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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.

J
John Porter
John Porter was a Black taxi driver held in the Tombs Prison in New York on a homicide charge over the death o...
P
Pauline Portugalo
Released
Pauline Portugalo was an unemployed secretary with a spinal disability who helped organize New York City’s Lea...
L
Lilian Posner
Lilian Posner was arrested Saturday, December 28, 1935 during the May’s department-store strike in Brooklyn af...
L
Lillian Posner
Released
Lillian Posner was named among May's Department Store strike pickets arrested February 22, 1936 at 510 Fulton...
A
Abe Potash
The cleaners-dyers report explicitly names Abe Potash, formerly employed at Municipal Dye Works, 265 Belmont A...
L
Louis Preseto
Released
Louis Preseto was a Food Workers Industrial Union picket arrested outside the public market at 8615 Twentieth...
S
Steven R. Pressman
Released
Steven R. Pressman was jailed for the March 1969 Stony Brook University library protest against university war...
Z
Zera Preston
Released
Zera Preston was a Delaware County, New York tenant farmer imprisoned after the August 7, 1845 killing of Unde...
W
William A. Price
Released
William A. Price was a New York Daily News reporter fired after he refused to answer the Senate Internal Secur...
G
Gabriel Probes
Released
Gabriel Probes was arrested in August 1918 with co-defendants Jacob Abrams, Mollie Steimer, Samuel Lipman, Hym...
K
Karl Przibislawsky
Karl Przibislawsky was a civilian internee recorded in actual custody at Ellis Island, New York Harbor, on Feb...
L
Lorenzo Pullany
Lorenzo Pullany was a striker at the Diana Shoe Company in Brooklyn. The Daily Worker of November 15, 1932 rep...
C
C. Quadrillo
C. Quadrillo was individually named among Purity bakery pickets arrested on suspicion in New York during the n...
J
Jose Quinones (Attica defendant)
Jose Quinones (printed alias Papo) is individually named in the March 1973 Attica News roster of Attica uprisi...
R
Ruiz Quintana (Attica defendant)
Ruiz Quintana is individually named in the March 1973 Attica News roster of Attica uprising prisoner defendant...
C
Celia Rabinowitz
Celia Rabinowitz was one of the fur-market workers individually named as actually arrested in the July 26, 192...
M
Mildred Rackley
Mildred Rackley led artists and models protesting denial of WPA Federal Art Project jobs in New York. The May...
A
Alex Rafel
Alex Rafel was among Brooklyn shoe workers reported convicted of assault on May 6, 1930. Sentencing was announ...
V
Victoria Raffe
Victoria Raffe was arrested during a New York relief-station demonstration, according to the July 17, 1934 ret...
N
Nathaniel Ragsdale
Nathaniel Ragsdale was a Tombs prisoner and elected inmate representative prosecuted over the October 1970 Man...
M
Matthew Rammelkamp
Released
Matthew Rammelkamp, age 16, pleaded guilty in 2001 to one count of arson conspiracy related to ELF-claimed fir...
M
Miguel Ramos
Released
Miguel Ramos, 26, with Dyshika McFadden and Tindal, used an aerosol can and open flame to set fire to an RPD v...
J
Jack Rand
Jack Rand, relief workers activist, was arrested with Paul Block and another activist while distributing leafl...
T
Teodoro Randi
Teodoro Randi was a civilian internee recorded in actual custody at Ellis Island, New York Harbor, on February...

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