Patrick Dunn; Joseph Hoefflicher; Samuel Gompers William F. Havemeyer; Abram Duryée The Tompkins Square Park riot occurred on January 13, 1874, at Tompkins Square Park in what is now the East Village and Alphabet City neighborhoods of Manhattan, New York City.

The riot started after the New York City Police Department clashed with a demonstration involving thousands of unemployed civilians.

[3] Organizations rejected offers of charity and instead asked for public works programs that would provide jobs for the masses of unemployed.

The Bureau of statistics in Massachusetts had found that the majority of working men then were unable to support their families from their earnings, and depended on the assistance of their children in order not to be in poverty and debt.

Meanwhile, workers also had to deal with inflation as prices for rent, fuel and clothing didn't fall to meet decreased wages.

[9] A separate organization, headed by Patrick Dunn, then called for a more militant demonstration on January 5, urging workers to use direct action if the government did not respond to demands.

At Tompkins Square, several demands, including the 8-hour day, were voted for,[11] and the crowd was then encouraged to return again on January 13 for the original march organized by the Committee of Safety.

[12] The Police Board refused to allow the demonstration to come near City Hall, instead advising for the Committee to march to Union Square.

[18] Samuel Gompers described the events and his experiences: "mounted police charged the crowd on Eighth Street, riding them down and attacking men, women, and children without discrimination.

Mayer, along with as his fellow Tenth Ward Workingmen's Association member, Joseph Hoefflicher, received assault charges,[20] and both went to jail for several months.

[24] A third German worker, Justus Schwab, who had been arrested for carrying a red flag, was charged with incitement to riot.

[27][28] A church fire was wrongly blamed on radicals, and rumor of a Communist plot to kill the mayor was circulated, both in an attempt to justify police actions.