1967 Plainfield riots

Last updated
1967 Plainfield riots
Part of "Long Hot Summer of 1967" during the Civil Rights Movement
DateJuly 14–16, 1967
Location
Methods Rioting, rock throwing, shootout, arson, looting
Resulted inSee Aftermath
Parties
Rioters, residents of Plainfield, NJ
Plainfield police department, New Jersey State Police, New Jersey National Guard
Casualties
Death(s)1
Arrested150 [1]

The Plainfield riots was one of 159 race riots that swept cities in the United States during the "Long Hot Summer of 1967". This riot was a series of racially charged violent disturbances that occurred in Plainfield, New Jersey, which mirrored the 1967 Newark riots in nearby Newark.

Contents

Background

Two days after some African Americans began protesting and rioting in Newark in 1967, the Plainfield riots began. Plainfield is located about 18 miles southwest of Newark, and about a third of Plainfield's 48,000 citizen were African Americans then. Tensions remained high that summer through the night of Friday, July 14 when a fight broke out at a local diner, The White Star. Afterwards, about 40 young black men left the diner and marched back to their housing project in the West End section of Plainfield. They vented their anger along the way by smashing store windows and throwing rocks at police cars. When the local police showed up in force, the group dispersed.

The White Star Diner, which still stands today, [2] was depicted by artist Casey Ruble in 2015. [3] [4]

The riot

On Saturday night trouble started again. Many long time residents of Plainfield claimed that "outside agitators" who did not live in Plainfield came into the city to provoke violence and to "rile up" the community. Some were white men and some were black men and the hatred they fanned was infectious. Rioting and looting increased and Molotov cocktails were thrown at fire trucks responding to calls. Police from surrounding jurisdictions were called in and the crowds finally dispersed when a heavy rain started to fall early Sunday morning.

On Sunday afternoon several hundred people gathered at Green Brook Park to hear the local Director of Human Relations talk about the situation in the city. The Union County, New Jersey Park Police, who had jurisdiction over the park, declared the meeting unlawful and ordered the crowd to disperse. Some reported that the police dismissively referred to the gatherers as "boys" in urging them to leave the park, which was taken as racially inflammatory and may have led to anger. [5] [6] [7] [8]

The crowd broke up and reformed in the West End section of Plainfield where widespread rioting started again. The city police were caught off guard and did not respond quickly enough to quell the disorder.

Murder of Officer John Gleason

Later that evening a white police officer, John Gleason, was manning a checkpoint. Members of the white motorcycle gang known as the Pagans entered the area and a confrontation between a large group of young black men and the white members of the Pagans was brewing. Police Officer John Gleason placed himself between the two groups and the Pagan motorcycle gang left. The remaining crowd refused to disperse and Officer Gleason became surrounded by the crowd which began to threaten him and close in on him. Officer Gleason fired a shot and wounded Bobby Lee Williams. When the officer tried to leave the area to get help, he was overtaken by a mob and was beaten with a steel grocery store cart, stomped and eventually shot and killed with his own service revolver.

Middlesex arms theft

That same night in nearby Middlesex an arms factory was broken into and 46 automatic weapons were stolen. [9] The Plainfield Machine Company was a small manufacturing company owned by William Haas and William Stork that, among other things, produced M1 carbines for the civilian market. The stolen guns were passed out to the men on the streets of Plainfield that very night. The police were anxious because of the large number of guns now on the streets and the Plainfield Fire Department Station was under constant gunfire for five hours. The bullet holes in the brick facade of the building remain to this day. Finally, New Jersey National Guardsmen, in armored personnel carriers relieved the station.

Police tried to arrange a truce and have residents turn in the stolen carbines. Black residents felt that having the guns in the community kept the police at bay and that they now had power over the police. When none of the stolen firearms were returned, the area was cordoned off and 300 heavily armed New Jersey State Police and National Guardsmen started a house-to-house search for the stolen weapons. After about an hour and a half, with 66 homes searched, the operation was called off. The police felt that since Governor Hughes had declared a State of Emergency, no search warrants were needed.

