Chapter 25 Summary

The narrator reaches Harlem faces the sound of gunshots. A few men pushing a safe down the street warn the narrator to get out of their way, and the narrator is suddenly in the midst of a riot. The narrator sees policemen firing their guns, and the narrator is grazed in the head by a bullet and blood drips onto his face. A few men stop to help him, and they invite the narrator to join them in their looting. The narrator is still drunk and feels forgetful, but he still manages to hang onto his briefcase which contains Mary's bank, his Brotherhood identification, the anonymous letter he received and Clifton's doll.

The group of men has a plan, and amidst the looting and chaotic rioting, they talk about what caused the riot. Everyone has a different explanation; some say it is because...