713:
1986: On
December 20, in Howard Beach in Queens, New York, Michael Griffith, an African American construction worker, and his companions seek help after their car breaks down. Griffith is subsequently struck and killed by an automobile while fleeing white teenagers wielding baseball bats and tree
258:
Ultimately nine people would be convicted on a variety of charges related to
Griffith's death. On January 22, 1988, Jon Lester was sentenced to ten to thirty years' imprisonment. On February 5, Scott Kern was sentenced to six to eighteen years' imprisonment, and on February 11, 1988, Jason Ladone
246:
Twelve defendants were indicted by a grand jury on
February 9, 1987, including the original three charged in the case. Their original indictments had been dismissed after the witnesses refused to cooperate in the case. A little over a year after the death of Griffith, and after 12 days of jury
315:
where he studied electrical engineering and started his own business. He died on August 14, 2017, at age 48 in a suspected suicide. He left behind a wife and three children. Scott Kern was released from prison in 2002, the last of the three main perpetrators to be released.
199:
Griffith's death provoked strong outrage and immediate condemnation by mayor Edward Koch, who referred to the case as the "No. 1 case in the city". Two days after the event, on
December 22, three local youths, Lester and Ladone, along with Scott Kern, 18; all students at
143:
When police found
Sandiford walking west on the highway, they brought him to the site of Griffith's body and, without providing medical attention, searched him and placed him in a squad car before interrogating him for several hours. The next morning, police chief
132:
The group of white youths attacked
Griffith and Sandiford outside the pizzeria, while Grimes escaped after brandishing a knife. The youths chased the men, and Sandiford and Griffith were seriously beaten. While fleeing the attack, Griffith ran onto the nearby
85:
Late on the night of Friday, December 19, 1986, four black men, Michael
Griffith, 23; Cedric Sandiford, 36; Curtis Sylvester and Timothy Grimes, both 20, were traveling from Brooklyn to Queens to pick up Griffith's paycheck, when their car, a 1976
310:
Jason Ladone, then 29, was released from prison in April 2000 after serving 10 years, and later became a city employee. He was arrested again in June 2006, on drug charges. In May 2001, Jon Lester was released and deported back to the
319:
In 2005, the
Griffith case was brought back to the public's attention after another racial attack in Howard Beach. A black man, Glenn Moore, was beaten severely with a metal baseball bat by Nicholas Minucci. Minucci was convicted of
242:
as special prosecutor to handle the
Griffith case on January 13, 1987. The move came after pressure from black leaders on Cuomo to dismiss Santucci, who was seen as too partial to the defendants to prosecute the case effectively.
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129:
and were confronted by a larger group of white youths led by 17-year-old John Lester and 16-year-old Jason Ladone. The group were armed with tire irons, baseball bats, and tree limbs.
38:
youths outside a pizza parlor. Two of the victims, including
Griffith, were severely beaten. Griffith fled onto a highway where he was fatally struck by a passing motorist.
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urged boycotts of white-owned businesses and pizzerias. During protests, mostly black marchers carried signs comparing the neighborhood to South Africa during
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and was the second of three highly publicized, racially motivated killings of black men by white mobs in New York City in the 1980s. The other victims were
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102:. As Sylvester, the owner of the car, remained behind, the other three men walked about three miles north to the mostly white neighborhood of
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received a sentence of five to fifteen years' imprisonment. The other defendants were convicted of lesser charges; most were sentenced to
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Lee dedicated the film to the family of Michael Griffith and the families of five black people who were killed by police officers:
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for the death of Griffith. A fourth assailant, Michael Pirone, was acquitted. Griffith's death heightened racial tensions in
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deliberations, the three main defendants, Kern, Lester and Ladone, were convicted on December 21, 1987, of second-degree
188:
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near the intersection of Cross Bay Boulevard and 157th Avenue. After a rest and a meal, the men left the pizzeria at
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in 2006, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The case was revisited once more by the media after the death of
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34:, New York City, in a racially motivated attack. Griffith and two other black men were set upon by a group of
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304:
70:
54:
208:. The driver of the car that struck Griffith, 24-year-old Dominick Blum, was not charged with any crime.
755:
664:
Mack, Dwayne A. (2010). "Howard Beach Incident, 1986". In Alexander, Leslie; Rucker, Walter C. (eds.).
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After entering Howard Beach, the three men were accosted by a group of white residents, who yelled
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50:
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397:"Revisiting Howard Beach, 30 years after white mob chased black man to his death on Belt Parkway"
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307:, where Griffith had lived as a child, were named in his honor, as "Michael Griffith Street".
