Biography
Ormistan “Tony” Spencer was a Trinidad-born production manager whose family faced repeated racist violence after buying a home in Rosedale, Queens. Their house was firebombed and then pipe-bombed. On August 27, 1975 a white crowd gathered outside after people in a passing vehicle threw garbage and bottles at the home. Spencer came outside armed for protection; when an officer grabbed the pistol it discharged and wounded Spencer and his wife. Police arrested Spencer and charged him with assault, reckless endangerment, menacing and weapon possession. In April 1976 the Queens district attorney moved to dismiss the prosecution in the interest of justice, citing the racist campaign against the family, and the court granted the dismissal. No overnight jail or prison term has been established.
