“Mob riot?” “Rebellion?” “Uprising?”
“…the important question confronting these communities and our nation as a whole is not merely that there be shallow rhetoric condemning lawlessness, but that there be an honest soul-searching analysis and evaluation of the environmental causes which have spawned the riots.”
–Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rochester made national news in July 1964 when the community’s frustrations and tensions with police came to a heightened climax. These pressures were also seen in Rochester during May of 2020.
Look for other areas in the exhibit that might help us understand what had been happening that led to this moment.
July ’64
For more context, watch the acclaimed documentary, July ‘64, directed by Carvin Eison.
PBS Independent Lens, 2006
Front page courtesy of the Democrat & Chronicle, July 25, 1964
Surveillance helicopter crashes on home at 446 Clarissa Street, July 27, 1964
Image courtesy of City of Rochester
Police surround man, July 1964
Image courtesy of City of Rochester
