The Newark Riots of 1967: Historic Photos Documenting the Rage, Destruction, and the Aftermath of Urban Unrest

The summer of 1967 was a hot one, and not just because of the weather. Across the United States, frustration and anger simmered in many African American communities. Issues like poverty, lack of jobs, poor housing, and police brutality had reached a boiling point. Newark, New Jersey, became the epicenter of this unrest, erupting in violence that left a lasting scar on the city.

On July 12th, the spark that ignited Newark came from a seemingly minor event. John Smith, a black cab driver, was arrested by white police officers near a housing project. Rumors quickly spread that Smith had been beaten and even killed while in police custody. A crowd gathered at the precinct, demanding answers and justice.

The situation escalated rapidly. Bottles and bricks were thrown, met by police with nightsticks and tear gas. The anger, fueled by years of pent-up frustration, spilled onto the streets. Newark, a city already grappling with racial tension and economic hardship, became engulfed in flames.

For five long days and nights, the riots raged. Stores were looted and burned, buildings were damaged, and the streets became a battleground. The National Guard was called in to restore order, but their presence only seemed to intensify the violence. Snipers fired from rooftops, adding to the chaos and fear.

Residents, black and white, found themselves caught in the crossfire. Some risked their lives to help others, offering shelter or medical aid. Others took advantage of the lawlessness, furthering the destruction.

By the time the riots subsided on July 17th, the toll was devastating. Twenty-six people lost their lives, hundreds were injured, and property damage reached millions of dollars. The scars of those five days went beyond the physical destruction. The riots exposed the deep racial and economic divisions within Newark, leaving a legacy of mistrust and resentment.

The Newark Riots were not an isolated incident. They were part of a larger wave of urban unrest that swept across the United States during the “Long Hot Summers” of the 1960s. Cities like Detroit, Los Angeles, and Chicago also experienced similar explosions of anger and violence.

#1 A youth group protesting the use of Federal Troops to control.

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#2 Members of the National Guard join the local police in searching for rooftop snipers

.#3 Two soldiers sit in a shop doorway amid broken mannequins during riots in Newark, New Jersey, 1967.

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#4 A Black woman peers from beside a gate in the door of a store with a sign in the window reading ‘Negro owner,’ 1967

#7 A young man sits handcuffed in the back of a police wagon during a riot

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#6 A Black man gestures with his thumb down to an armed National Guardman, during a protest

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#7 LeRoi Jones leaves a police station bloodied and in chains after being arrested

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#8 Police officers hold rifles out of the windows of a police cruiser on Springfield Avenue

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#9 A policeman arrests a suspect during riots, 1960s.

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#10 National Guardsmen rest in front of a hairdressers shop

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#11 A National Guardsman stands behind a corner and holds a Garand rifle

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#12 A shotgun and an elbow protrude from the window of a police cruiser

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#13 A young boy walks down the sidewalk past shuttered storefronts towards a furniture store

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#14 A soldier of the National Guard stands next to a mannequin’s legs and a sign reading ‘Uniforms Sold Here’

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#15 Soldiers of the National Guard shelter behind a stack of boxes

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#16 Smoke rises from the city

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#17 Smoke rises from the city

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#18 A young African American boy passes a National Guardsman in an alley of Springfield Avenue

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#19 A Newark man holds his injured eye as he is admitted to hospital during the riots taking place in

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#20 Suspected rioters place their hands on the roof of their car after they had been stopped by police during the riots

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#21 Newark police briefing officers in a warehouse before they head out into the riots taking place in Newark, New Jersey, 1960s.

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#22 Armed officers of the National Guard patrol the streets

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#23 Robert Curvin, Core official, uses bullhorn to ask crowd to calm down as they gather in front of the Fourth Precinct Police station

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#24 An African-American storekeeper stands outside his shop, which has a sign reading, ‘This store is owned and operated by Negroes.

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#25 Police take cover behind parked cars during the riots in Newark, New Jersey, 1960s.

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#26 A group of women in a police station as they wait to pick up relatives picked up by police for looting during riots

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#27 National Guard troops start to deploy into Springfield Ave., the scene of heavy rioting, 1960s.