Aftermath

By July 21, things had calmed down to the point where National Guard troops and state police could be pulled out of the city.

Dozens of black residents later filed suit against the government claiming that their constitutional rights had been violated during the search for the stolen carbines. Even several weeks after the riot, the local police and FBI were still looking for the stolen weapons. No arrests had been made in the theft and only a few of the guns had been recovered.

More than 100 people had been arrested for looting and rioting during the disturbance. Officer Gleason was the only person killed during the riot and in December 1968, a jury convicted two people, a man and a woman, of murder in his death. They were both sentenced to life imprisonment. Seven others were acquitted and one case was declared a mistrial because of a deadlocked jury.

Legacy

Like many cities, Plainfield suffered a decline from the stigma of the riots, and many of the burned and looted businesses remained vacant for over four decades. [10] Several residents decamped for neighboring towns like Edison, Scotch Plains, Watchung, Warren, Westfield and Bridgewater. Many residents abandoned their houses after leaving, as the massive number of people selling their property resulted in people being unable to sell them (or at massively reduced prices). After leaving, since the owners did not want to live there anymore but could not sell, they sometimes let them fall into foreclosure. After a while many of them ended up derelict. Many of the houses were also turned into multi family homes. It remains one of the poorest urban areas in the state with a 16 percent poverty rate including over 7 percent having an income less than 50 percent of poverty level.

Author and Plainfield native Isaiah Tremaine published the book Insurrection in 2017 as an accounting of the Plainfield riots from his perspective as a black teenager living in the city at the time. [11] [12]

In July 2017, the Plainfield Anti-Violence Coalition held a memorial event to discuss and commemorate the 50th anniversary of the rebellion. [13] [14] [15]

Playwright TyLie Shider has used the events of 1967 Plainfield as a backdrop for some of his work, including The Gospel Woman and Certain Aspects of Conflict in the Negro Family. [16] [17] [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

In the broader context of racism against Black Americans and racism in the United States, mass racial violence in the United States consists of ethnic conflicts and race riots, along with such events as:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1967 Detroit riot</span> American riot

The 1967 Detroit riot, also known as the 12th Street Riot, was the bloodiest of the urban uprisings in the United States during the "Long, hot summer of 1967". Composed mainly of confrontations between Black residents and the Detroit Police Department, it began in the early morning hours of Sunday July 23, 1967, in Detroit, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watts riots</span> 1965 riots in Los Angeles, United States

The Watts riots, sometimes referred to as the Watts Rebellion or Watts Uprising, took place in the Watts neighborhood and its surrounding areas of Los Angeles from August 11 to 16, 1965.

The 1967 Newark riots were an episode of violent, armed conflict in the streets of Newark, New Jersey. Taking place over a four-day period, the Newark riots resulted in at least 26 deaths and hundreds more serious injuries. Serious property damage, including shattered storefronts and fires caused by arson, left much of the city's buildings damaged or destroyed. At the height of the conflict, the National Guard was called upon to occupy the city with tanks and other military equipment, leading to iconic media depictions that were considered particularly shocking when shared in the national press. In the aftermath of the riots, Newark was quite rapidly abandoned by many of its remaining middle-class and affluent residents, as well as much of its white working-class population. This accelerated flight led to a decades-long period of disinvestment and urban blight, including soaring crime rates and gang activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hough riots</span> Period of civil unrest and rioting in Cleveland, Ohio in July 1966

The Hough riots were riots in the predominantly African-American community of Hough in Cleveland, Ohio, United States which took place from July 18 to 23, 1966. During the riots, four African Americans were killed and 50 people were injured. There were 275 arrests and numerous incidents of arson and firebombings. City officials at first blamed black nationalist and communist organizations for the riots, but historians generally dismiss these claims today, arguing that the cause of the Hough Riots were primarily poverty and racism. The riots caused rapid population loss and economic decline in the area, which lasted at least five decades after the riots.

