This list is about incidents of civil unrest, rioting, violent labor disputes, or minor insurrections or revolts in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

By date

Civil unrest in New York by date in ascending order, from earliest to latest. * 1712 – New York Slave Revolt occurred on April 6, when Africans set fire to a building and attacked settlers * 1741 – New York Conspiracy occurred when a series of fires March through April burned portions of the city * 1788 – Doctors Mob Riot, occurred in April over the illegal procurement of corpses from the graves of slaves and poor whites * 1834 – Anti-abolitionist riot, occurred from July 7 to July 10 over

abolitionism Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The Britis ...

* 1837 – Flour Riots, occurred February 12, when merchant stores were sacked, destroying or looting 500-600 barrels of flour and 1,000 bushels of wheat * 1844 – Brooklyn riot, occurred on April 4 between

nativists Nativism is the political policy of promoting or protecting the interests of native or indigenous inhabitants over those of immigrants, including the support of immigration-restriction measures. In scholarly studies, ''nativism'' is a standard ...

and Irish immigrants. * 1849 –

Astor Place riot Astor may refer to: People * Astor (surname) * Astor family, a wealthy 18th-century American family who became prominent in 20th-century British politics * Astor Bennett, a character in the Showtime television series ''Dexter'' * Ástor Piazzoll ...

, occurred May 10 at the

Astor Opera House __NOTOC__ The Astor Opera House, also known as the Astor Place Opera House and later the Astor Place Theatre, was an opera house in Manhattan, New York City, located on Lafayette Street between Astor Place and East 8th Street. Designed by Isaia ...

between immigrants and

* 1857 –

New York City Police Riot The New York City Police Riot of 1857, known at the time as the Great Police Riot, was a conflict which occurred in front of New York City Hall between the recently-dissolved New York Municipal Police and the newly-formed Metropolitan Police on ...

occurred June 16 between the New York Municipal Police and the Metropolitan Police over the Mayor's appointment for the position of city street commissioner * 1857 –

Dead Rabbits Riot The Dead Rabbits riot was a two-day civil disturbance in New York City evolving from what was originally a small-scale street fight between members of the Dead Rabbits and the Bowery Boys into a citywide gang war, which occurred July 4–5, 1 ...

, occurred July 4 through 5 and consisted of widespread gang violence and looting * 1863 –

New York City draft riots The New York City draft riots (July 13–16, 1863), sometimes referred to as the Manhattan draft riots and known at the time as Draft Week, were violent disturbances in Lower Manhattan, widely regarded as the culmination of white working-cla ...

, occurred July 13 through 16 in response to government efforts to

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vessel ...

men to fight in the ongoing

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. * 1870 – First New York City Orange riot, occurred July 12 when demonstrators clashed with hecklers and laborers during a parade * 1871 –

Second New York City Orange riot The Orange Riots took place in Manhattan, New York City, in 1870 and 1871, and they involved violent conflict between Irish Protestants who were members of the Orange Order and hence called "Orangemen", and Irish Catholics, along with the New ...

, occurred July 12 when

Orangemen Orangemen or Orangewomen can refer to: *Historically, supporters of William of Orange *Members of the modern Orange Order (also known as Orange Institution), a Protestant fraternal organisation *Members or supporters of the Armagh GAA Gaelic foot ...

, police and militia clashed with the crowd during a parade * 1874 – Tompkins Square riot, occurred January 13 when the

New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

clashed with demonstrators * 1900 - New York City Race Riot, occurred August 15 through 17th after the death of a white undercover police officer, Robert J. Thorpe caused by Arthur Harris, a black man. * 1917 – New York City Food Riot, occurred February 20 over shortages related to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

* 1919 – May Day Riots * 1919 –

New York race riots of 1919 The New York race riots of 1919 developed with increasing racial tension and violent incidents in New York City. These riots were a part of the Red Summer, a series of violent terrorist attacks on black communities in many cities in the United St ...

* 1922 –

Straw Hat Riot The Straw Hat Riot of 1922 was a riot that occurred in New York City at the end of the summer as a result of unwritten rules in men's fashions at the time, and a tradition of taunting people who had failed to stop wearing straw hats after autumn ...

