Flyer from the Loyal Americans for Law and Order (LALO), which was formed during the 1967 Newark rebellion by a man named Don Gottwerth. The organization mobilized white fear and resentment and supported the police, most notably in the campaign for a police canine corps immediately after the rebellion. The proposed “canine corps” for the Newark Police Department was a hotly contested issue in the aftermath of the rebellion.
Memo from the Newark Police Department regarding attempts to “organize white citizens against Negroes in the city.” The organization, known as Loyal Americans for Law and Order (LALO), was formed during the 1967 Newark rebellion by a man named Don Gottwerth. The organization supported the police, most notably in the campaign for a police canine corps immediately after the rebellion.
Flyer distribued by the organization “Loyal Americans for Law and Order” in response to the 1967 Newark rebellion. The organization was formed by a white bus driver in Newark named Don Gottwerth, who sought to organize white resentment towards African American communities in the wake of the July rebellion. — Credit: New Jersey State Archives
Flyer distribued by the organization “Loyal Americans for Law and Order” in response to the 1967 Newark rebellion. The organization was formed by a white bus driver in Newark named Don Gottwerth, who sought to organize white resentment towards African American communities in the wake of the July rebellion. — Credit: New Jersey State Archives
Memo submitted to the Intelligence Unit of the Newark Police Department on July 17, 1967 regarding a white Newark resident “trying to organize white citizens against Negroes in the city.” The organizer, a bus driver on Springfield Avenue named Don Gottwerth, is quoted as saying “There is going to be a lot of trouble even after this violence quiets down because the negro is after the white man.” The organization was officially organized on August 1, 1967 as “Loyal Americans for Law and Order.” Gottwerth’s organization reflected the attitudes of many people within Newark’s white communities in response to the 1967 rebellion. — Credit: New Jersey State Archives
