1967 Newark Riots
On July 12, 1967, a taxi driver named John Smith was beaten by police after allegedly violently resisting arrest. He had driven around a double-parked police car. A crowd gathered outside the police station where Smith was detained. Due to miscommunication, the crowd believed Smith had died in custody, although he had been transported to a hospital via a back entrance to the station. This sparked scuffles between African Americans and police in the Fourth Ward, although the damage toll was only $2,500.
Subsequent to television news broadcasts on July 13 however, new and larger riots took place. Twenty-six people were killed; 1,500 wounded; 1,600 arrested; and $10 million in property was destroyed. More than a thousand businesses were torched or looted, including 167 groceries (most of which would never reopen). Newark's reputation suffered dramatically. It was said, "wherever American cities are going, Newark will get there first."
The long and short term causes of the riots are explored in depth in the documentary film Revolution '67.
Read more about this topic: History Of Newark, New Jersey