, occurred September 13 and 14 when gangs of boys stole hats throughout the city and assaulted those who resisted * 1926 – Harlem Riots of July 1926. between unemployed Jews and Puerto Ricans over jobs and housing. This riot started on One Hundred and Fifteenth Street (115th), between Lenox and Park Avenues. Reserves from four Police precincts struggled for nearly half an hour before they dispersed a crowd estimated at more than 2,000 and brought temporary peace to the neighborhood. * 1935 – Harlem riot, occurred March 19–20, sparked by rumors of the beating of a teenage

shoplifter Shoplifting is the theft of goods from an open retail establishment, typically by concealing a store item on one's person, in pockets, under clothes or in a bag, and leaving the store without paying. With clothing, shoplifters may put on items ...

* 1943 – Harlem riot, occurred August 1 and 2 following the nonfatal shooting of Robert Bandy by a white police officer Harlem riots - 1964

* 1964 – Harlem riot, occurred July 16 through 22, following the fatal police shooting of a 15-year-old African American bystanderFred C. Shapiro and James W. Sullivan (1964). Race riots, New York, 1964. New York: Crowell. * 1967 - In a wave of race riots across the country called the

Long, hot summer of 1967 The long, hot summer of 1967 refers to the more than 150 race riots that erupted across the United States in the summer of 1967. In June there were riots in Atlanta, Boston, Cincinnati, Buffalo, and Tampa. In July there were riots in Birmingh ...

, riots and looting took place in Spanish Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvesant * 1968 – New York City riot, occurred April 4 and 5 following the

assassination of Martin Luther King Martin Luther King Jr., an African-American clergyman and civil rights leader, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he died at ...

* 1968 – Columbia University protests, occurred April 23 in response to the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

and

segregation Segregation may refer to: Separation of people * Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space * School segregation * Housing segregation * Racial segregation, separation of humans ...

* 1969 –

Stonewall riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous protests by members of the gay community in response to a police raid that began in the early morning hours of Ju ...

, occurred June 28 through July 2 as a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations by members of the gay (LGBT) community in response to a

police raid A police raid is an unexpected visit by police or other law-enforcement officers with the aim of using the element of surprise in order to seize evidence or arrest suspects believed to be likely to hide evidence, resist arrest, be politicall ...

of the

Stonewall Inn The Stonewall Inn, often shortened to Stonewall, is a gay bar and recreational tavern in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City, and the site of the Stonewall riots of 1969, which is widely considered to be the s ...

* 1970 –

Hard Hat Riot The Hard Hat Riot occurred on May 8, 1970, in New York City. It started around noon when around 400 construction workers and around 800 office workers attacked around 1,000 demonstrators affiliated with the student strike of 1970. The students ...

, occurred May 8 in a confrontation between construction workers and protesters of the

, the

Kent State shootings The Kent State shootings, also known as the May 4 massacre and the Kent State massacre,"These would be the first of many probes into what soon became known as the Kent State Massacre. Like the Boston Massacre almost exactly two hundred years bef ...

, and the U.S. invasion of Cambodia * 1973 –

Shooting of Clifford Glover Clifford Glover was a 10-year-old African American boy who was fatally shot by Thomas Shea, an on-duty, undercover policeman, on April 28, 1973. Glover's death, and Shea's later acquittal for a murder charge, led to riots in the South Jamaica se ...

, occurred on April 28 and led to several days of rioting in the

South Jamaica South Jamaica (also commonly known as "The Southside") is a residential neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, located south of downtown Jamaica. Although a proper border has not been established, the neighborhood is a subsection ...

neighborhood * 1977 – New York City Blackout riot, occurred July 13 and 14, when widespread looting and arson followed a power outage * 1988 – Tompkins Square Park riot, occurred August 6 and 7 as protesters against a city imposed curfew clashed with police * 1991 –

Crown Heights riot The Crown Heights riot was a race riot that took place from August 19 to August 21, 1991, in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York City. Black residents attacked orthodox Jewish residents, damaged their homes, and looted businesses. Th ...

