8. The Harlem Riots

Harlem has also seen its share of riots, many resulting from racial violence towards people in the neighborhood. In 1935, a shop owner caught 16-year-old black Puerto Rican Lino Rivera shop-lifting a penknife from his store. The shopkeeper threatened to beat him, which was overheard by a gathering crowd who thought the shopkeeper actually beat Rivera. After a community organization demonstrated outside the store, riots and looting ensued.

In 1964, a white police officer shot and wounded an African-American soldier, Robert Bandy, arguing on behalf of a woman who was arrested for disorderly conduct. After a physical altercation, Bandy was shot and suffered superficial wounds. After false rumors spread that Bandy didn’t survive the shooting, riots broke out for two days.

James Powell, a 15-year-old was shot and killed by Police Lieutenant Thomas Gilligan on July 16, 1964. The shooting occurred in front of friends and other witnesses. As a result, six consecutive nights of rioting spread through Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn.