Over 7,000 workers gathered in Tompkins Square Park to demand relief and jobs amid the Panic of 1873. Unaware that the meeting permit was revoked, the crowd was forcibly dispersed by 1,600 policemen wielding clubs, leading to violent clashes, arrests, and widespread panic. The riot weakened New York City’s unemployment movement, with support for arrestees fading and new marches failing to organize. Efforts to hold police accountable were also unsuccessful, as authorities intensified repression and surveillance of radical groups in the city.
