2 Years Before The Riot!: Newark, New Jersey And The United Community Corporation 1964-1966

By Cyril Degrasse Tyson

2 Years Before the Riot is an accurate chronological account of the anti-poverty program, United Community Corporation, in Newark, New Jersey in 1964-1966 under the stewardship of Mr. Tyson, who was its first executive director. The UCC was a positive creation that unfortunately led to negative responses by the government that created it The struggle between the UCC and Newark's Mayor Hugh J. Addonizio and his councilmen developed into a battle between community good versus political power The conflict, which is meticulously detailed in this revealing book, explains the almost week-to-week, meeting-to-meeting explosions between the community and the elected officials. Mr. Tyson carefully recorded the exciting new anti-poverty programs developed by the UCC and the opposition from City Hall.The real story of these events covers the period from Mr. Tyson's recruitment in 1964, when he was the acting director of Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited in New York, the implementation agency which conducted the juvenile delinquency study that produced the empirical report, Youth in the Ghetto: A Study of the Consequences of Powerlessness and a Blueprint for Change. Mr. Tyson was project director of the study. The story end with his resignation in from UCC in 1966.In spite of the struggles of the UCC to construct and effective anti-poverty program consistent with the federal Office of Economic Opportunity guidelines, the Newark program was hailed by the OEC as an example for other community action agencies to follow. This accurate account of Mr. Tyson's experiences is not only an important part of the history and record of an actual OEO program, but also an insight into thedifficulties inherent in federal programs that come into conflict with local political interests.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1889534374
• ISBN13: 9781889534374
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: Jay Street Publishers
• Length: 744 Pages
• Weight: 2.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"