Why did the Peekskill Riots happen? It may sound like a simple question, but it has been in debate ever since the violence occured 75 years ago. Was it a race riot? An anti-semitic riot? An anti-communist riot? The answer to all of these is yes. Each rioter who participated in the violence had their own reasons for comitting these hateful acts. Anger toward an increasing summer population predominantly made up of working class, left leaning Jews, created a significant culture of anti Semitism in Peekskill. National societal and political trends villifying leftist ideologies, which had been the target of ire for decades but was especially attacked in the post WW2 years, undoubtedly played a role when Paul Robeson—adament Socialist and suspected Communist—was coming to the largely conservative and Republican city of Peekskill. But of course, Paul Robeson was a successful black man and Civil Rights activist performing for the benefit of the Civil Rights Congress. Documented testimony as well as audio and video evidence proves racial hatred was present in the attackers who hated Robeson and the black men, women, and children attending his concert.
It is important to understand the complexities of this story. The failure to do so will surely allow for it to be repeated.
Check out the first two episodes of The Peekskill Riots docu series on YouTube and JonScottBennett.com
#PaulRobeson #Peekskill #PeekskillRiots #ThePeekskillRiots #1949 #JonScottBennett #CivilRights #CivilRightsCongress #Westchester #NewYork #Cortlandt #PutnamValley #Mohegan #ThreeArrows #Socialist #Anarchist #Communist #Leftist #Verplanck #Buchanan #Hudson #HudsonValley #Princeton #Rutgers #Putnam #Dutchess #History #Documentary #Robeson
While the influence of the Ku Klux Klan as an organization in New York faded away before the Peekskill Riots, the hateful ideology never went away. This is because while organizations come and go, culture stays. The culture of White Supremacy in the United States that fueled the Klan’s resurgence during the 1920s were what fueled the Peekskill Riots of 1949. This is why it is important to study the history of the KKK in Peekskill, while also understanding that White Supremacy is Systemic and not tied to a single organization.
Check out the first two episodes of The Peekskill Riots docu series on YouTube and JonScottBennett.com
#PaulRobeson #Peekskill #PeekskillRiots #ThePeekskillRiots #1949 #JonScottBennett #CivilRights #CivilRightsCongress #Westchester #NewYork #Cortlandt #PutnamValley #Mohegan #ThreeArrows #Socialist #Anarchist #Communist #Leftist #Verplanck #Buchanan #Hudson #HudsonValley
Composing music for the Peekskill Riots docu series is a challenge all on its own. However, it is where I have some of the most fun. Every piece is different as every part of the film is different, but my approach is relatively the same. I break that process down here, where I first pin down what the “primary instrument” is going to be—more often than not it is a narration of some kind. Then I compose everything to complement that narration, as if it was an instrument in the piece itself.
This is a Behind the Scenes on the making of The Peekskill Riots docu series.
Check out the first two episodes of The Peekskill Riots docu series on YouTube and JonScottBennett.com
#PaulRobeson #Peekskill #PeekskillRiots #ThePeekskillRiots #1949 #JonScottBennett #CivilRights #CivilRightsCongress #Westchester #NewYork #Cortlandt #PutnamValley #Mohegan #ThreeArrows #Socialist #Anarchist #Communist #Leftist #Verplanck #Buchanan #Hudson #HudsonValley
Reflecting on discovering the secret history of the Ku Klux Klan in New York. How I came to find that a white supremacist organization operated in my hometown 100 years ago this year at the Putnam Valley Grange. When we looked for the official minutesbook documenting this visit, it was nowhere to be found. The rest of the Grange’s archives from every other year is accounted for. Isnt that interesting?
Check out the first two episodes of The Peekskill Riots docu series on YouTube and JonScottBennett.com
#PaulRobeson #Peekskill #PeekskillRiots #ThePeekskillRiots #1949 #JonScottBennett #CivilRights #CivilRightsCongress #Westchester #NewYork #Cortlandt #PutnamValley #Mohegan #ThreeArrows #Socialist #Anarchist #Communist #Leftist #Verplanck #Buchanan #Hudson #HudsonValley
While imvestigating The Peekskill Riots of 1949 we were able to obtain access to the newspaper book for the Peekskill Evening Star. This newspaper had a hand in spearheading the violence that summer in Peekskill. While going through the pages I found an article that was cut out and missing! It is surprisingly difficult to find the Evening Star’s collection preserved in its entirety, the only location accessible to the public is the Field Library in Peekskill. Using their digitized copies of the newspaper we were able to confirm that this missing article was in fact, NOT related to the riots but instead…a picture of Miss America…
False Alarm on this conspiracy folks. But the previous owner of this book may have been a bit of a perv. 🤷♂️
Check out the first two episodes of The Peekskill Riots docu series on YouTube and JonScottBennett.com
#PaulRobeson #Peekskill #PeekskillRiots #ThePeekskillRiots #1949 #JonScottBennett #CivilRights #CivilRightsCongress #Westchester #NewYork #Cortlandt #PutnamValley #Mohegan #ThreeArrows #Socialist #Anarchist #Communist #Leftist #Verplanck #Buchanan #Hudson #HudsonValley
When Jackie Robinson was taken advantage of to blacklist Paul Robeson. After Robeson’s speech in Paris in April of 1949 was misquoted to make it appear he was “disloyal to his country”, the House Unamerican Activites Committee called upon prominant members of the Black community in the United States to speak out against Paul to destroy his influence. Jackie Robinson, star of the Brooklyn Dodgers read a statement in which he carefully said that ‘If’ Paul Robeson truly said that Black Americans would not fight for the United States, it “sounds very silly to me”. Later in his life, Robinson would say that while he didn’t regret the content of his statement, he recognized he was used by White America to silence Paul Robeson who he said was “truly trying to help his race”.
