| Harlem riot of 1964 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Ghetto riots | |||
 Demonstrators carrying photographs of Lieutenant Thomas Gilligan | |||
| Date | July 16–22, 1964 | ||
| Location | |||
| Parties | |||
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| Casualties | |||
| Death(s) | 1[1] | ||
| Injuries | 144[1] | ||
| Arrested | 519[1] | ||
The Harlem riot of 1964 occurred between July 16 and 22, 1964. It began after James Powell, a 15-year-old African American, was shot and killed by police Lieutenant Thomas Gilligan in front of Powell's friends and about a dozen other witnesses. Hundreds of students from Powell's school protested the killing. The shooting set off six consecutive nights of rioting that affected the New York City neighborhoods of Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvesant. By some accounts, 4,000 people participated in the riots. People attacked the New York City Police Department (NYPD), destroyed property, and looted stores. Several rioters were severely beaten by NYPD officers. The riots and unrest left one dead, 118 injured, and 465 arrested.