260:
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807:
Smothers, Ronald (January 14, 1987). "Hynes Is Selected To Be Prosecutor In Queens Attack".
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732:
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Subsequent race-related crimes in New York city included the 1989 killing of black teenager
239:
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854:(Press release). Office of the Mayor; City of New York. November 22, 1999. Release #453-99.
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where he was struck and killed by a motorist. His body was found on the highway at
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with his family in 1973. He was a member of Our Lady of Charity Catholic Church in
42:
41:
Three local teenagers, Jon Lester, Scott Kern, and Jason Ladone, were convicted of
27:
23:
782:
Barron, James (January 9, 1987). "Ward Renews Attack on Lawyer in Beating Case".
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by accusing them of trying to cover up facts in the case and aid the defendants.
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organized several protests in Howard Beach and nearby neighborhoods. Ministers
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After witnesses repeatedly refused to cooperate with Queens district attorney
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895:"Jon Lester, ringleader of Howard Beach racial attack in 1986, is dead at 48"
818:
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hoax the following year. Maddox raised the ire of the NYPD and Commissioner
176:
107:
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The Griffith family, as well as Cedric Sandiford, retained the services of
148:
reprimanded the officers for their treatment of Sandiford. New York mayor
329:
153:
74:
66:
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Albergotti, Reed; Zambito, Thomas; Schrager, Marsha; Rofe, John (2003).
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in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn by a gang of white youths.
252:
205:
180:
31:
852:"Mayor Giuliani Signs Bill that Names Street After Michael Griffith"
834:"The Enduring Urgency of Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" at Thirty"
756:"Grand Jury Clears Man Whose Car Killed Black in Queens Race Attack"
65:
Griffith was born in 1963. He immigrated to the United States from
87:
16:
1986 racially motivated murder in Queens, New York, United States
400:
453:"Black man is killed by mob in Brooklyn: Attack called racial"
363:"A Racial Attack That, Years Later, Is Still Being Felt"
537:"6th man surrenders in slaying of a black man in 1982"
22:(March 2, 1963 – December 20, 1986) was a 23-year-old
1085:
Racially motivated violence against African Americans
734:"3 Youths Are Held on Murder Counts in Queens Attack"
1019:"Man chased to his death in Howard Beach hate-crime"
948:"Bat-Wielding Attacker Gets 15 Years for Hate Crime"
697:. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications. p.
666:Encyclopedia of African American History, Volume 1
581:"Black Man Dies After Beating by Whites In Queens"
1025:. A&E Television Networks. November 13, 2009.
219:, two attorneys who would become involved in the
179:, while white residents displayed signs reading "
1095:Race-related controversies in the United States
919:"Batsman Convicted of Howard Beach Hate Crimes"
508:"Manslaughter conviction in racial mob slaying"
419:
417:
204:, were arrested and charged with second-degree
390:
388:
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668:. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. pp.
117:and told them to leave the neighborhood. By
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561:
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480:"Two indicted in slaying of transit worker"
986:"Racism Comes Home: The Howard Beach Case"
763:. United Press International. May 22, 1987
1055:December 1986 events in the United States
731:McFadden, Robert D. (December 23, 1986).
578:McFadden, Robert D. (December 21, 1986).
355:
353:
351:
349:
347:
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303:In 1999, six blocks of Pacific Street in
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26:who was killed on December 20, 1986, in
695:Encyclopedia of Street Crime in America
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655:
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1001:Erlanger, Steven (December 21, 1987).
609:Erlanger, Steven (December 21, 1987).
90:, broke down on a deserted stretch of
1090:Anti-black racism in New York (state)
1080:Road incident deaths in New York City
867:"Howard Beach Slay Perp Busted Again"
255:. Michael Pirone, 18, was acquitted.
7:
1050:Attacks in the United States in 1986
425:"The Tumultuous 80s And Bensonhurst"
152:compared the attack on the men to a
865:Shifrel, Scott (October 17, 2006).
714:limbs and shouting racial epithets.
946:Kilgannon, Corey (July 18, 2006).
916:Kilgannon, Corey (June 10, 2006).
395:Murphy, Mary (December 20, 2016).
360:Roberts, Sam (December 18, 2011).
14:
1115:Manslaughter in the United States
1105:Deaths by person in New York City
893:Murphy, Mary (October 24, 2017).
451:Basler, Barbara (June 23, 1982).
1004:"500 Mourn Man Killed in Queens"
832:Brody, Richard (June 28, 2019).
