Newark Riots

[Joey George]

I recently provided the following answers to questions from a college student.

1967 Newark Riots Q & A

Responses to the questions below have been provided by Joseph C George, Jr., (the "Respondent"), who resided in the City of Newark from May 1952 through October 1977. All opinions are solely the opinions of the Respondent and statistical references are based on the Respondent's recollection of the facts and should be verified if more exact data is required.


1. What was Newark like before the riots?

This is a short question that requires a reasonably lengthy response.

Rather than get into a long history discussion, where my recollections may not be as accurate as factual data that one may obtain through further research, I will hone in on what Newark was like immediately preceding the riots (generally from 1960-1967). Newark actually began to show some signs of economic/ social deterioration at the beginning of the
60's, although the city was still very much vibrant both industrially and demographically. The city had always benefited from its proximity to NYC and was a great alternative for living and working as both office/ industrial space and housing costs were far less than in Manhattan.

In 1960, Newark still had a very sizeable White middle class and a significant White working class that managed to live comfortably. There were several significant ethnic groups. Italians were the lead ethnic group comprising as much as 45%-50% of the 425,000 + population. The percentage of Blacks was probably about 20%-25%, followed by the Jews who still had a sizeable presence of about 12%. The remaining population (13%-23%) included, Irish, German, Polish and Portuguese. In 1960, there was only a smattering of Latino's. Despite ethnic and racial diversity, in 1960, Newark was racially segregated and a substantial proportion of Blacks were living below the minimum poverty level.

The blueprint for racial unrest actually began in the mid-to-late 1950's. Poor Blacks migrated from the South to Northern cities as they sought a better and less stressful life. Little did they realize at that time that racism in the North was nearly as bad as it was in the South, only it was more subdued. Blacks toiled hard wherever they could land work but, in general, never made enough money to live but in the worst, most substandard, housing. Many Blacks could not even find work and were
forced to move onto welfare rolls. Since there was not enough substandard housing in the Northern cities to support a growing influx of poor people, the Department of Housing and Urban Development began a program to finance/fund low income housing projects. Accordingly, the mid-1950's ushered the development of a huge amount of "slums in the sky" and Newark was the recipient of probably a dozen or more of of these ugly brick wonders. By 1960, Newark's Black population was concentrated into a few sections of the city and in the projects, which were built just about anywhere, some displacing vibrant neighborhoods and some built in the middle of "no-where."

During the same period (beginning in the late 50's and becoming very significant after 1960) was the advent of "White Flight." Some White Flight occurred naturally as suburbia began to become a desirable alternative to city living. But a predominance of White Flight in Newark, at least at this time, was due to neighborhood busting by realtors who wanted to make money by easily convincing Whites that the Black family that "just moved in down the street" would be the first of many to move in. The old saying amongst Whites was "there goes the neighborhood!"

White Flight changed the demographics of whole areas in just a few years. Case in point is the Weequahic section. In 1960 it was probably 98% White and it is where most of Newark's Jews lived at that time.. By 1966, Weequahic was 80% Black. In six years 40,000 + Jews had moved out of the city!

By 1967, Newark's population had become less diverse. The city now had a Black population that made up nearly 50% of the total and the remainder was predominantly Italian, with a growing Latino base,
primarily Puerto Ricans who were leaving the island paradise for a better life.

Even shortly before the riots, Newark was largely a peaceful city. It was still very much segregated racially, albeit whole neighborhoods and sections had changed. But generally speaking, just about every White resident, as well as the city government, pretty much did not care about the Blacks and mostly ignored them. Little did they know or realize that trouble was lurking within. The riots surprised a lot of people who believed that the "n******'s were well contained in their own happy world."


2. What do I think caused the riots?

Take a balloon and slowly blow it up. Eventually, if you blow too much air into the balloon, it will explode.

A decade of a growing, poor, Black population, concentrated into substandard housing or slums in the sky, very little employment opportunities, a growing culture of poverty, White racism, a clueless and corrupt city government and a racist police force were the primary factors that precipitated the riots. Black activism, particularly radical activism, was the secondary factor that served to ignite the masses of people who had very little hope and a lot of built-up anger.


3. Did I ever think tensions would become so bad in Newark that a riot would occur?

At the time NO… I was only 15 years old, naïve and living in my own little "White" world. Looking back now….YES!!!! There was so much racial tension in the city that I was unaware of, you could cut it with a knife.


