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Photo Book Recalls 1988 Tompkins Square Park Riots
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 6, 2008
Modified Aug 6, 2008
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By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 6, 2008
Modified Aug 6, 2008
Share
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On the humid night of August 6th, 1988, long-simmering resentments over East Village gentrification boiled over into the now-infamous Tompkins Square Park riot. Hundreds of people had gathered at the park to protest the imposition of a 1 a.m. curfew. At some point, the protest turned violent; bottles were thrown at the police, who retaliated with beatings and arrests throughout the night. According to the Times, forty-four people were injured, including 13 cops.
In time for the 20th anniversary of the riot, a book of photographs by Q. Sakamaki, with essays by author/activist Bill Weinberg, has been published by powerHouse Books. Below are some of the photos Sakamaki took that night and during the summer of '88. For more on the riot, here's a chilling video compiled by photographer Clayton Patterson.
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1988
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tompkins square park
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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