The Police of the Twenty‐third Precinct and the East Harlem Community

Abstract

This paper recounts an intergroup situation in New York City between October of 1966 and November of 1967 and describes the efforts made in a ghetto community to develop some appreciation between the minority inhabitants and the police. The underlying pathologies of group internalization and isolation were attacked on a day‐to‐day basis in an effort to dissolve some of the tensions and bitternesses. The premise was the belief that a police force cannot operate effectively without the wholehearted support and cooperation of the community.