Check out the first two episodes of The Peekskill Riots docu series on YouTube and JonScottBennett.com
#PaulRobeson #Peekskill #PeekskillRiots #ThePeekskillRiots #1949 #JonScottBennett #CivilRights #CivilRightsCongress #Westchester #NewYork #Cortlandt #PutnamValley #Mohegan #ThreeArrows #Socialist #Anarchist #Communist #Leftist #Verplanck #Buchanan #Hudson #HudsonValley
Gatekeeping in Local History is a serious problem. While some museums, libraries, and historical socities have been extraordinarily helpful in my efforts to tell the Peekskill Riots story, some groups have tried to block these efforts because it doesnt conform to their version of “history”.
Our ability to publish these films online and interact with viewers on social media helps us combat this gatekeeping. In years past, filmmakers and storytellers have had to cater to corporations, executives, and other middlemen in order to have their work be seen by an audience. In the age we live in now, I am able to communicate these stories directly to you, without being censored or held back. While some local historians still continue to block our access to their archives or prevent our work from being shown at certain museums, our online distribution allows us to connect with the next generation of historians who will end these gatekeeping practices.
Check out the first two episodes of The Peekskill Riots docu series on YouTube and JonScottBennett.com
#PaulRobeson #Peekskill #PeekskillRiots #ThePeekskillRiots #1949 #JonScottBennett #CivilRights #CivilRightsCongress #Westchester #NewYork #Cortlandt #PutnamValley #Mohegan #ThreeArrows #Socialist #Anarchist #Communist #Leftist #Verplanck #Buchanan #Hudson #HudsonValley
An insightful observation from an audience member on how those who have come to this area bringing new ideas, culture, and commerce have been pushed away at every turn by “the old guard”. This can be seen in The Peekskill Riots as many of the victims were summer vacationists who brought commerce to the struggling businesses of Peekskill, yet were still made to feel unwelcome because of their difference to the accepted, conservative culture of Peekskill.
Check out the first two episodes of The Peekskill Riots docu series on YouTube and JonScottBennett.com
#PaulRobeson #Peekskill #PeekskillRiots #ThePeekskillRiots #1949 #JonScottBennett #CivilRights #CivilRightsCongress #Westchester #NewYork #Cortlandt #PutnamValley #Mohegan #ThreeArrows #Socialist #Anarchist #Communist #Leftist #Verplanck #Buchanan #Hudson #HudsonValley
More info on screenings for the first two episodes of The Peekskill Riots docu series on JonScottBennett.com! #PaulRobeson #Peekskill #PeekskillRiots #ThePeekskillRiots #1949 #JonScottBennett #CivilRights #CivilRightsCongress #Westchester #NewYork #Cortlandt #PutnamValley #Mohegan #ThreeArrows #Socialist #Anarchist #Communist #Leftist #Verplanck #Buchanan #Hudson #HudsonValley
How I search for images of locally known historical figures: The Peekskill Riots docu series Behind the Scenes
Searching for images of historical figures is one thing. Finding images of more obscure local figures is an entirely different challenge. For the Peekskill Riots docu series I have been working on finding images of the District Attorney of Westchester County at the time, George M Fanelli. I break down some of the methods I have used to successfully find images through Newspapers, Libraries, and even Ancestry.com!
This is important because Fanelli would be assigned to investigate the riots by New York Governor Thomas Dewey. As such, Fanelli is very important to the story, and it is important that we put a face to the name as we hear his legal conclusion of why the riots occurred, and the responses and reactions to his handling of the riots.
If you have any suggestions or advice on how I may improve my research, feel free to share! Lets make Local History a community of people who help one another better understand our home!
