they could move, because the war had halted home construction and housing was scarce. Whites responded by attempting to tighten the color bar in housing, schools, and public accommodations. Some whites resorted to terrorism and organized guerilla warfare. White "athletic clubs" assaulted blacks on the streets; neighborhood improvement societies bombed black-owned homes. By 1919, blacks were being assaulted on the streets daily. When blacks fought back, the result were the July 1919 riots. The riots lasted 13 days, left 38 people dead, 537 injured, and 1000 black families without homes. A core of black politicians, among whom were CCBA members Edward Wright, Oscar DePriest, and Robert R. Jackson planned the creation of a political organization based on the "black belt" geographical boundaries. In 1910, Wright ran in the primary as a candidate for alderman. In 1912, he ran again, increasing the number of votes. In 1914, he supported William R. Cowen, a real estate businessman, who cornered 45% of the vote. The leadership group of the Republican Party then realized that they had to consider black aspirations when slating candidates in the 2nd ward. In 1915, the Republican Party nominated Oscar DePriest for alderman. DePriest won election as alderman of the 2nd ward. Robert R. Jackson was elected to represent the senatorial district in the General Assembly. Historian Christopher Robert Reed described this period as a "metamorphosis" of the black population from being a "barely discernible presence" into a dynamic, revolutionary change. An important component of this change was the rising racial consciousness that affected and unified all classes of black society. It was a level of racial solidarity that bonded the community's thinking and manifested itself in the formation of the Black Metropolis. Reed noted that the 1919–20 edition of Black's Blue Book listed 1,200 black-owned businesses which included five banks, 48 real estate offices, 106 physicians, 40 dentists, 70 lawyers, three insurance companies, six hotels, and 11 newspapers. The Cook County Bar Association was home to a number of first Black women in law. The third woman allowed to practice law in the United States, Ida Platt, and Violette Neatley Anderson, the first Black woman to testify before the Supreme Court were both involved in the Cook County Bar Association. Ida Platt was a founding member, and Violette Neatley Anderson served as a vice president from 1920–1926. Presidents and leaders 1914–18: Edward H. Wright was the first president