Last Exit Magazine
[published: August 13, 2008]
Tompkins Square Riot
On the night of Aug. 6, 1988, a riot broke out in New York’s Tompkins Square Park as police clashed with residents protesting a newly-enforced park curfew.
For many, the melee came to symbolize the boiling point for gentrification of the East Village during the 80’s. Reporting on the riot at the time, The New York Times referred to it as a “class struggle.” We spoke with Paul DeReinzo, a radio reporter who was there that night broadcasting it for WBAI in the East Village.
Video still taken from The Tompkins Square Park Police Riot Tape by Clayton Patterson.