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1862 Brooklyn riot

1860s in New York City1862 in New York (state)1862 riots19th century in BrooklynAfrican-American history in New York City
American anti-abolitionist riots and civil disorderAttacks on buildings and structures in New York CityAugust 1862Irish-American culture in New York CityIrish-American historyRacially motivated violence against African Americans in New York CityRiots and civil disorder in New York CityTerrorist incidents in New York CityUse American English from January 2025Use mdy dates from January 2025White American culture in New York (state)White American riots in the United StatesWhite nationalist terrorism in the United States

A riot occurred in the Cobble Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York (not yet a part of New York City), United States, on August 4, 1862. It involved a group of White Americans, mostly of Irish descent, targeting a group of about 20 Black American workers at a tobacco factory on Sedgwick Street. The New York City Police Department was able to quell the riot with only some minor injuries and property damage. Two days prior to the riot, a fight occurred at a liquor store near two tobacco factories between a White and Black man. Following the fight, anti-Black rumors circulated in the primarily Irish American neighborhood of Cobble Hill, and the animus of some in the neighborhood was directed towards Black workers. Heightened tensions were not unusual, as the Irish often regarded Black workers as economic competitors. On the morning of August 4, a mob congregated outside of one of the factories, breaking windows and attacking the people inside. Police arrived and were able to disperse the mob, douse a fire that some rioters had set, and arrest several individuals. Historians have classified the riot as part of a broader trend of violence towards Black Americans in the New York area during the time that included such events as the New York City draft riots the following year.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article 1862 Brooklyn riot (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

1862 Brooklyn riot
Degraw Street, New York Brooklyn

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N 40.686666666667 ° E -74.003055555556 °
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Degraw Street 83
11231 New York, Brooklyn
New York, United States
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