vito pontrelli

Mayor’s Appraisal- Trouble in Central Ward Called Isolated Incident (Newark Evening News- July13, 1967)

Article from the Newark Evening News on July 13, 1967, the day after John Smith was arrested and beaten by Newark Police outside of the Fourth Precinct. The article describes Mayor Addonizio’s responses to what he called “an isolated incicdent,” including assigning the police officers involved to administrative duty, ordering investigations, and referring the case to the FBI. — Credit: Newark Evening News

United Community Corporation Letter to Mayor Addonizio (July 14, 1967)

Letter from Timothy Still, President of the UCC, to Mayor Addonizio on July 14, 1967. Members of the UCC’s Executive Committee met on July 13, 1967 to create a list of recommendations for the City Government to address the violence outside the Fourth Precinct the previous night in response to the beating of John Smith. — Credit: Newark Public Library

Witness Testimony of John Smith- Dec 4, 1967-ilovepdf-compressed (1)

Witness testimony given by John Smith during hearings conducted by the Governor’s Select Commission on Civil Disorders on December 4, 1967. In his testimony, Smith describes the events of July 12, 1967, when he was arrested and beaten by Newark Police Officers. Smith’s arrest and beating are credited as the actions that “sparked” the 1967 Newark rebellion. — Credit: Rutgers University Digital Legal Library Repository

NPD Chronological Summary of Newark Riots (Excerpt on John Smith)-ilovepdf-compressed

Excerpt from the “Chronological Summary of the Newark Riots” prepared by the Newark Police Department. The excerpt includes accounts of the arrest of John Smith on July 12, 1967 and the ensuing confrontations that took place that evening in front of the Fourth Precinct. The arrest and beating of Smith is considered the incident that “sparked” the 1967 Newark rebellion. — Credit: New Jersey State Archive

John Smith Legal Complaint Against Dominick Spina, et al

Civil lawsuit filed by John Smith against Dominick Spina, Oliver Kelly, John DeSimone, Vito Pontrelli, and unidentified Newark police officers, claiming intentional racial discrimination and violation of his right to equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment. — Credit: Newark Public Library