John Smith was pulled out of his taxi and beaten by police - and, according to rumors, killed. To the Black residents of Newark, NJ it was ENOUGH.
After decades of mistreatment, they exploded with power and rage, demanding change. But what ultimately happened shocked everyone.
Racial tensions had been high for years. A crucial issue: the city’s plan to build a massive medical school that would displace 20,000 mostly-Black residents.
Protests grew across the city. When Smith was attacked, the city fought back!
Over five days, Black residents vented their frustrations, clashing with police. They were put down violently when the National Guard was sent in, but the city was scared of the people’s collective power.
So they wielded that power!
Junius Williams, part of the team that re-negotiated the medical school plan, remembers it like this:
“When we went in to negotiate ... it was like we had that invisible, nameless, faceless brother with a brick standing behind us. They knew it and we knew it.”
Their negotiation brought the school from 150 down to 60 acres, including affordable housing and construction jobs for local Blacks. They also got a consent decree that transformed the local police department.
We have the power! And when we wield it - by any means necessary - we can WIN!