in the magazine July 13, 2007

Summer of Sam Revisited: The 1977 Blackout

1977 Blackout

Thirty years ago tonight, the lights went out in New York City. Unlike the placid blackout of 2003, the 1977 blackout plunged a weary, wary city into inky mayhem. Fires burned in Bushwick. Looters tore into Crown Heights. A significant chunk of Broadway was ablaze. Damages went into the hundreds of millions. And no one got shot. In a special issue on the blackout published on August 1, 1977, New York’s Thomas Plate wrote about what the cops did and didn’t do that dark night. “…[I]t is still somewhat reassuring to know that the NYPD’s behavior during the blackout was far more thought out than Con Ed’s.” Considering what happened in Queens last summer, that is reassuring indeed.

Why The Cops Didn’t Shoot [NYM (pdf)]

Tags:

+Comments Leave a Comment

Summer of Sam Revisited: The 1977 Blackout

Most Viewed Stories

THE FEED

9:18 a.m.

Biden formally committed to the U.S. cutting fossil fuel emissions at least in half from 2005 levels by 2030

Saying the United States and other big economies “have to get this done,” President Joe Biden opened a global climate summit Thursday aimed at getting world leaders to dig deeper on emissions cuts. The United States pledged to cut in half the amount of climate-wrecking coal and petroleum fumes it is pumping out.

“Meeting this moment is about more than preserving our planet,” Biden declared, speaking from a TV-style set for a virtual summit of 40 world leaders. “It’s about providing a better future for all of us,” he said, calling it “a moment of peril but a moment of opportunity.”

“The signs are unmistakable. the science is undeniable. the cost of inaction keeps mounting,” he added.”

Biden’s administration is sketching out a vision of a prosperous, clean-energy United States where factories churn out cutting-edge batteries for export, line workers re-lay an efficient national electrical grid and crews cap abandoned oil and gas rigs and coal mines.

At ‘moment of peril,’ Biden opens global summit on climate

—AP

GOP Stands Up to ‘Cancel Culture’ by Criminalizing Dissent

Republicans believe that corporations opposing conservative causes undermines civil liberties, but governments criminalizing protest does not.

Derek Chauvin Held in 23-Hour Solitary Confinement As He Awaits Sentencing

The convicted murderer is only being let out of his cell one hour per day for exercise and is under observation every 30 minutes.

Most Popular

‘King of Absentees’ Accused of Skipping Work at Italian Hospital for 15 Years

New heights in working from home.

After the Voting Wars, Who’s Likely to Turn Out in 2022?

The net impact of laws to suppress or expand voting rights is unclear, and will compete with many factors affecting the level and shape of turnout.

The Most Powerful Weapon for Police Reform Is Back

By James D. Walsh

Biden’s Justice Department takes out a tool shelved by Trump to force local law enforcement to change.

the national interest

the national interest

Steve Scalise’s Ignorant, Racist Case Against D.C. Statehood

By Jonathan Chait

Republican from murderous, corrupt state says D.C. has too much crime and corruption to be a state.

coronavirus vaccine

coronavirus vaccine

How to Sign Up for a COVID Vaccine in New York

All New Yorkers over the age of 16 are now eligible to sign up for a shot.

Manhattan Drops Prosecution of Consensual Sex Work

By Claire Lampen

The DA will still pursue charges for visiting sex workers and for sex trafficking.

Reconciliation May Not Solve Democrats’ Immigration Woes

As with the $15 minimum wage, a path to citizenship could succumb to a Senate parliamentarian’s ruling. And then there’s Joe Manchin.

Justice Department Launches Probe of Minneapolis Police Practices

Merrick Garland announced a probe into whether the department has engaged in a pattern of “unlawful policing” a day after the Derek Chauvin verdict.

the national interest

the national interest

Why Should Black Protesters Trust a Senate That Underrepresents Them?

By Jonathan Chait

Peaceful police reform means taking democratic reform seriously.

4/21/2021

Perhaps the future of the increasingly Trumpy GOP is … a guy Trump soundly beat in 2016?

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is seriously considering running for president in 2024, three people familiar with his thinking tell Axios.

