Five days in Newark: 1967 uprising sparked by police beating of a Black taxi driver

On July 12, 1967, rioting erupted in Newark, New Jersey, triggered by the police beating of a Black taxi driver. The event was recorded in "Today in History" columns from four newspapers: The Republican-Herald, The Virginian-Pilot, the Lowell Sun, and The Denver Post.

2 sources

The Virginian-PilotToday in History: July 12, riot erupts in New Jersey over police beating of Black taxi driverLowell SunToday in History: July 12, riot erupts in New Jersey over police beating of Black taxi driver

"Rioting erupted in Newark, New Jersey, over the police beating of a Black taxi driver; 26 people were killed in the five days of violence that followed."

republicanherald.comToday in History: July 12, riot erupts in New Jersey over police beating of Black taxi driver

The violence continued for five days, leaving 26 dead according to each outlet's account. The Denver Post included the Newark riots among several historical events on July 12, such as Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine Parr in 1543 and the US invasion of Canada during the War of 1812.

All four newspapers presented the same core facts: a single police brutality incident escalated into days of unrest that became one of the deadliest uprisings of the 1960s. The exact circumstances of the beating and the names of those involved were not detailed in the brief columns.