The Rochester 1964 race riot was a riot that occurred in 1964 in Rochester, New York, United States. The riot occurred in the context of a rapidly-growing African American population in Rochester which had experienced discrimination in employment, housing, and policing in the preceding years. Violence began when the Rochester Police Department attempted to make an arrest at a block party on July 24, 1964, and lasted until July 26. The riot resulted in five deaths, four of which occurred in a helicopter crash in the city, as well as over 300 injuries and 900 arrests. In the aftermath of the riot, downtown Rochester received the attention of several new urban renewal and public housing projects, and local activists organized campaigns to change hiring practices in the city.

Riots often occur in reaction to a perceived grievance or out of dissent. Riots may be the outcome of a sporting event, although many riots have occurred due to poor working or living conditions, government oppression, conflicts between races or religions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avondale, Cincinnati</span> Neighborhood of Cincinnati in Hamilton, Ohio, United States

Avondale is a neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is home to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. The population was 11,345 at the 2020 census.

Arthur J. Sills was the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1962 to 1970. As New Jersey's top law enforcement official, Sills championed an expanded state police, civil right and stronger laws on gun control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long, hot summer of 1967</span> Race riots in the US in 1967

The long, hot summer of 1967 refers to the more than 150 race riots that erupted across the United States in the summer of 1967. In June there were riots in Atlanta, Boston, Cincinnati, Buffalo, and Tampa. In July there were riots in Birmingham, Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Newark, New Britain, New York City, Plainfield, Rochester, and Toledo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey</span>

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit civil rights organization in Newark, New Jersey, and an affiliate of the national American Civil Liberties Union. According to the ACLU-NJ's stated mission, the ACLU-NJ operates through litigation on behalf of individuals, lobbying in state and local legislatures, and community education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knoxville riot of 1919</span> August 1919 mass racial violence, United States

The Knoxville riot of 1919 was a race riot that took place in the American city of Knoxville, Tennessee, on August 30–31, 1919. The riot began when a lynch mob stormed the county jail in search of Maurice Mays, a biracial man who had been accused of murdering a white woman. Unable to find Mays, the rioters looted the jail and fought a pitched gun battle with the residents of a predominantly black neighborhood. The Tennessee National Guard, which at one point fired two machine guns indiscriminately into this neighborhood, eventually dispersed the rioters. Headlines in the immediate aftermath stated five people were killed, while the Washington Times reported "Scores dead." Other newspapers placed the death toll at just two, though eyewitness accounts suggest it was much higher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King assassination riots</span> Riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The King assassination riots, also known as the Holy Week Uprising, were a wave of civil disturbance which swept across the United States following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. Some of the biggest riots took place in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Chicago, and Kansas City.

The Cambridge riot of 1967 was one of 159 race riots that swept cities in the United States during the "Long Hot Summer of 1967". This riot occurred on July 24, 1967 in Cambridge, Maryland, a county seat on the Eastern Shore. For years racial tension had been high in Cambridge, where black people had been limited to second-class status. Activists had conducted protests since 1961, and there was a riot in June 1963 after the governor imposed martial law. "The Treaty of Cambridge" was negotiated among federal, state, and local leaders in July 1963, initiating integration in the city prior to passage of federal civil rights laws.

The 1967 Milwaukee riot was one of 159 race riots that swept cities in the United States during the "Long Hot Summer of 1967". In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, African American residents, outraged by the slow pace in ending housing discrimination and police brutality, began to riot on the evening of July 30, 1967. The inciting incident was a fight between teenagers, which escalated into full-fledged rioting with the arrival of police. Within minutes, arson, looting, and sniping were occurring in the north side of the city, primarily the 3rd Street Corridor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Porambo</span> American journalist

Ronald Porambo was a journalist most well known for thoroughly covering the 1967 Newark riots. He authored the book No Cause For Indictment: An Autopsy of Newark, which exposed the role of police in the violence that occurred during the riots, which left 26 people dead. Porambo became passionate about revealing the depths of institutional racism and corruption of state and local governments of New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghetto riots (1964–1969)</span> American civil unrest, 1964-1969

The term ghetto riots, also termed ghetto rebellions, race riots, or negro riots refers to summer social unrest across the United States in the mid-to-late 1960s, characterized by African American groups using violent tactics.

