the board of directors of Film Streams, a nonprofit arts organization opening a two-screen cinema in downtown Omaha. They want to build an audience for more challenging films, as well as continue to promote Omaha as a place for film production.

See also

* History of Omaha, Nebraska
* South Omaha
* Diaspora politics in the United States
* Timeline of Racial Tension in Omaha, Nebraska
* Greektown

References

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