If any of you are intereseted in the Politics & History of Newark, NJ (our beloved home town) I am reading a very interesting book on the topic: HOW NEWARK BECAME NEWARK - THE RISE, FALL & REBIRTH OF AN AMERICAN CITY. by Brad Tuttle, 2009. OK I don't get the Rebirth part either but I have not gotten to the last chapter yet. Actually I started reading the book in the middle starting with the 20th Century as my interest lies there much more than in colonial times.
Just a few points of note: Every Mayor except for 2 since 1930 has been at least indicted on corruption charges if not convicted (not counting Booker who still has time). There were 2 political parties or blocs over this time from 1930 to 1970 & they were not the Dems or Republicans. One party was the "Irish" & the other the "Jews & Italians". The Irish ostensbly were billed as the reformers (Mayors Murphy & Carlin) while the Jewish/Itialian bloc made no pretense about it - The were the Mob backed candidates according to the author (Mayors Ellenstein, Villani & Addonizio). Equally interesting was how the Newark Housing Authority & Urban Renewal projects destroyed the city & it's tax base by eliminating neighborhoods & shopping districts while chasing lower & middle income working class residents out of town. People were displaced from their homes with promises of better housing for less money in the projects only to find out that they earned too much money to qualify for the new housing after their homes were leveled. A sizable percentage of them left the city never to return. 8th Ave the main shopping hub & restaurant district in the Italian North Ward ceased to exist as the Ave was leveled for the Columbus homes. Also 50% of the displaced merchants never returned to the City. How quick was white exodus from the City? Well for example in 1960 Weequahic HS was 81% white (mostly Jewish). 6 years later in 1966 the percentage was 33% white and this was one year before the riots. The percentages at West Side HS were very similar (once the Irish section of the City). Anyway the book is an interesting view of how mismanagement & corruption as well as Federal policies aided in the destruction of Newark as well many other cities like it in the years from the Great Depression thru the post WW2 era.
PS: I'm just starting the Chapter about the Riots & events leading up to them so this is only a partial book review.
Tom K
Just a few points of note: Every Mayor except for 2 since 1930 has been at least indicted on corruption charges if not convicted (not counting Booker who still has time). There were 2 political parties or blocs over this time from 1930 to 1970 & they were not the Dems or Republicans. One party was the "Irish" & the other the "Jews & Italians". The Irish ostensbly were billed as the reformers (Mayors Murphy & Carlin) while the Jewish/Itialian bloc made no pretense about it - The were the Mob backed candidates according to the author (Mayors Ellenstein, Villani & Addonizio). Equally interesting was how the Newark Housing Authority & Urban Renewal projects destroyed the city & it's tax base by eliminating neighborhoods & shopping districts while chasing lower & middle income working class residents out of town. People were displaced from their homes with promises of better housing for less money in the projects only to find out that they earned too much money to qualify for the new housing after their homes were leveled. A sizable percentage of them left the city never to return. 8th Ave the main shopping hub & restaurant district in the Italian North Ward ceased to exist as the Ave was leveled for the Columbus homes. Also 50% of the displaced merchants never returned to the City. How quick was white exodus from the City? Well for example in 1960 Weequahic HS was 81% white (mostly Jewish). 6 years later in 1966 the percentage was 33% white and this was one year before the riots. The percentages at West Side HS were very similar (once the Irish section of the City). Anyway the book is an interesting view of how mismanagement & corruption as well as Federal policies aided in the destruction of Newark as well many other cities like it in the years from the Great Depression thru the post WW2 era.
PS: I'm just starting the Chapter about the Riots & events leading up to them so this is only a partial book review.
Tom K