Memo from Newark Community Union Project (NCUP) organizer, Tom Hayden, to Newark Evening News reporter Doug Eldridge. Hayden delivered the memo for NCUP and UCC member Jesse Allen to inform the newspaper of the activities of UCC Area Board 3 within the community. — Credit: Junius Williams Papers
A view from inside City Hall during the fourth and final public hearing on a “police advisory review board” held by the Newark Human Rights Commission. The Commission held these hearings from July 13 to August 3 to gather public testimony on a proposed “police advisory review board” in the wake of the fatal shooting of Lester Long by Patrolman Henry Martinez. The Commission held an executive session to vote on a resolution following the hearings, where the members were split 6-6 on the issue. The review board was not established and the struggle over a police advisory board continued through the 1960s, and beyond. — Credit: Doug Eldridge Collection
Article by Doug Eldridge of the Newark Evening News covering Mayor Addonizio’s public announcement rejecting a propsed “police advisory board.” A review board ‘would serve no useful purpose and could conceivably be a detriment to efficient law enforcement,’ Mayor Addonizio said in his statement. Following an influx of allegations of police misconduct and brutality in early 1963, African American community leaders advocated for the establishment of a “review board” or “advisory board” to investigate allegations of police misconduct. The struggle over a police advisory board continued through the 1960s and was a polarizing topic along racial lines in Newark. — Credit: Newark Public Library
Memorandum from the Newark Police Department detailing their surveillance of a rent strike demonstration at the corner of Clinton and Badger Avenues. The demonstrations were organized to support a rent strike by tenants to protest “rats, roaches, and ridiculous rents.” A rent strike was a tactic used by tenants to force a landlord to make repairs to a housing unit by witholding rent payment until repairs were made. — Credit: Junius Williams Papers
Article from the Advance newspaper in 1966 covering a recommendation from the Business and Industrial Coordinating Council (BICC) and Essex County Grand Jurors Association to expand the Essex County Vocational School system to meet the demands for education and job training in skilled employment. The BICC was established in the wake of the contentious protests at the Barringer High School construction sites in July 1963. — Credit: Newark Public Library
Letter to the Editor of the New Jersey Afro-American newspaper commemorating the first anniversary of the Business and Industrial Coordinating Council’s founding. The letter, from the BICC, highlights some of the accomplishments of the organization during its first year. — Credit: New Jersey Afro-American, Newark Public Library
Business card of William Mercer, BICC Coordinator and Assistant Director of the Skill Escalation and Employment Development (SEED) program. The BICC was established in the wake of the contentious protests at the Barringer High School construction sites in July 1963. — Credit: Newark Public Library
Note from the pamphlet: “This series of articles on the efforts of the Newark Business and Industrial Coordinating Committee to assist Negroes and Puerto Ricans in gaining employment was published by The Newark News in its issues of March 22-26, 1964. These pamphlets have been prepared by The News for distribution by the committee.” The BICC was established in the wake of the contentious protests at the Barringer High School construction sites in July 1963. — Credit: Doug Eldridge, The Newark News
Draft article by Newark Evening News reporter Doug Eldridge describing Ken Gibson’s comments on the report issued by the Governor’s Select Commission on Civil Disorders. Gibson, a member of Newark’s Business Industrial Coordinating Council (BICC) and 1966 mayoral candidate, became the first African-American mayor of Newark in 1970. — Credit: Newark Public Library
Excerpt from a pamphlet distributed by the Church in Metropolis organization to summarize the findings of the Governor’s Select Commission on Civil Disorder. The pamphlet contains a compilation of newsclippings from the Newark Evening News related to the Commission’s Report and a summary of its recommendations. — Credit: Newark Public Library