The 1967 Riviera Beach riot was one of 159 riots during the Long, hot summer of 1967. It originated at the Blue Heron Bar in Riviera Beach, Florida and involved 400 rioters swarming the establishment. Forty-five people were arrested over the four hours it took to disperse the riot, including 14 teenagers in nearby West Palm Beach who were in possession of bomb-making materials.

The 1967 New York City riot was one of many riots that occurred during the long, hot summer of 1967. The riot began after an off-duty police officer, Patrolman Anthony Cinquemani, while trying to break up a fight, shot and killed a Puerto Rican man named Renaldo Rodriquez who he claimed was carrying a knife.

References

  1. On Government Operations Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, United States Congress Senate Committee (1967). Hearings before the United States Senate Committee on Government Operations 90th Congress. U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 952–953.
  2. "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  3. "Casey Ruble: Artwork". Artcenternj.org. 14 April 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2018.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. Casey Ruble (2015). ""They said they'd rather die here than in Vietnam."" (JPG). Newsfordham.edu. Retrieved 2 June 2018. Paper collage. 6 ½ x 8 inches
  5. "Plainfield Riots Remembered 40 Years Later". NPR. July 28, 2007. Retrieved 2 June 2018. There's no visible memorial mark around the spot where Officer John Gleason was killed, across from the Elmwood Grades Projects. But there are signs of hope. The people ...
  6. "50 years in Plainfield's history: From devastating riots to long-awaited ..." July 16, 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  7. "PHOTOS: A new beginning in Plainfield, 50 years after riots". Mycentraljersey.com. July 11, 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2018. Looking down W. Third Street in Plainfield, an area that was under siege during 1967 riots. 50-year anniversary of the riots in Plainfield during the summer of 1967 which left one policeman dead, nearly 50 residents hurt and more than 100 arrested after riots broke out following a fight in the West End, the ...
  8. Dreier, Peter (July 17, 2007). "Riot and Reunion: Forty Years Later". The Nation. Retrieved 2 June 2018. In the summer of 1967, Plainfield, New Jersey, and scores of other US cities exploded in racial violence. Forty years later, the impact is still palpable.
  9. Bechir Kenzari, Architecture and Violence (2011) at 251 ("The Plainfield riots were extraordinarily violent, in part because a break-in at the Plainfield Machine Company, a small manufacturer of military-style M1 carbines, resulted in the informal distribution [of the guns] on the street. In one incident, a fire station sustained gunfire for five hours before New Jersey National Guardsmen in armored personnel carriers broke the siege.")
  10. MacDonald, Lee (15 July 1987). "Business Fled After the Riots of 1967". Bridgewater New Jersey Courier-News. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  11. "Recalling the 1967 Plainfield riots". Mycentraljersey.com. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  12. "INSURRECTION". Isaiah Tremaine Books. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  13. "Commemoration of Plainfield Rebellion's 50th Anniversary Planned for Saturday". Tapinto.net. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  14. "Plainfield Anti-Violence Coalition". Facebook.com. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  15. "Plainfield Anti-Violence Coalition Public Group". Facebook. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  16. "National Black Theatre's 2022-23 Season Features Co-Productions With New Group, Rattlestick, Ars Nova | Playbill".
  17. "Premiere Stages at Kean University Announces 2022 Season". NewJerseyStage.com. May 25, 2022.
  18. Binger, rew; Griffin-Quick, Deonté; Shider, TyLie (June 13, 2022). "3 Black Theatremakers at Play (and at Work) in NJ's ArtYard". AMERICAN THEATRE.