The Heartbreaking 1965 Newark Footage City Hall Wants Forgotten

The woman was crying because her son was killed on a Newark, New Jersey street corner that had no stoplight. This video presents sections of a historically relevant 1965 documentary funded by the National Council of Churches in an effort to help those in America’s inner cities find ways to express themselves to their local NJ government leaders with the hope of improving their conditions. The filmmakers were following what happened when a group from Students for a Democratic Society, SDS, a political action group, went to Newark to organize people so they could improve their living and working conditions. As you watch this, remember that just two years later, Newark exploded in riots that killed 26 people, injured hundreds and destroyed hundreds of buildings. Here’s what happened when they got together to get a stoplight at an intersection. The situation in Newark at the time was explained in two words: racial polarization. Whites held the power in Newark along with a token representation of blacks who locals called “house Negroes.” Newark at the time was 52% black. People were angry at the inaction of their local government leaders. The filmmakers followed the organizers as they went into the streets to speak with residents. Among the conditions that bothered many was housing. Residents paid rent and requested repairs. The filmmakers followed residents as they attempted to push for improvements. When that didn’t work, organizers encouraged residents to form a new political party, a third party that would beat the Democrats in an upcoming election. Those who remember 1967 as the "Summer of Love" may have forgotten what happened that year in Newark. Over four days of rioting, looting & and property destruction, 26 people died & hundreds were injured with neighborhoods left in ruins. The riots left economically significant negative effects on blacks income and employment. And the riots significantly depressed the value of black-owned property for the decades after. In 2020 though often-cited among America's more dangerous cities, statistics show Newark, with the city's population on the rise, having its lowest crime rate in 50 years.