"Words were passed, in a shotgun blast, troubled times had come... to my hometown"
Asbury Park Press, Thursday, May 22, 1969
Freehold's Riot: How It Happened
FREEHOLD - The Police log book for Monday night's racial disturbance shows the first incident involving bands of black youths started some four hours before a window smashing spree and teen-age shooting.
Police broke up a band of black teen-agers near the bus terminal at 6:13 p.m.
At 8:27 p.m. another group was dispersed without incident at the same locaton.
The first window was smashed at 8:27 p.m. at a South Street pool room by a group of black youths.
Fifteen minutes later a crowd of blacks again gathered at the bus station near the Borough Hall and was again dispersed.
An out-of-town woman telephoned police at 8:48 p.m. and said her son was driving into town and "there would be trouble."
At 9:22 p.m. reports came in of two separate groups of blacks in the predominantly Negro southeast section of the Borough. One caller reported the group loitering on the overpass on Center street and another reported a band of blacks with sticks and clubs rounding the corner of Center street and First avenue.
By 9:56 p.m. a large group of blacks was seen in the downtown parking lot off Court street.
At 10 p.m. a caller reported a crowd at Center and First streets pelting passing cars with bricks and bottles.
Fifteen minutes later one motorist had the side of his car dented and a baseball bat pass through the front window of a woman's car. Neither was injured.
At 10:27 p.m. a "large group" of cars filled with white teenagers drove through the bus terminal area shouting catcalls to nearby black youths. The drivers then parked the cars on side streets around 10:30 p.m. and walked through the center of town.
Around the same time a car stopped on South street, and unidentified man got out, hit a parked car with a baseball bat and drove off.
The log book shows reports of various store windows broken in the business section at 10:35 p.m. and a shooting at South street and Route 33.
Police said a carload of white youths pulled alongside a car of black youths and a shotgun was fired into the back seat of the car of black teenagers.
The victims, Dean Lewis, 16, of 8 Monmouth Avenue, who suffered buckshot wounds in the left side of his face and right eye and Leroy Kinsey Jr. 19, Factory street, who was hit in the neck, were taken to Jersey Shore Medical Center, Neptune.
Police Chief Henry T. Lefkowich called for reinforcements at around that time and police from Marlboro Township, Freehold Township, and the County Sheriff's Office responded.
At 11 p.m. Mayor John I. Dawes ordered a curfew until 6 a.m. Tuesday and declared a state of emergency. State police were then called in from Princeton to assist in maintaining order.
Quiet was restored shortly after midnight.