, occurred August 19 through 21 between black and

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...

residents after two children of Guyanese immigrants were unintentionally struck by an automobile driven by an Orthodox Jew"Beep Honor Peace Coalition: Crown Heights leaders reflect on 10-year milestone"
''New York Daily News'', August 23, 2001. * 1992 – Washington Heights riots, occurred July 4 through 7 following the fatal police shooting of Jose Garcia, a 23-year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic. One man was killed after falling five stories off a building, 15 were injured and 11 were arrested. * 1992 –

Patrolmen's Benevolent Association Riot The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association Riot, also known as the City Hall Riot, was a rally organized and sponsored by the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association of the City of New York (PBA) held on September 16, 1992, to protest mayor David Dinkins' ...

, occurred September 16. Carried out by thousands of off-duty police officers protesting mayor David N. Dinkins' proposal to create a civilian agency to investigate police misconduct. The 300 uniformed officers did little to stop the protesters from jumping barricades and causing extensive property damage. * 2011 –

Occupy Wall Street Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was a protest Social movement, movement against economic inequality and the Campaign finance, influence of money in politics that began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Financial District, Manhattan, Wall S ...

(Brooklyn Bridge protests). Demonstrators blocked the bridge and more than 700 people were arrested. Brooklyn, New York * 2013 – Flatbush Riots, on March 11, a

candlelight vigil A candlelight vigil or candlelit vigil is an outdoor assembly of people carrying candles, held after sunset in order to show support for a specific cause. Such events are typically held either to protest the suffering of some marginalized group o ...

was held in response to the police shooting death of 16-year-old Kimani Gray, who allegedly pointed a .38 caliber pistol at the officers, though a later witness disputed Gray held a weapon and neither fingerprints nor DNA recovered from the weapon were a match for Gray. The demonstration turned violent due to disappointment that no public officials had attended. At least one person was injured and a

Rite Aid Rite Aid Corporation is an American drugstore chain based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1962 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, by Alex Grass under the name Thrift D Discount Center. The company ranked No. 148 in the Fortune 500 lis ...

store was looted and damaged. There was one arrest on disorderly conduct. Violence continued on March 12 resulting in two officers receiving minor injuries and 46 arrests, mostly for disorderly conduct. *2020 –

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internati ...

. Protests began after officers in Minnesota murdered George Floyd, an unarmed black man.

By number of deaths

The following is a list of civil unrest in New York by number of deaths in descending order from most to least deaths. In cases where the number of deaths is uncertain, the lowest estimate is used. * 1863 –

, 120 killed and 2,000 to 8,000 injured * 1871 –

Second New York City orange riot The Orange Riots took place in Manhattan, New York City, in 1870 and 1871, and they involved violent conflict between Irish Protestants who were members of the Orange Order and hence called "Orangemen", and Irish Catholics, along with the New ...

, more than 60 dead, more than 150 wounded * 1741 – New York Conspiracy, 35 total executed as a result * 1712 – New York Slave Revolt, 31 total deaths consisting of 9 killed in the revolt and 23 executed as a result * 1849 –

, 25 killed and more than 120 injured * 1857 –

, eight dead and between 30 and 100 injured * 1870 – First New York City orange riot, eight dead * 1788 – Doctors Mob Riot, between six and 20 dead * 1943 – Harlem riot, six dead * 1935 – Harlem riot, three dead * 1992 – Washington Heights riots, six dead and 15 injured * 1991 –

, two dead and 190 injured * 1964 – Harlem riot, one dead, 118 injured

No deaths

The following is a list of civil unrest in New York where no deaths occurred listed in ascending order by year, from earliest to latest. The number of injured is listed in cases where the number is known. * 1834 – Anti-abolitionist riot * 1837 – Flour Riots * 1844 – Brooklyn riot * 1857 –

, 53 injured Asbury, Herbert. ''The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the New York Underworld''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1928. (pg. 97-102) * 1874 – Tompkins Square riotGutman, Herbert G. "The Tompkins square 'Riot' in New York City on January 13, 1874: A re-examination of its causes and its aftermath". ''Labor History''6:1 (1965) p. 45 * 1922 –

, unknown number injured in assaults, seven of the offending boys "spanked ignominiously" by order of the police lieutenant * 1970 –

, more than 70 injured * 1973 –

, 24 injured * 1977 – New York City Blackout riot * 1988 – Tompkins Square Park riot, 38 injured * 2020 –

, 353+ injured

References

{{reflist History of New York City Events in New York City Incidents of civil unrest Incidents of civil unrest in New York City

By date

By number of deaths

No deaths

See also

References