Yesterday I posted a piece called Finding Newark - Pride Week. It is the first of what I hope are many post looking at the city of Newark. I originally moved here in 1999 from Saint Louis. I left in 2005 and returned in March of this year. My first time in Newark I really did not take the time to learn about the city or its politics. This time I will not make the same mistake. So I have decided to go out and actively learn about Newark and find the real Newark, not just what is in the news or what is marketed, but what is really happening in the city. The post about Pride Week is the first of the Finding Newark series.
Newark Ironbound Portuguese community
I do know that Newark, New Jersey has a long history. It was originally founded in 1666 by Connecticut Puritans and formed as a township in 1693, well before the Thirteen Colony Revolution. It is located about 8 miles from Manhattan and its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean makes it a major port. Newark is the largest city in New Jersey and the 65th largest in the country, but it is also part of the largest region of US population being located in the NYC Metro area. After neighboring
Jersey City Newark is New Jersey's second-most diverse city in a very diverse region of the country,
. Its neighborhoods are populated with people from various backgrounds, such as
African Americans,
Puerto Ricans,
Dominicans,
Italians,
Albanians,
Irish,
Spaniards,
Jamaicans,
Mexicans,
West Africans,
Brazilians,
Trinidadians and
Portuguese population.
Dilapidated building on Broad Street in the heart of the city and one of the busiest streets.
Newark has been known as one of the most dangerous cities in U.S. America. When I told a friend of mine in Saint Louis, also known as a dangerous city, that I was moving to Newark, he joked jumping from the frying pan into the fire. From Wikipedia:
In 1996, TIME Magazine ranked Newark "The Most Dangerous City in the Nation." By 2007, however, the city recorded a total of 99 homicides for the year, representing a significant drop from the record of 161 murders set in 1981. The number of murders in 2008 dropped to 65, a decline of 30% from the previous year and the lowest in the city since 2002 when there was also 65 murders.
In the 2006 survey, Newark was ranked as the 22nd most dangerous city in the United States, out of 371 cities included nationwide in the 13th annual Morgan Quitno survey. In the 2007 rankings, now performed by CQ Press, Newark was the 20th most dangerous city in America of 378 cities surveyed. In 2008, Newark was ranked as the 24th most dangerous city. In March, 2010, Newark enjoyed its first month without a homicide since 1966.
Mayor Cory Booker
Newark is also know for a heavy dose of political corruption. Five of the last seven Mayors of Newark have been indicted on criminal charges, including its three most recent Mayors: Hugh Addonizio, Kenneth Gibson, and Sharpe James. When I left Sharpe James was Mayor. Cory Booker is the current Mayor. He is well know across the country and a rising star. If I had been here when he ran the first time I would have voted for him. I did vote for Cory in the latest election and I am excited about the things he has done and I hope he will do more. But I am also critical and will be watching.
The Rebellion:
An important part of Newark history that still affects the economic and social well being of the city today is the 1967 Rebellion or what many people call Riots.
http://www.67riots.rutgers.edu/n_index.htm
The Newark Riot of 1967 began wit
h the arrest of a cab driver named John Smith, who allegedly drove around a double-parked police car at the corner of 7th St. and 15th Avenue. He was subsequently stopped, interrogated, arrested and transported to the 4th precinct headquarters, during which time he was severely beaten by the arresting officers. As news of the arrest spread, a crowd began to assemble in front of the precinct house, located directly across from a high-rise public housing project. When the police allowed a small group of civil rights leaders to visit the prisoner, they demanded that Mr. Smith be taken to a hospital. Emerging from the building, these civil rights leaders begged the crowd to stay calm, but they were shouted down. Rumor spread that John Smith had died in police custody, despite the fact he had been taken out the back entrance and transported to a local hospital. Soon a volley of bricks and bottles was launched at the precinct house and police stormed out to confront the assembly. As the crowd dispersed they began to break into stores on the nearby commercial thoroughfares. Eventually violence spread from the predominantly black neighborhoods of Newark's Central Ward to Downtown Newark, and the New Jersey State Police were mobilized. Within 48 hours, National Guard troops entered the city. With the arrival of these troops the level of violence intensified. At the conclusion of six days of rioting 23 people lay dead, 725 people were injured and close to 1500 people had been arrested.
Essex County College Campus
Since then, the city has struggled to recover, but lately has experienced a renaissance of sorts. I know for fact that their are lovely beautiful spots in Newark. I will stop here as part of the mission of Searching for Newark is to examine the status of the city. Watch out there is more to come.
