Harlem’s Attack on Racial Segregation

The city of New York is a worldwide tourist attraction and tourist may come to witness the skyscrapers or to visit the monumental Statue of Liberty. However, even some New Yorkers don’t know the history behind what makes New York the city it is now. New York is a diverse metropolis, which has a notorious history. It can be imagined as an army of soldiers with war scars. One of those solider is the Neighborhood “Harlem”, one of its biggest scars is the Harlem Riot of 1935, which was the result of the poor economic standards in Harlem and the Police Brutality. Harlem is famous for its cultural movement, which is known as the Harlem Renaissance, or the New Negro Movement. There’s a quote by Martin Luther King Jr. which is mentioned in his acceptance speech for his Noble Peace Prize, “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” The Harlem Riots of 1935 was simply another attack to help end the battle of racism.
According to Wang, Tabitha C in her online article, Harlem Race Riot (1935) the riot occurred on March 19, 1935, when a 16-year-old black Puerto Rican teenager stole a 10-cent knife from a store called Kress Five and Ten on 125th Street. Soon after Police officials detained Rivera, no charges were made against him. In the heat of the moment, crowds began to emerge in front of the store and much rumor spread through the street of Harlem that Rivera was beaten to death when an ambulance left the scene empty. Afterwards groups organized by the Young Communist League and a black group called the Young Liberators gathered together to rally up and to speak up on the situation, grabbing the attention of thousands of people. However, Police officials arrested the speaker as an attempt to disband the crowd and in that moment, the crowd that has formed up began to riot and start destroying property value. The riot ended the next day, around three African Americans were killed and nearly 200 people were injured, seventy-five arrests were made and over $200 million in property damage.
One the reasons why the riot occurred was because of the poor economic living standard African Americans in Harlem were living through. In the report, The Harlem Revolts of 1935 and 1943, written by Janet Abu-Lughod, it claims that there were over 200,000 thousands living in Harlem which indicated the growth of the Negro population, that had doubled within the years 1925 to 1930. Yet the Harlem Riot of 1935 was a flame that was only building up. Harlem suffered greatly from the Great Depression, people across the nation were struggling to find job and unemployment levels were especially high in Harlem. There had already been tension between white business owners and black residents existing around the time of the riot because blacks were not being allowed to work at the same stores they kept running in business as customers. In 1933, African Americans were picketing and boycotting the business stores in Manhattan. However the storeowners were capable of legislating the protest and putting an end to it, which only enrages the protestors. The black community only struggled more as time went on in Harlem. However, this example of unequal employment wasn’t the only demonstration of economic problems in Harlem.
The Harlem community had also protested constantly against the comp comparatively high rentals, which they were forced to pay. According John LaFarge, in his article Harlem Flats and Public Conscience, he claims that rent was to blame for the outbreak of the riot as well. In Harlem, Apartments that would rent “for 25 dollars in the lower east side, cost $40-$50 in Harlem.” Now if we were to convert the value of the dollar back to the value of today’s dollar. An estimate of $45 in 1930 would equivalence of around $560 and the equivalence of $25 would be $300. There is $200 difference that the building owners, who mainly were mainly white, were profiting from this discrimination. This problematic financial crisis left many African Americans at the time to live in crowded households. With no resolution, there has been another reason to fuel the flame which to the led the riot.
Another one of the causes that made the Harlem Riot of 1935 a fight against racism was the police brutality. Police officials were inadequate and were investigating illegally or taking drastic measures. In a New York Times newspaper of Aug 6, 1943, editor Arthur Garfield Hays claims that:
“The insecurity of the of the individual in Harlem against police aggression is in our judgment one of the most potent causes of the existing hostility to authority. Various witnesses testified as to illegal searches of their person and property by the police.”
One of these illegal searches is mentioned in the commission report to Mayor LaGuardia; the victim of this illegal search by police official was Mr. Patterson. Patterson had illegal search done by police official showing no shield or search warrant, invading the sanctum of his home. Police officials invaded his home believe that he was murderer from Philadelphia. Police records show that on May 5th, the police department in the Harlem district claimed Patterson was a murderer after receiving an anonymous telephone. Several hours after the call police official invade Patterson home and arrested him. Police official than contacted the Philadelphia police, who requested fingerprints. After two day, the Philadelphia police confirmed that he was innocent. Clearly from this case we see an invasion of privacy.
Two more cases that demonstrated police brutality are also mentioned in the commission report. The first case is the shooting of a 16 year Puerto Rican boy because he ran after being surprised in an act of burglary. The other case was when Edward Laurie, an African American had a warrant for his arrest. A manager of a restaurant charged Laurie for disorderly conduct. After being spotted on Lenox Ave, a police official noticed he was intoxicated and swung at him, fracturing his skull so badly he died in the hospital after being admitted 15 minutes later.
-------------------------------------------------
In an earlier New York Times newspaper of March 31, 1935, it states that John J. De Martino, an inspector, was testified and that if he had been the police officer on duty he would allowed Rivera to be seen so that the rumor wouldn’t had progress. With that being said, De Martino promised that if rumors were to circulate again he would broadcast to agencies to dispel the rumors and allow no mystery from the public.
-------------------------------------------------
However, despite the violence and devastation that arose from the riot, some positive changes occurred in the community. Mayor Fiorello La Guardia took action in the aftermath of the riots. Believing racial tensions were at the root of the riot, he created a biracial commission, which he mentioned in his speech to the city of New York, to investigate the riot and the conditions in Harlem that preceded it.
-------------------------------------------------
“As soon as I receive these reports they will be made public, I am appointing a committee of representative citizens to check all official reports and to make a through investigation of the causes of the disorder and study of necessary plans to prevent a repetition of the spreading of malicious rumors, racial animosities and the inciting of disorder.”
-------------------------------------------------
The outcome of the commission's investigation was provided on March 31, 1936, in a report titled The Negro in Harlem: A Report on Social and Economic Conditions Responsible for the Outbreak of March 19, 1935. The report offered recommendations for improving relationship between whites and black and also to increase social and economic opportunities for African Americans. Among the recommendations were significant anti-discrimination efforts in housing, employment, and education opportunities. The report also recommended equal employment opportunities in jobs and for anti-discriminatory law enforcement.
-------------------------------------------------
So therefore, city of New York has much to respect Harlem for and hopefully some New Yorker learn about the history behind those street when there out shopping. The fight against racism that was provided by unequal law enforcement and the economic situation the Harlem neighborhood was dealing with. However, even today there are those who discriminate the lower class, those who claim that people are inferior to them. Just like the citizens that lived in Harlem. We should continue to pour on the flame of racism that stills exist in our modern day and make a new scar to mark history on New York.
-------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------