4. Did I feel scared when the riots occurred?

Although I lived far from the riots, all of us were scared. My Dad had an illegal gun that he put bullets in. That, in itself, was enough to make me scared. However, in the North Ward, where I lived, we had a vigilante (Tony Imperiale) who had hundreds of deputies that were ready to
protect our Italian bastion ïf the need had ever arisen (it never did- the riots were generally confined to the ghetto).


5. Did the police, in my opinion, do a good job restoring order?


They did the best they could but the city required the help of the National Guard. I think, in light of the seriousness of the entire situation, the Newark Police and the National Guard did a great job. We lost over 40 people in the riots. It could have been worse. The rioters did
not seem to care what happened to them. Anger superceded any fear.


6. What was Newark immediately like after the riots?

Very very quiet. The seeds of outward racial hatred between Blacks and Whites were beginning to brew. Speaking for myself, I was glad it was over but wondered what would things be like now?I had Black friends and approached them very cautiously. I didn't think things would ever be the
same- and they weren't.


7. Was I scared or nervous going back to school?

You bet! And things began to quickly happen in school that was unprecedented. The school I attended, Barranger High, was equally divided racially. The two school years following the riots were years of many one-on-one racial fights and many all-out racial fights (between hundreds of Whites and Blacks). In many cases, the all-out racial fights were started by the White students. School was shut down numerous times and the school was a regular news item on the major TV networks.


8. Do I feel the riots changed Newark and in what way did they?

Newark was not only segregated demographically but also became spiritually segregated. As I said upfront, White racism was not particularly active before the riots. It had now become outward, as had Black racism. Tony Imperiale became a pagan hero to the Whites, post-riots. Imamu Amiri Baraka (formerly Leroi Jones) became a hero to the Blacks. Both of these less than "gentle" men hated each other and outwardly hated the opposing race. These men, major leaders in their respective ommunities, exacerbated the active racism in the city and the press just loved covering them.

Eventually and it didn't take many years, a large proportion of the remaining Whites that could afford to leave Newark, left. The Latino's now coming from many countries grew. By the late-1970's, the racial divide had largely disappeared. There were few Whites left.

After the riots, the large retail strips along major corridors like South Orange Ave, Springfield Ave, Clinton Ave and Elizabeth Ave were gone or nearly gone. Businesses had been destroyed, never to come back. The industrial base also shrank. Newark was no longer a preferred
alternative to NYC - not even to Jersey City.

Sadly, as the remaining Whites left, the city became even poorer. The culture of poverty in Black area's grew and the Latino's coming in were also poor but much less discriminated against. By 1980, Newark was probably the worst city in the United States.


9 How do I think the media covered the riot?

As always, the media covered the riots as a "sensational" event. however, little was said, or analyzed, as to why it happened. It was covered though and I'm sure if we had Fox News or CNN News in 1967, it would have received 7/24 coverage with Geraldo standing at the corner
of Springfield and South Orange Avenue's, dodging bullets.

10. What do I think of Newark now compared to what it was?

Tough question!

Newark is going through a renaissance but is still mired with a culture of poverty that is breeding gangs and a dangerously high violent crime rate. Prior to the riots, crime was modest. Now it is rampant. But there are a whole lot of really good people in Newark, who really want the city to get better. It is far better than it was in 1980 but it has a long way to
become the city it was before the riots. Will it get there? I believe it will and I believe it will become a great city again within twenty years. And it doesn't matter whether it ever has a sizeable White population.. However, the culture of poverty must be reversed before real progress can happen,


11. What legacy did the riots leave behind?

A once vibrant city DIED after the riots. Racial tensions, hopelessness of a large segment of the population, poor living conditions, a smaller industrial base, poor public education and rising crime followed the 1967 riots. However, unlike living creatures that die, a city can rebound
and Newark has the basis for a new life….a growing population of people that truly care and want to make the city better


12. Did Newark ever fully recover from the riots?

See numbers 10 and 11


I leave with this thought.

The destruction of physical property during the riots was directly caused by the rioters. However, new buildings can always be be rebuilt. The destruction of the moral fiber of the City of Newark after the riots, something that spread like a cancer and was a product of both White and Black racism. is what really destroyed the city after the riots. There were no calming forces or influences after the riots that tried to heal the wounds. Instead, people, both Black and White, reacted to each other with anger and real hatred. The fall of Newark resulted from lack of communication, lack of sympathy, lack of understanding and a lack of love for mankind. IT IS THE PEOPLE OF NEWARK THAT KILLED NEWARK. Nearly everyone contributed to the city's demise.

[assunta324]

I used to know someone named Stephen George, are you related. Thanks Bill Colonna