No man can know where he is going unless he knows exactly where he has been and exactly how he arrived at his present place.
- Maya Angelou

For a week in July during the hot summer of 1967, the name of Englewood, New Jersey, was probably mentioned more often by the world news media than at any time before or since. The events of that week bring little credit to any of the participants, and the memories are not pleasant to recall. Nonetheless, the psychological fallout from that week was an important element in the profound social and political changes which Englewood underwent in the '60s and '70s.

What happened in Englewood was, according to the report of the Governor’s Select Commission, "a racial disturbance," not a race riot. But it happened at the same general time as far more serious events in Newark and, to a lesser degree, Plainfield, and thus was viewed similarly. To the media in Bergen County it was the story. Looking back, it is plain that the media coverage, more than the "disturbance" itself, had major long-term consequences.

Prior to July, 1967, Englewood had developed a comprehensive plan for riot control, involving assistance to its Police Department from the County Police as well as other departments throughout the County. As a result of events elsewhere and rumors locally, tension had been rising in Englewood and police presence were increased. On July 21, outside police were brought in and patrols started in the area surrounding a local bar on the corner of Jay and William Streets where young African-American men often congregated. According to the Commission's report, "several Englewood citizens who (later) testified...believe that the police buildup was the immediate cause of the disturbance."

At 8:30 PM that night an alarm went off in a food market on William Street, apparently because a stone had broken its window. About 30 persons gathered at the scene, and the police responded immediately. Within minutes, a 20-man line of police armed with four-foot riot sticks cordoned off Jay Street, dispersing the crowd. According to the report, from the time the police arrived, they were "heavily besieged by rocks and bottles." In response, additional police arrived and confronted the crowd, which had now grown at a new location near Mackay Park.

Englewood Mayor Austin Volk arrived and spoke to the crowd, but the confrontation continued. Rocks were thrown at police cars, street lights and store windows. In the process of attempting to disperse the crowd, several people, including seven policemen were injured. Looting took place at two markets in the area and several store widows were broken on Palisade Avenue. Four adults and one juvenile were arrested and charged with loitering. On the four subsequent nights, as the police continued to patrol the area, fire bombing, looting and vandalism took place, but there were no further major confrontations.

As these events were taking place, a hotly fought political campaign was under way, with housing the main issue. For decades, seriously substandard housing had existed in areas of the 4th Ward. Federal assistance had been sought and granted for its removal and for the relocation of its residents to new public housing, but only on the condition that a portion of the new housing be located outside the 4th Ward. Englewood's Republican leadership had rejected this condition, whereas their Democratic opponents supported a new site in the 2nd Ward which is today Rock Creek Terrace.

Whether as a consequence of the July events or despite them, in November of 1967, a Democratic majority was elected to the Englewood City Council for the first time since 1911. Action was begun to implement the new housing, but all the pieces had not been put in place when two years later the Republicans regained power under the leadership of Mayor Ned Feldman. Nonetheless, Feldman favored the Democratic housing plan, and defying his own party, successfully lobbied the Nixon Administration, which had by then withdrawn its support, to restore Englewood’s funding. This led to a split in the Englewood Republican Party in 1971 and, up to that point, the only three-way election in Englewood’s history. The Democratic candidate for Mayor, Rev. Walter Taylor, was elected with only 38% of the vote. Although it was not known at the time, local Republicans had permanently lost control in Englewood.

The 1967 "racial disturbance" also had a seriously negative effect on the downtown shopping district centered on Palisade Avenue. As a regional shopping center already threatened by the Paramus malls, Englewood could ill afford the loss of customers who feared for their safety. In fact, once the housing issue had been settled, the health of the business district became a major focus of the local political leadership. The effects of that focus can be seen in our booming downtown today.

Within four months of July 1967, the local Republican party had lost a city-wide election for the first time in decades. Within ten years, they had lost the 1st Ward and after Joan Meltzer was elected in the 2nd Ward in 1979, all four Wards were represented by Democrats. African-Americans were included in the City’s leadership structure after the 1967 election, and along with white Democrats, led the City down new paths leading to the present day. Not only was the housing problem dealt with, but since then economic blight has been alleviated or eliminated in certain areas. Since those turbulent times, economic investment, with or without official encouragement, has exploded in our downtown. And today Englewood is considered a mecca for families and businesses. Whether or not you approve of all the changes, those who remember the old days will have to grant that a major transformation took place in Englewood, and that maybe the events of that hot summer forty years ago hurried the transformation along.

Former Mayors Volk and Feldman are still extant and living in Englewood.