16-138 Garand Picture of the Day - Pittsburgh 1968.

[Bob Seijas]

In the Newark riot the Guard expended over 10,000 rounds.

Information

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[Mark in Rochester]

In the Newark riot the Guard expended over 10,000 rounds.

This unrest came to a head when two white Newark policemen, John DeSimone and Vito Pontrelli, arrested a black cabdriver, John Weerd Smith, for improperly passing them on 15th Avenue.[5] Smith was taken to the 4th Police Precinct, which was across the street from Hayes Homes, a large public housing project. Residents of Hayes Homes saw an incapacitated Smith being dragged into the precinct, and a rumor was started that he had been killed while in police custody (Smith had in fact been moved to a local hospital). Outraged crowds began to destroy public and private property and confronted and attacked the police, causing injuries. In turn there were a few men who were shot dead by police.

The second day saw a reduced intensity from the previous night and there was a chance for calm. Unfortunately, the National Guard had already been called up and entered the city; early in the evening of July 15 a woman named Rebecca Brown was killed in a fusillade of bullets directed at the window of her second floor apartment. This event helped to set off the worst of the fighting. By the sixth day, riots, looting, violence, and destruction ultimately left a total of 16 civilians, 8 suspects, a police officer, and a firefighter dead; 353 civilians, 214 suspects, 67 police officers, 55 firefighters, and 38 military personnel injured; and 689 civilians and 811 suspects arrested. Property damage exceeded $10 million.



In an effort to contain the riots, every evening at 6 p.m. the Bridge Street and Jackson Street Bridges, both of which span the Passaic River between Newark and Harrison, were closed until the next morning.