NCJ Number
136182
Date Published
1990
Length
309 pages
Annotation
Special Prosecutor Charles J. Hynes recalls the racially motivated event at Howard Beach and examines the investigation and subsequent trial.
Abstract
On December 19, 1986, four black men experienced car trouble while driving through an all-white community. The next morning one lay dead, and another was severely beaten with a baseball bat by a dozen local youths. Charles Hynes saw this event as a metaphor for the bigotry and racial tension devouring the country. The roles of the politicians including Mayor Mario Cuomo, Queens District Attorney John Santucci, and former New York Mayor Edward Koch are highlighted as well as that of the black activists including attorney Alton Maddox and the Reverend Al Sharpton. The local citizens and their racial attitudes are examined, and the last chapter focuses on the trial and discusses the verdict of three men convicted of manslaughter in the second degree. Hynes felt the verdict was fair and just, but addresses the tragic death of one of the victims.