Peekskill Riot Episode 3: Up the Hillside Down in the Hollow

On August 27th, 1949, a Paul Robeson concert was violently attacked outside Peekskill, NY. The concert was for the benefit of the Civil Rights Congress and advertised to the Jewish and Black working-class, summer residents in the Hudson Valley. The Peekskill Evening Star and local veteran's groups - harboring disdain towards Robeson and the summer residents - organized a protest parade to stop the concert from taking place. What transpired was a horrific riot, in which innocent men, women, and children hoping to attend Paul Robeson's concert were attacked. Rocks, bottles, and other projectiles were thrown, while cars were turned over with passengers inside. All of this occurred under the wicked light of a burning cross, as years of bubbling hatred in Peekskill, NY finally burst.