On this day, July 12, in 1967

Tension between blacks and whites in Newark, New Jersey exploded into six days of rioting when the police arrested and beat a black cab driver named John Smith. The rioting left 23 people dead and thousands of others were injured or arrested. Although Newark had quickly become one of the first major cities to have a majority black population, political power remained in the control of whites. The black community was plagued by rampant police brutality, unemployment, poor housing conditions, and poverty. After the riots, much of Newark’s white population left the city, and poverty continued to plague Newark’s black community.