Works Cited

Abu-Lughod, Janet L. Race, Space, And Riots In Chicago, New York, And Los Angeles. n.p.: 2007. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 28 Oct. 2012.

Arthur, Garfield H. "Riots in Harlem Analyzed." New York Times (1923-Current file): 14. Aug 06 1943. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2008). Web. 19 Oct 2012

Frazier, Franklin E. The Negro in Harlem: A Report on Social and Economic Conditions Responsible for the Outbreak of March 19, 1935. N.E. New York: n.p, 1935. Print.
Greenberg, Cheryl. "The politics of disorder: reexamining Harlem's riots of 1935 and 1943." Journal of Urban History 18.4 (1992): 395+. Academic OneFile. Web. 28 Oct. 2012.
LaGuardia, Fiorello H. “Speech to the Citizens of New York”. LaGuardia Community College. Wagner Archives, 20 March 1935. Print. Oct 24. 2012
"Police Criticized on Harlem Unrest." New York Times (1923-Current file): 25. Mar 31 1935. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2008). Web. 27 Oct. 2012.
"The Birth of the Harlem Renaissance: History & Timeline — Infoplease.com." Infoplease. 2000–2007 Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease. 22 Oct. 2012
Wang, Tabitha C. "Harlem Race Riot (1935)." Harlem Race Riot (1935). University of Washington, Seattle,. Web. 19 Oct. 2012.