Plainfield Riots (jul 14, 1967 – jul 17, 1967)

Description:

There had been increasing tension in Plainfield due to discriminatory practices in banking, housing, employment, and within the justice system. This tension came to a head at White Star Diner, which resulted in over 150 violent protests in the area. Following the riots, many white residents opted to leave Plainfield, which shaped the racial distribution of the town.

Westfield took part in attempting to settle the riots by sending 250 National Guardsmen and 10 local police officers into Newark and Plainfield. They also worked against the riots through financial means by putting $63,000 into the purchase of riot gear to combat the weapons used by protestors.

Views of Westfield residents concerning the riots ranged. Some such as Howard Lunin and Ernest Talbot expressed their thoughts in letters to the Town Council, stating the uprisings and unrest was the result of negligence of the Black community and poor communication between local leadership and minority groups within the governed area. However, others claimed that the racial divide was a communist conspiracy to tear apart American society from within. The riots help tell a story of the frustration of Black Americans that persist into the twenty first century.

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