Darshan Patel

In Robert Curvins Inside Newark, Curvin describes the history of

Newark and all the events and people from its history. He uses personal
anecdotes and notes his interactions with many of the leaders from various
time periods of his life in Newark. In chapter 4 of his book, Curvin goes over
the events that occurred in Newark from July 12th to July 17th in 1967.
Throughout his book and the film Revolution 67, it is clear to see how these
events impacted Newark and how they can be described. Ultimately, the
term that can be used to describe the events which took place during July
12-17, 1967, would be a revolution against the discrimination faced by the
blacks in Newark.
Curvin mentions that many of the African American residents of
Newark during 1967 were feeling as if they had less power and opportunities
than the whites. This ongoing oppression towards blacks was what
eventually sparked their interest to rebel and form a revolution against their
peers which had more rights due their skin color. There was also a high
unemployment rate and the economy was very poor during that time. All
these factors eventually contributed to the black community feeling as if
they needed more rights and power. The action by the black people started
when a black cab driver was unlawfully arrested by policeman. It was said
that he was killed while in the hands of law enforcement, and this caused the
residents to be disrupt and want freedom.

In 1967, a cab driver was arrested by two policemen, which is what

initially caused the unrest (Revolution 67). The film Revolution 67 really
showed how the racism and discrimination against the black community in
1967 was present. In the film, it is explained how the cab driver was arrested
and killed for a silly reason, and this was just one of the many police
brutalities that blacks were experiencing in this time period.
Although revolution is a term which I believe fits the time frame truly,
the word riot could also be used as there were some events which can be
described as that of a riot. For example, Curvin mentions that in the book
some black protesters put up instructions on how to make molotov cocktails
and these were used to target government officials and their goal was to
inflict harm for the harm they received. Also this can be described as
behavior of rioters, it can also be showing how the blacks were tired of the
whites oppressing them and just trying to show how they are tired of the
unlawful arrests and police brutality against them.
In conclusion, the actions of the blacks during the Newark 1967 events
can be described as justful and as a rebellion/revolution against the
oppression they faced by whites. The blacks were treated as minorities and
had very few rights and say compared to the whites. Both Curvin and the
film Revolution 67 are excellent examples which clearly illustrate the
problems faced by blacks during that time and how exactly they reacted.