I grew up in Irvington during the 1950s through mid-1965 when I enlisted in the Army. Back then Irvington, which borders Newark on the west, was 98% white, middle-class and had a low crime rate. Then in the 1970s, blacks from Newark began moving in and the whites moved out. Now, the town is probably at least 80% black and the crime rate is is one of the highest in the state.
85% Black, actually and 11% Hispanic. Only about 4% White. It had about 60,000 Whites in the ‘60s and now there’s only about 2,000 (1/3rd of what’s listed as “White” in the ‘10 Census is actually Hispanic, perhaps more).
My father lived in Newark at the end of the ‘60s (he was there for the fun around the time of MLK’s assassination). He went out for a stroll and some feral pitched a tv set out an apartment window at him. Had he been a few feet over, he (and I) would not be here today.
I grew up in Newark on Berks Pl. & Nye Ave. on the Irvington border at the same time. Irvington was a great middle class town. We played ball in Irvington Park & sledded down May Hill. I owned a gas station on Stuyvesant Ave. just down from Olympic Park in the late 60’s.
My how times changed very Quickly.
Like every good city.