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#28 A man resisting arrest is taken from the area near where police officer Frederick Toto was fatally shot

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#29 Newark children pass National Guardsman during riots, 1960s.

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#30 LeRoi Jones in a police station, bloodied and in chains after being arrested.

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#31 Helmeted police riot argue with an African american man as Newark witnessed its second night of rioting, 1960s.

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#32 National Guardsmen frisk a suspect at bayonet point during the third consecutive night.

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#33 Police officers and National Guardsmen round up looters on a major thoroughfare following a second night of rioting in Newark, New Jersey, 1960s.

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#34 An aerial view shows a looted section, 1960s.

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#35 National Guardsmen try to ignore heckling of protestors on Newark’s Springfield Ave.

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#36 Helmeted police riot guards drag a wounded rioter away from the scene of violence

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#37 A National Guardsmen stands with a rifle atop a personnel carrier vehicle, blocking traffic leaving the area

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#38 Soldiers in an armored personnel carrier patrol the streets of Newark

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#39 A Newark police officer shelters from a sniper

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#40 Newark police officers and state troopers exchange fire with a sniper

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#41 Police and state troopers return the fire of a sniper

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#42 A member of the National Guard sits with his rifle on the steps of a closed convenience store

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#43 Newark Police and National Guardsmen search for looting suspects outside stores

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#44 National Guard soldiers armed and on alert.

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#45 National Guard soldiers taking cover behind a fallen store sign

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#46 National Guard soldiers taking cover behind a car, guns pointed towards the street

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#47 A group of National Guard soldiers taking cover behind a US Army armored car

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#48 National Guard soldiers taking cover under the awning of a building, guns pointed towards the street

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#49 National Guard soldiers on the roof of a building overlooking the streets

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#50 A National Guard soldier crouched behind a car, gun pointed towards the street at night

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#51 A young African American man walking on a sidewalk looks at a group of National Guard soldiers, 1960s.

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#52 National Guard soldiers in ambush behind a jeep armed with a light machine gun

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#53 National Guard soldiers in ambush behind a jeep armed with a light machine gun

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#54 A National Police officer searches an African American man in front of a parked car

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#55 A National Police officer searches an African American man in front of a parked car

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#56 National Guard soldiers take cover behind a jeep armed with a light machine gun

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#57 National Guard soldiers gathered behind a jeep armed with a light machine gun

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#58 Two police officers in riot helmets take cover behind a parked car

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#59 A shop window belonging to the African-American community, protected from looting, with the inscription ‘Soul Brothers’, 1960s.

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#60 A troop of armed National Guard soldiers on patrol on a sidewalk of Springfield Avenue

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#61 A troop of armed National Guard soldiers and police officers on patrol

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#62 A National Guard soldier stands guard in front of a looted and gutted store

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#63 A troop of armed National Guard soldiers patrol near a jeep armed with a light machine gun

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#64 A National Guard soldier stands with a gun pointed towards the street next to a police officer crouched behind a jeep

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#65 An African-American man in a hat under arrest, standing in front of a counter surrounded by Newark police officers, 1960s.

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#66 National Guard soldiers on guard at night on a sidewalk

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#67 Riots at Newark

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#68 National Guard soldiers in riot helmets with bayonets raised, exhibiting flashlights

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#69 State Police officers in uniform and armed are at the counter in a cafeteria, among them an elderly African-American man

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#70 Three young African-American men arrested, chained and handcuffed, one of them wearing a bloodstained white shirt

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#71 A group of residents disperses under the direction of armed police officers on a sidewalk

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#72 An African-American man is arrested by police officers and National Guard soldiers

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#73 A young African-American man lying on the hood of a parked car is searched by a group of National Police officers

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#74 Two young African American boys in t-shirts and Bermuda shorts near broken mannequin busts on the sidewalk

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#75 Newark Police arrest a looter at Springfield Ave. and Mercer St. during riots

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#76 Young African Americans on the sidewalk of an avenue lined with brick houses

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#77 A regiment of the federal guard and state police driving jeeps in single file on an avenue

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#78 A regiment of the federal guard and state police driving jeeps in single file on an avenue

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#79 Military jeeps and trucks occupied by soldiers of the federal guard on an avenue

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