asphalt workers Archives - The North

asphalt workers

Veteran’s Civic League Flyer Celebrating Martinez Libel Suit

This article from the Newark Evening News was turned into a flyer by the Veterans Civic League of Newark to celebrate the settlement of Newark Patrolman Henry Martinez’s libel suit against civil rights leaders. Martinez filed suit against James Farmer, Robert Curvin, Fred Means, and others for “libelous and slanderous” statements made against him after the patrolman fatally shot Lester Long. The shooting of Lester Long and demands for a police review board were highly polarizing events along racial lines in Newark. The Veterans Civic League of Newark was one of several white reactionary organizations, including police unions and patrolmen, that sought to combat measures for police reform. — Credit: Junius Williams Papers

Martinez sues CORE, aides on charges in shooting case

Clipping from an unmarked newspaper covering a lawsuit filed by Newark Patrolman Henry Martinez against members of civil rights organizations in Newark. Martinez filed suit against James Farmer, Robert Curvin, Fred Means, and others for “libelous and slanderous” statements made against him after the patrolman fatally shot Lester Long. Martinez’s lawsuit followed in the wake of a similar suit filed by Lt. Thomas Gilligan in New York City after the officer shot and killed 15-year-old James Powell, sparking the 1964 Harlem rebellion. — Credit: Junius Williams Papers

Request Inquiry in Police Action (May 28, 1963)

Unmarked newspaper article from May 28, 1963 covering two recent cases of alleged police misconduct. The first resulted from the arrest and mistreatment of Mrs. Carrie Powell, vice principal of Hawthorne Avenue School, as she objected to the beating of a suspect by Newark police in Penn Station. The second resulted from a police shooting at the Lido Bar after an off-duty patrolman responded to a “brawl” there. These two instances are credited as propelling the continued struggle for a police review board in Newark. — Credit: Newark Public Library