Today in Labor History February 13, 1837: A Flour Riot occurred in New York City. 6,000 New Yorkers, attending a "bread, meat, rent, and fuel" meeting in Chatham Square, assaulted local flour merchants who they claimed were hoarding flour in order to drive up the price. The Locofocos (a libertarian-like faction of the Democratic Party that opposed Tammany Hall) organized a public protest against runaway prices that turned into a riot. The police arrested 40 people.