… Christie, whose 2016 bid for the nomination was short-lived, has told friends that he’d be the only person in the 2024 field with executive experience who has run a presidential race before.

That’s a clear shot at one potential rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who’s enjoying a surge of popularity from Republican voters for his handling of COVID-19 and his sparring with the media but hasn’t yet endured the scrutiny of a presidential bid.

Christie could run on a reputation for toughness that appeals to Trump’s base minus the former president’s recklessness, said one source. Another said he has a mix of combativeness and charisma that Republicans are looking for to take on President Biden and Democrats.

Scoop: Chris Christie friends believe he's running in 2024

—Axios

1 in 4 New Yorkers Were Infected in First Wave of Virus, Study Finds

By Paola Rosa-Aquino

Black and Hispanic residents were twice as likely to test positive for COVID-19 antibodies than whites.

derek chauvin trial

derek chauvin trial

Chauvin Found Guilty On All Counts: Live Updates

By Intelligencer Staff

The former Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd is now a convicted murderer.

Biden to Pledge Emissions Cut of 50 Percent by 2030: Report

The ambitious goal appears to be a signal to the world that the new administration wants to return to a leadership position in the climate emergency.

derek chauvin trial

derek chauvin trial

Does the Chauvin Trial Mark a Turning Point in Police Accountability?

By Zak Cheney-Rice and Benjamin Hart

The forces that animated the case aren’t going away.

black lives matter

black lives matter

The Moment Minneapolis Heard Justice

By Tarkor Zehn and Justin Miller

Outside the courthouse where Derek Chauvin was convicted.

derek chauvin trial

derek chauvin trial

Democrats Defeat Maxine Waters Censure Resolution Over Chauvin Verdict

A Republican exercise in whataboutism aimed at distracting attention from January 6 failed.

derek chauvin trial

derek chauvin trial

Derek Chauvin Found Guilty on All Counts

The jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.

The Chauvin Verdict Is Not Justice. It’s Self-Preservation.

By Zak Cheney-Rice

Even as it ended in conviction on murder charges, the trial was a state-level effort to defend the virtues of policing.

4/20/2021

Derek Chauvin has been found guilty on all counts

The jury finds Derek Chauvin:
Count 1: GUILTY
Count 2: GUILTY
Count 3: GUILTY

—@Phil_Mattingly

georgia election law

georgia election law

Trump Says Georgia Election Law Is ‘Far Too Weak’

The former president’s message to Republicans is that using election laws to screw over the opposition isn’t just acceptable – it’s mandatory.

4/20/2021

The jury has reached a verdict in the Chauvin trial

BREAKING: Jurors in the Derek Chauvin trial have reached a verdict and it will be read between 3:30 & 4CT today.

We will not know what the verdict is until then.

Mr. Chauvin has been charged with 2nd-degree murder, 3rd-degree murder and manslaughter in George Floyd’s death.

—@NickAtNews

Biden Says He’s ‘Praying’ for ‘Right Verdict’ in Chauvin Trial

As the jury deliberates, Biden said he finds the evidence “overwhelming” and confirmed that he’s talked with George Floyd’s family.

Fritz Mondale, Public Servant

The old-school liberal and party loyalist redefined the vice-presidency.

Global Recovery Wipes Out Most of 2020’s Decline in Carbon Emissions

By Paola Rosa-Aquino

A “dire warning” from the International Energy Agency’s new report.

derek chauvin trial

derek chauvin trial

Minneapolis Prepares for Unrest As Chauvin Jurors Deliberate

By Benjamin Hart

National Guard troops are all over the place as the city braces for a verdict.

4/20/2021

Things may be looking stable in America, but not so much worldwide

WHO: More than 5 million coronavirus cases were reported worldwide last week, the most in a single week so far.

—@ryanstruyk

4/20/2021

Spare a thought for the forgotten victim of the Trump presidency: Trump himself

I miss the most, helping people. That’s why I did it. Look, this has been very traumatic. I had a great life, great company, great business, no problems and now all I do is, people go after you. It’s vicious, it’s horrible but you know what? I loved doing it because I helped people. And I’ve helped them more than any president.

—Former President Donald Trump, during a Monday night appearance on Hannity