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New York

Political repression plays out state by state — shaped by local institutions, prosecutors, and movements for defense. These are the documented political prisoners and cases the census holds for New York.

2,078Documented
40In custody
1,023Released
12Awaiting trial

Eras of repression in New York

Where New York’s entries fall across the census’s historical eras.

1930s 714 1940s 176 1970s 171 1920s 166 1910s 166 1950s 159

Documented cases

2,078 entries in the census — every one stays in the record, whether the case is open or closed.

P
Polychronis Paschalidis
Released
Polychronis 'Paul' Paschalidis was the New York secretary of the Federation of Greek Maritime Unions, outlawed...
J
Joseph Pass
Released
Joseph Pass was a writer from New York, New York. Joseph Pass was arrested in New York City in October 1917 fo...
V
Vijayshanthar Patpanathan
Released
Patpanathan, along with Nachimuthu Socrates, Murugesu Vinayagamoorthy, Gaspar Raj Maria Paulian, Namasivaya Vi...
J
John Paul
John Paul was named among workers facing court proceedings in the grocery-strike report published May 24, 1930...
E
Erling Paulsen
The June 5 report identifies the Norwegian seaman as arrested the previous year while organizing in Portsmouth...
E
Efim Pavlenko
The 1920 congressional case summary lists Efim Pavlenko under Cortland, printed Courtland, New York, and expli...
J
Joseph Pearlman
Joseph Pearlman was a Local 2 member for fourteen years prosecuted during the 1926 New York garment strike. Th...
J
Jedediah Peck
Released
Jedediah Peck was a New York legislator. He was arrested in 1799 after circulating a petition opposing the Ali...
S
Seymour Peck
Released
Seymour Peck was a New York Times editor indicted for contempt of Congress after he refused to name associates...
A
Arthur William Pehlke
Arthur William Pehlke was a civilian internee recorded in actual custody at Ellis Island, New York Harbor, on...
J
John Pekerl
Released
John Pekerl was one of seven paper-box strikers arrested while eating in a restaurant at Hester and Allan Stre...
I
Irving Pellam
Released
Irving Pellam was a butcher-union picket arrested with two fellow pickets at Pol Roth’s shop, 4113 13th Avenue...
A
Aleksy Pelypenko
Aleksy Pelypenko was a civilian internee recorded in actual custody at Ellis Island, New York Harbor, on Febru...
I
Igor Pelypenko
Igor Pelypenko was a civilian internee recorded in actual custody at Ellis Island, New York Harbor, on Februar...
C
Claire Pentecost
Released
Artist and School of the Art Institute of Chicago professor Claire Pentecost described being detained alongsid...
G
G. Pera
The June 5, 1933 issue prints an Ellis Island prisoners’ letter opposing deportation, individually signed by t...
G
George Perdicaris
George Perdicaris was a needle-trades worker individually identified in the June 8, 1927 Daily Worker’s report...
F
Francisco Perez (Ellis Island deportee, 1933)
The June 5, 1933 issue prints an Ellis Island prisoners’ letter opposing deportation, individually signed by t...
L
Louis Perier
Released
Louis Perier, a French food worker active in the cafeteria strike, was taken to the Tombs after police entered...
E
Espiro Periotis
Espiro Periotis was a New York cafeteria striker who chose commitment to the Tombs rather than paying a ten-do...
W
William Perl
Released
William Perl was an Austrian-born engineer and physicist prosecuted for perjury during the Rosenberg espionage...
J
James A.G. Perry
Released
James A.G. Perry was a conscientious objector from New York imprisoned during World War I. Court-martialed for...
D
David Persily
David Persily was one of four young Communists sentenced by Magistrate Mark Rudich in Coney Island Court on Ma...
B
Benjamin Persky
Released
Benjamin Persky was an animal-rights activist imprisoned in New York for property destruction during protests...

Institutions in New York

Prisons, jails, and detention centers in New York that appear in the census’s case files.

Ellis Island Immigration StationNew York, New York
215 cases
Fort LafayetteNew York, New York
202 cases
Manhattan House of Detention (the Tombs)New York, New York
21 cases
Attica Correctional FacilityAttica, New York
20 cases
Sing Sing Correctional FacilityOssining, New York
15 cases
Ellis IslandNew York, New York
15 cases
Metropolitan Correctional CenterNew York, New York
10 cases
MDC BrooklynBrooklyn, New York
9 cases