Check your local listings but in most PBS stations on Tuesday night, PBS will air POV: Revolution ‘67. It is a documentary on the Newark Riots of 1967. Over the span of six days, $10 millions of property damage was incurred. Marylou Tibaldo-Bongiorno’s description of her documentary is not unlike a typical day in Iraq.
There were 26 people murdered, hundreds that were wounded, thousands arrested and over ten million dollars worth of property damage during that short period of time. Then you ask yourself, “What about the recovery?” Forty years later the recovery is still a huge question mark, because, in terms of poverty and unemployment, Newark stands much higher than national averages; the statistics are really staggering. So many people point to that small period of time in 1967 — less than a week — as being a huge factor in causing the city to be where it is today. That small period of time has become very symbolic.
The State Of . . . our violent past. I (rich) think you can look at what happened to Newark over those few days and see what will likely happen to Iraq. After 40 years, Newark is still recovering. How long do you think it will take the whole country of Iraq to recover?
Filed under: History
