Aug. 29, 1964 - Hundreds of Negroes rioted in a densely populated section of North Philadelphia last night and early today, smashing windows, looting stores, and hurling bricks and bottles at the police.
At 2:30 a.m. today, the police said that at least 29 persons, including seven patrolmen, had been injured. They were treated at Temple University Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital. A spokesman at St. Joseph’s said the hospital facilities were “overloaded” with persons suffering from head wounds.
The police estimated that about 300 persons were participating in the disorder, which affected a 12-block area centered on Columbia and Ridge Avenues in a Negro business district. The city’s total Negro population is about 550,000, or about 27%.
A force of more than 400 patrolmen was sent into the area to control the mobs.
The most seriously injured person in the rioting was the driver of a bus that was traveling on Columbia Avenue when the disorder began. The driver, Alfred McCullough, suffered face and shoulder cuts when a brick smashed through the windshield.
Several other persons on the bus were attacked by rioters. Following the incident, bus service in the area was discontinued.
Common Pleas Court Judge Raymond Pace Alexander, a Negro who went to North Philadelphia to help restore order, described the rioting as “the unruly acts of unruly people.”
The police said bad feeling in the area began about 9:30 last night when two patrolmen were sent to answer a complaint about a car blocking traffic.
When they arrived, they found a man and a woman in the stalled car. A dispute broke out when the policemen tried to move the car, and a crowd gathered.
According to the police, the two patrolmen were attacked from behind and were mauled by the crowd. The throng was dispersed by a force of patrolmen sent to the scene.
Two hours later, the police said, a group of teenagers began throwing bricks into the windows of a liquor store and an appliance store along Columbia Avenue. When the police moved into the area, they were met by a hail of missiles thrown from the rooftops.
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