1967 Newark riots
The 1967 Newark Riots were a major civil disturbance that occurred in the city of Newark, New Jersey between July 12 and July 17 1967. In the period leading up to the riots, several factors led local African American residents to feel powerless and disenfranchised. In particular they had been largely excluded from political representation and often suffered police brutality. Furthermore, unemployment, poverty and concerns about low quality housing contributed to the tinder-box.
This unrest came to a head when a Black cab driver named John Smith was arrested and brutally beaten by police for illegally passing a double-parked police car and then resisting arrest. A crowd gathered outside the police station where he was detained, and a rumour was started that he had been killed whilst in police custody. (Actually he had been moved to a local hospital.)
This set off five days of riots, looting, violence and destruction — ultimately leaving 23 people dead, 725 people injured and close to 1,500 arrested. Property damage exceeded $10 million.
The riot is often cited as a major factor in the decline of Newark and its neighboring communities, as many of the city's residents fled to the suburbs immediately following the riots.
The 1967 Plainfield riots occurred during the same period in Plainfield, New Jersey, a town about 18 miles south-west of Newark.
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