Opposition to gentrification, homelessness, park curfew
Methods
Riot, protest, demonstration
Parties
Protesters, reporters
New York City Police Department
Number
200
450
Casualties and losses
35 injured, 9 arrested
3 injured
Tompkin Square Park's location in New York City
The Tompkins Square Park riot occurred on August 6–7, 1988 in Tompkins Square Park, located in the East Village and Alphabet City neighborhoods of Manhattan, New York City. Groups of "drug pushers, homeless people and young people known as squatters and punks," had largely taken over the park. The East Village and Alphabet City communities were divided about what, if anything, should be done about it.[1] The local governing body, Manhattan Community Board 3, recommended, and the New York City Parks Department adopted a 1 a.m. curfew for the previously 24-hour park, in an attempt to bring it under control.[2][3] On July 31, a protest rally against the curfew saw several clashes between protesters and police.[4]
Another rally was held on August 6. Here, the police charged a crowd of protesters, and a riot ensued. Bystanders, activists, police officers, neighborhood residents and journalists were caught up in the violence.[5] Despite a brief lull in the fighting, the melee continued until 6 a.m. the next day. Mayor Ed Koch temporarily rescinded the curfew. The neighborhood, previously divided over how to deal with the park, was unanimous in its condemnation of the heavy-handed actions of the police.
Over 100 complaints of police brutality were lodged following the riot. Much blame was laid on poor police handling and the commander of the precinct in charge was deprived of office for a year. In an editorial entitled "Yes, a Police Riot", The New York Times commended Commissioner Benjamin Ward and the New York City Police Department for their candor in a report that confirmed what ubiquitous media images made clear: the NYPD were responsible for inciting a riot.[6]
^Koch Suspends Park Curfew Following bloody clash in Tompkins Square, Manuel Perez-Rivas, Newsday, August 8, 1988, NEWS; Pg. 5.
^Kurtz, Howard (1988-09-07). "Man Refuses to Surrender Film of Clash With Police". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2013-01-20. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
^Ed Koch (November 30, 2010). Mayor Ed Koch on the Tompkins Square Park Police Riot of 1988. The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19.
^Wines, Michael (1988-08-10). "Class Struggle Erupts Along Avenue B". New York Times.
^Smith, RJ (1988-08-23). "Message in a Bottle: Homesteaders Rock the Lower East Side". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 2007-09-03. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
^"Yes, a Police Riot" Archived 2017-03-23 at the Wayback Machine, editorial of The New York Times, August 26, 1988, Section A; Page 30, Column 1; Editorial Desk
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