Also contrary to the frequently expressed assertion that "It couldn't happen here", history reveals not only that riots could, but indeed did occur in the City
of Rochester in 1964. "Evidence" of major efforts directed toward alleviating problems in our inner city as documentation for the assertion that "Rochester Means Equality" suggests, on closer scrutiny, that in many instances in ou community issues and controversy have been confused with concrete action. Some meaningful work has been accomplished but not nearly enough. And the rapidly broadening gap between the need and accomplishment is critically evident -- perceptibly and statistically.
Many agencies and groups, no doubt, felt that they were actually coming to grips, in a substantive way, with programs to reduce and change the negative direction of problems in the inner city. It was and is both plainly and painfully seen by inner city residents that more often than not activity related to problems in the Third and Seventh Wards was more verbal than substantive. Close to a year later, that situation is virtually the same execet more aggravated.
...
It appears that agencies, ostensibly designed to come to grips with social ills, become for all practical purposes, conveniently "responsible" for the ills. So,
more agencies come in, more controversies develop, charges and counter-charges as evidence of action become the pattern, and the problems themselves become increasingly worse and continually ignored.
That was Rochester, New York -July 1964.