Hold The Line: Echoes of the Peekskill Riots

This is the story of two assaults on the organised working class around the little town of Peekskill in New York State late summer 1949. After a concert for the Civil Rights Congress was attacked by a mob, the workers of New York responded by re-staging the event under their own control. The response to this act of defiance was a second mass assault, one that was pre-planned and saw the rioters, the police and the local media working together to unleash a brutal and bloody vengeance on the concertgoers. This book tells of a society divided against itself by politicians who didn’t hesitate to use racism, fake news, paranoia and violence to stay in control. In the world of President Trump, Charlottesville and the rise of the far right the echoes of Peekskill are relevant and urgent.