611:"500 MOURN MAN KILLED IN QUEENS"
535:Buder, Leonard (June 13, 1984).
1075:Pedestrian road incident deaths
693:Ross, Jeffrey Ian, ed. (2013).
278:During the credits of the 1989
840:– via www.newyorker.com.
1:
332:, New York, in October 2006.
159:Black civil-rights activist
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1120:African-American Catholics
1100:Crimes in Queens, New York
94:near the neighborhoods of
1021:. This Day in History.
430:Macaulay Honors College
305:Crown Heights, Brooklyn
296:, Yvonne Smallwood and
195:Investigation and trial
202:John Adams High School
121:, the men reached the
1045:1986 in New York City
292:, Arthur Miller Jr.,
1110:Howard Beach, Queens
1065:December 1986 events
996:on August 16, 2006.
872:New York Daily News
187:", and "Bring Back
92:Cross Bay Boulevard
1010:The New York Times
952:The New York Times
925:The New York Times
810:The New York Times
785:The New York Times
740:The New York Times
615:The New York Times
587:The New York Times
542:The New York Times
458:The New York Times
369:The New York Times
285:Do the Right Thing
761:Los Angeles Times
708:978-1-4522-7445-4
679:978-1-85109-769-2
261:community service
251:and first-degree
123:New Park Pizzeria
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992:. Archived from
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232:John J. Santucci
169:Herbert Daughtry
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61:Michael Griffith
20:Michael Griffith
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978:Further reading
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516:. March 9, 1983
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488:. June 25, 1982
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213:Alton H. Maddox
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838:The New Yorker
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366:. City Room.
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326:Michael Sandy
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273:Yusuf Hawkins
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240:Charles Hynes
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225:Benjamin Ward
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171:and activist
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71:Crown Heights
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55:Yusef Hawkins
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47:New York City
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29:
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994:the original
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965:September 1,
963:. Retrieved
951:
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929:. Retrieved
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911:
899:. Retrieved
888:
876:. Retrieved
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765:. Retrieved
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626:. Retrieved
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592:. Retrieved
590:. p. A1
585:
546:. Retrieved
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518:. Retrieved
511:
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490:. Retrieved
483:
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462:. Retrieved
456:
446:
434:. Retrieved
428:
404:. Retrieved
399:. New York:
373:. Retrieved
367:
318:
309:
302:
294:Edmund Perry
283:
277:
270:
257:
249:manslaughter
245:
229:
210:
198:
173:Sonny Carson
158:
142:
135:Belt Parkway
131:
115:racial slurs
112:
104:Howard Beach
100:Far Rockaway
84:
64:
53:in 1982 and
51:Willie Turks
43:manslaughter
40:
28:Howard Beach
19:
18:
1125:1963 births
1060:1986 crimes
1040:1986 deaths
1023:History.com
901:February 7,
322:hate crimes
236:Mario Cuomo
185:White Power
183:Go Home", "
165:Floyd Flake
161:Al Sharpton
150:Edward Koch
1034:Categories
628:October 8,
548:October 5,
520:October 5,
492:October 5,
464:October 5,
436:October 5,
336:References
238:appointed
127:12:40 a.m.
119:12:30 a.m.
106:to find a
960:0362-4331
931:April 19,
878:April 19,
819:2269-9740
794:2269-9740
767:April 19,
623:0362-4331
594:April 19,
406:April 19,
280:Spike Lee
267:Aftermath
177:apartheid
139:1:03 a.m.
108:pay phone
57:in 1989.
24:black man
375:June 29,
330:Brooklyn
154:lynching
75:Brooklyn
67:Trinidad
670:814-816
253:assault
189:Slavery
181:Niggers
958:
817:
792:
705:
676:
621:
206:murder
81:Attack
32:Queens
699:xxxii
282:film
88:Buick
36:white
30:, in
967:2023
956:ISSN
933:2017
903:2020
880:2017
815:ISSN
790:ISSN
769:2017
703:ISBN
674:ISBN
630:2023
619:ISSN
596:2017
550:2022
522:2022
494:2022
466:2022
438:2022
408:2017
401:WPIX
377:2013
215:and
167:and
98:and
513:UPI
485:UPI
191:".
1036::
1007:.
988:.
954:.
950:.
922:.
869:.
836:.
759:.
737:.
721:^
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672:.
638:^
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613:.
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510:.
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455:.
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344:^
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156:.
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73:,
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969:.
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882:.
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771:.
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632:.
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524:.
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379:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.