The number of citizens involved in the riots steadily escalated over the following nights, as did the level of destruction. Before peace was to return, much of the West Side would be severely damaged. In brief, the seven nights of unrest resulted in $4 million of building and personal property damage, 167 arrests, 165 civilians wounded or injured, 15 police officers injured, the loss of an estimated 100 jobs, and an undetermined number of families made homeless (''Second Week,'' 1).
The small disturbances of July 4th received little immediate attention from the local and national press, but the city's entire police force was called to duty. By the early hours of Monday, July 6, the number of Asbury Park residents involved in the rioting significantly increased, as did the amount and extent of property damage. At this time, Police Chief Thomas S. Smith called almost 100 police officers from surrounding communities into the West Side to assist Asbury Park's police force. Mayor Joseph F. Mattice declared a state of emergency and, later that day, ordered a curfew from 10:00 P.M. to 6:00 A.M. for the city. The curfew would remain in place for the following three days, but its starting time would change as the violence decreased. On the morning of Tuesday, July 7, West Side African American leaders presented a list of twenty demands to the Asbury Park City Council. Two new demands would be added during the following days. Demands such as amnesty for those arrested and the immediate removal of outside police forces were directly related to the current period of unrest.
Many of the demands, however, addressed the pressing needs that created the atmosphere in which such violence had erupted. For example, residents demanded the development of a Recreation Commission and the immediate employment of at least 100 West Side youths (''City Council,'' 1). The economic disenfranchisement and lack of resources underlying the events had long been a reality for the city's African American West Side residents. In fact, citizens of the West Side made these pressing needs known to Mayor Mattice and the city council long before the events of the July 4th weekend. City officials also had recognized these growing problems. Unfortunately, requests for increased funding for the West Side remained unanswered from local, state, and federal levels. The state and federal government considered the needs of this community less pressing than those of other struggling cities.
By Wednesday, July 8, the majority of the West Side business district was damaged, and the city struggled to handle the increased demands resulting from the riots. The annex to the Monmouth County Jail in Asbury Park was at capacity, and conditions in the jail were described as almost unbearable at times (Wheeling, 1). Reports from the local hospital indicated that at least 32 of the 56 injured in the previous night of violence were treated for gunshot wounds (Wheeling, 1).
Citizen peace patrols started walking the most heavily damaged street on Wednesday. The citizen patrols encouraged members of the community to observe the imposed curfew. State police also remained in the West Side throughout the evening, patrolling the streets by car. When the sun rose the next day, the community had experienced a full night of calm. Throughout the rest of Thursday, July 9, the relative peace continued. New Jersey Gov. William T. Cahill toured the West Side and requested that President Richard Nixon declare Asbury Park a major disaster area. Meetings between African American community leaders and the city council also took place on Wednesday. Although the parties involved succeeded in continuing the dialogue, the demands previously presented remained unanswered.
Discussions of the West Side community's demands continued through Friday, July 10, but the city council failed to provide the answers promised the previous day. The city council's slow response to these demands and complaints of police misconduct added to the community's injury. West Side citizens felt disappointed by the failure of the local government to accept responsibility for its part in the underlying causes of the unrest. Willie Hamm, the leading spokesman for the West Side, announced that further communication would be halted until the city council addressed the community's demands. Talks resumed later that day with a definitive goal of addressing the current demands. By late Friday evening West Side leaders and the city council came to terms, and all demands were at least minimally addressed.
The West Side remained calm for the following two days, and the state police left the neighborhood on Saturday. Disheartened by the violence that destroyed their neighborhood and injured their friends and families, West Side citizens united in efforts to aide those left homeless. African American community leaders continued lobbying for much-needed resources, while still facing many of the same obstacles that existed prior to the riots.
