“Rumor, Vicious Innuendo, and False Reports”: Policing Black Soldiers in Wartime Staten Island

Abstract

On Staten Island in the spring of 1945, a small group of white politicians, business owners, and residents began complaining about a “crime wave” that they attributed to black soldiers stationed at the Fox Hills Army facility. Most of these complaints stemmed from vague references to rumors of crimes rather than actual incidents. Black journalists and members of the NAACP refuted these accusations and argued that the real issue was discrimination against the soldiers and racism on the part of white Staten Islanders. These accusations launched a months-long debate about racism, crime, and policing on Staten Island during the war. Ultimately, the mayor and military authorities responded by intensifying policing and surveillance of the soldiers. This article uses the conflicts around policing in wartime Staten Island as a lens to consider the impact of the war on black New Yorkers and black soldiers stationed in New York City.