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Check out the first two episodes of The Peekskill Riots docu series on YouTube and JonScottBennett.com
#PaulRobeson #Peekskill #PeekskillRiots #ThePeekskillRiots #1949 #JonScottBennett #CivilRights #CivilRightsCongress #Westchester #NewYork #Cortlandt #PutnamValley #Mohegan #ThreeArrows #Socialist #Anarchist #Communist #Leftist #Verplanck #Buchanan #Hudson #HudsonValley
Check out the first two episodes of The Peekskill Riots docu series on YouTube and JonScottBennett.com
#PaulRobeson #Peekskill #PeekskillRiots #ThePeekskillRiots #1949 #JonScottBennett #CivilRights #CivilRightsCongress #Westchester #NewYork #Cortlandt #PutnamValley #Mohegan #ThreeArrows #Socialist #Anarchist #Communist #Leftist #Verplanck #Buchanan #Hudson #HudsonValley
Check out the first two episodes of The Peekskill Riots docu series on YouTube and JonScottBennett.com
#PaulRobeson #Peekskill #PeekskillRiots #ThePeekskillRiots #1949 #JonScottBennett #CivilRights #CivilRightsCongress #Westchester #NewYork #Cortlandt #PutnamValley #Mohegan #ThreeArrows #Socialist #Anarchist #Communist #Leftist #Verplanck #Buchanan #Hudson #HudsonValley
Check out the first two episodes of The Peekskill Riots docu series on YouTube and JonScottBennett.com
#PaulRobeson #Peekskill #PeekskillRiots #ThePeekskillRiots #1949 #JonScottBennett #CivilRights #CivilRightsCongress #Westchester #NewYork #Cortlandt #PutnamValley #Mohegan #ThreeArrows #Socialist #Anarchist #Communist #Leftist #Verplanck #Buchanan #Hudson #HudsonValley
Another Local History Conspiracy?
This time we have a missing minutes book that would have detailed a visit from the Peekskill KKK to the Putnam Valley Grange in 1924. The only missing minutes book from an otherwise complete collection of records going back to 1909–well before this meeting occurred.
This visit is discussed in the Second Episode of The Peekskill Riots docu series as we contextualize Peekskill and the surrounding history’s forgotten history of hatred and bigotry long before the riots of 1949.
While we know this visit occurred because it was printed in the Putnam County Courier, the full details of what happened have perhaps been lost to history. Do you think it was purposefully lost? Tell me what you think.
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Check out the first two episodes of The Peekskill Riots docu series on YouTube and JonScottBennett.com
#PaulRobeson #Peekskill #PeekskillRiots #ThePeekskillRiots #1949 #JonScottBennett #CivilRights #CivilRightsCongress #Westchester #NewYork #Cortlandt #PutnamValley #Mohegan #ThreeArrows #Socialist #Anarchist #Communist #Leftist #Verplanck #Buchanan #Hudson #HudsonValley
Recording a track for the soundtrack for The Peekskill Riots. As you can see, I am very much making it up as I go along. In the end though, a pretty cool track comes out of it.
Check out the first two episodes of The Peekskill Riots docu series on YouTube and JonScottBennett.com
#PaulRobeson #Peekskill #PeekskillRiots #ThePeekskillRiots #1949 #JonScottBennett #CivilRights #CivilRightsCongress #Westchester #NewYork #Cortlandt #PutnamValley #Mohegan #ThreeArrows #Socialist #Anarchist #Communist #Leftist #Verplanck #Buchanan #Hudson #HudsonValley
No shortage of conspiracy theories in local history!
This audio cassette is of an interview with a veteran who protested against Paul Robeson during the Peekskill Riots of 1949. As he starts to describe what happened after Robeson’s concert—when we know much of the violence of the second riot occurred—there’s a sudden audio cut, followed by an unrelated conversation discussing an entirely different subject.
Coincidence? Let me know what you think.
Check out the first two episodes of The Peekskill Riots docu series on YouTube and JonScottBennett.com
#PaulRobeson #Peekskill #PeekskillRiots #ThePeekskillRiots #1949 #JonScottBennett #CivilRights #CivilRightsCongress #Westchester #NewYork #Cortlandt #PutnamValley #Mohegan #ThreeArrows #Socialist #Anarchist #Communist #Leftist #Verplanck #Buchanan #Hudson #HudsonValley
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In all of my work I am fueled by passion, but these productions cost money. From finding the archival footage and photographs that make these stories come alive, to paying the travel expenses to film at historical locations, and the many other costs that go into making these films, it has been no small picnic bringing these documentaries to you.
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Check out the first two episodes of The Peekskill Riots docu series on YouTube and JonScottBennett.com
#PaulRobeson #Peekskill #PeekskillRiots #ThePeekskillRiots #1949 #JonScottBennett #CivilRights #CivilRightsCongress #Westchester #NewYork #Cortlandt #PutnamValley #Mohegan #ThreeArrows #Socialist #Anarchist #Communist #Leftist #Verplanck #Buchanan #Hudson #HudsonValley
