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Canarsie Remained Calm In Great Blackout Of '77 Tomorrow marks the 30th anniversary of The Great Blackout of 1977. The following article appeared on the front page of the July 21, 1977 edition of the Canarsie Courier following the power outage that resulted in arson, looting and vandalism across the city. Canarsie, however, was fortunate in that there were few incidents reported and generally remained tranquil while other communities were plagued by widespread destruction. Neil S. Friedman The Great Blackout of 1977 ended last Thursday night more than 25 hours after "an act of God," according to Consolidated Edison's chairman Charles F. Luce, in the form of lightning bolts, knocked out an already strained power supply. In an attempt to prevent a repetition of the November 1965, power failure that affected much of the Northeast, Con Ed cut the power to New York City and part of Westchester when three bolts of lightning hit five power lines in a period of about 30 minutes. When the cloak of darkness lifted the sunrise on July 14, New York City was in the midst of being ravaged by looters, vandals, and arsonists. Within the first hour after the lights went out, brazen looting, wanton destruction, and scores of fires, which continued through a hot, muggy night and most of Thursday, plagued more than a dozen neighborhoods. Scattered looting was still being reported on Friday, but most of it had ended. By the time the power was restored to the 10 million persons affected, more than 3,800 suspects were arrested for looting and related charges, about 150 policemen had been injured battling the looters, and over 500 fires were reported by the Fire Department, which injured 22 firemen and caused at least two civilian deaths. While Con Ed was able to restore the electricity to the darkened city, it could in no way replace the loss of dignity that New York City suffered at the hands of several thousand mindless, heartless, and lawless individuals. Nor could the public utility salvage the hundreds of small businesses in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens that were destroyed by malicious scavengers. In the end the loss to New York City property was estimated at a billion dollars and the loss of city treasury at $10 million. The Canarsie community was fortunate compared to other sections of Brooklyn. Police reports at the 69th Precinct indicated that there were scattered trash fires and several broken windows, but nothing as serious as the damage incurred in Brownsville, Williamsburg, East New York, East Flatbush, and Bedford-Stuyvesant. A 69th Pct. spokesman told a Canarsie Courier reporter on Tuesday, that no arrests were made in Canarsie as a result of the blackout. Perhaps the most serious problem in Canarsie was the breaking of windows by a group of youths at Emma's Luncheonette at 9202 Avenue L. According to the two elderly proprietors, a band of about "40 or 50 youths" began throwing bricks and bottles through the windows of their coffee shop and yelling "Kill the Jews," at about 10:30 p.m. last Thursday. For the next hour the harassment continued. The owners also said that moist blobs of pizza dough, allegedly obtained from a nearby pizza store, were also tossed at the store. A Courier reporter saw evidence of their claim on the sidewalks around the luncheonette was over $500 for the windows and about $100 in inventory loss. The police were notified and a precinct spokeswoman said that detectives were working on the case. No arrests have been made. Lt. Anthony Gambino, who was in charge of operations at the 69th Pct. when the power outage began, said that people in the area "generally responded well" to the situation. He had special praise for the auxiliary police and the policemen who lived in the area but worked at other precincts. He noted, "The officers living in the community were very responsive. Within a short time after the emergency began, they were reporting in to give assistance. In addition, the auxiliary police covered the area well to prevent minor pilfering." Lt. Gambino also said that local ham radio and citizens band radio operators were also "quite helpful." He summed up by saying it was "a good show from Canarsie." City Councilman Herbert E. Berman reiterated the police officer's sentiment. He told the Courier on Monday, "Canarsie can be proud of how it reacted to the blackout. Except for a few minor incidents, the community was quiet throughout the city's night of terror. I'm proud to be a part of the community. " During the city's darkness, Mayor Beame declared a state of emergency that lasted until Friday morning. In a speech to residents who listened on battery-operated transistor radios, Beame noted that it was "a total outrage" that Con Ed had not restored power within a few hours. "Given what occurred 12 years ago, (the 1965 blackout), Con Ed's performance is at the very least, gross negligence, and at the worst, far more serious." When we declared an end to the state of emergency, the mayor expressed concern for the "economic chaos" that resulted from the looting and vandalism and added, "…those who committed the crimes must be dealt with in a severe manner." Thousands of looting suspects were crowded into police station lockups and the city's usually overcrowded prison system. The Bronx led the rest of the city in the number of suspects arrested. On Monday, state officials reported that 80 percent of those caught during the looting spree previously had criminal records. The backlog of processing suspected looters was severe and strained the city's criminal justice system. The chaos lasted through late yesterday. Any excessive delays in the system could have resulted in the release of suspected looters. Additional judicial assistance was dispatched to the city earlier in the week with the arrival of judges from upstate. Many store owners and residents of areas that were hardest hit by the chaos chastised Mayor Beame for not calling in the National Guard to stem the looting. Opponents of that plan praised the understaffed New York City Police Department for coping with the near riotous conditions. Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden used the instances of citywide pillage to bolster the argument that New York is "inadequately policed." He said, "The tragic wanton looting and arson that took place during last week's blackout clearly demonstrated that the city is inadequately policed." Golden appealed to the N.Y. Congressional delegation to acquire federal funds to provide for the appointment of 3,000 additional police officers for the city. "The Federal Government has partly acknowledged its responsibility to the city to provide educational programs," Golden summarized, "however, it has flatly refused to acknowledge its responsibility to provide a fair share of the funds necessary to staff out law enforcement agencies… We must have the ability to provide safe streets for the people and the storekeepers of New York who were held prisoners in their own homes last week." The Big Blackout of '77 officially lasted 25 hours, but the damage and destruction will remain etched on the minds of those who suffered through it forever. The devastation of the city's poorest neighborhoods by its own inhabitants is incomparable to the festive air that prevailed during the Original Big Blackout in '65. For some it will simply be a matter of days or weeks for the blackout to disappear from their everyday conversations, but for others it will be a lifetime before the scars heal.
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