On July 24, 1964 a riot broke out in two of Rochester, New York's predominantly African-American wards. Peace was restored after 3 days, but only after the New York National Guard was called out by Governor Nelson Rockefeller. This was the first such use of the Guard in a northern city. Although the riot was blamed on "oustside agitators", all the rioters arrested were from the local area. This led to a reappraisal of old-time policies and practices which had not changed in face of a tripling of the African-American population in 10 years, mostly assigned to low-pay and low-skill jobs and substandard housing. An example of this attitude was the fact that Rochester was the last city in New York state to implement a public housing program. A portion of Rochesters skyline, looking north along the Genesee River from the Ford Street Bridge. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 455 km 530 km 13. ... National Guard may refer to: A military force: Cypriot National Guard United States National Guard National Guard (France), active during the French Revolution Saudi Arabian National Guard A part of the Military of Kuwait Iraqi National Guard A part of the Military of Venezuela Portuguese Republican National Guard National Guard... Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979), an American politician, philanthropist and businessman, was Governor of New York from 1959 to 1973, the 41st Vice President of the United States of America from December 19, 1974 to January 20, 1977, and a leader of the moderate wing of... An African American (also Afro-American or Black American, or black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 455 km 530 km 13. ... A local authority tower block in Cwmbrân, South Wales Public housing or project homes is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. ...

By the time the disturbance was over, 4 people were dead (three in a helicopter crash) and 350 injured. Almost a thousand people had been arrested and 204 stores had been either looted or damaged.

Lasting Effects

The Crescent the area of Rochester where the riots took place has never recovered fully today the area is plagued with drugs and prostitution. The Crescent has now become more racially more diverse with puerto rican immigrants now making up a large portion of the residents . School 22-Lincoln School is the main school serving the area has below average reading scores and has multiple special education classes serving developmentally disabled and emotionally disturbed students .

External links

• Rochester's Democrat and Chronicle series about the riot

• July'64 Recent PBS documentary about the 1964 Rochester riot

• 22 Schools reading scores and the areas demographics

• Project IMPACT Latest attempt to rid the area of drugs

See also

List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States The following is a list of major incidents of civil unrest, rioting and violent labor disputes in the United States. ...

List of riots This is a chronological list of historical riots: // 18th century and earlier 121 BC - Roman Election Riot of 121 BC 113 BC - Roman Election Riot of 113 BC 532 - Nika riots, (Constantinople) The deadliest riots in world history, with an estimated 30,000 killed in the Hippodome. ...