Harlem riot of 1964


“On Thursday, July 16, 1964, James Powell was shot and killed by police Lieutenant Thomas Gilligan. The second bullet of three fired by Lieutenant Gilligan killed the 15-year-old African American in front of his friends and about a dozen other witnesses. The incident immediately rallied about 300 students from a nearby school who were informed by the principal. This incident set off six consecutive nights of rioting that affected the New York City neighborhoods of Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvesant. In total, 4,000 New Yorkers participated in the riots which led to attacks on the New York City Police Department, vandalism, and looting in stores. At the end of the conflict, reports counted one dead rioter, 118 injured, and 465 arrested. It is said that the Harlem race riot of 1964 is the precipitating event for riots in July and August in cities such as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Rochester, New York; Chicago, Illinois; Jersey City, New Jersey; Paterson, New Jersey; and Elizabeth, New Jersey. …”
Wikipedia
NY Times: The Original Long, Hot Summer
NPR: New York’s ‘Night Of Birmingham Horror’ Sparked A Summer Of Riots (Video)
The Bowery Boys – The New York Riots of 1964: Violent history with a haunting familiarity
YouTube: Harlem Race Riot 1964 Footage

About 1960s: Days of Rage

Bill Davis - 1960s: Days of Rage
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