In The Intuitionist, Whitehead explores the
Harlem Riots as a way to characterize the city. The Harlem Riot of 1964 is an
example of police brutality in the Harlem, New York. Police ideally are
expected to maintain the safety of a city; however, in this riot they killed an
innocent teenager. This is a prime example of policemen taking their job too
far, which affects the character of a city. On July 16, 1964, James Powell was
shot and killed by a New York police Department (NYPD) lieutenant. Powell was
playing around outside of an apartment building with other boys. The
superintendent sprayed the boys with a hose, and Lieutenant Gilligan shot
Powell because Gilligan claimed Powell lunged at him with knife. In response to
this, on July 18, people marched down the street protesting the brutality of
the police, who eventually tried to stop the protest, only inciting more
violence. People were injured and arrested. This incident only ignited more
rebellion against the police officers in Harlem. Instead of wanting to follow
the law and work with officials, the brutality only led to more violence and
unrest.
The
Harlem Riot of 1964 created a lack of comfort in the people who live there, and
created a distance between the law and those living under the law.
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