I put some thoughts about Bill de Blasio’s election here in Governing today, inspired by the old armory where he held his victory party, which happened to be across the street from my apartment. For understandable reasons, the editor at Governing cut some of the history lesson, and I put it here for those who are interested. Read the article first, and then the paragraphs below.

The city and state constructed these halls in the late 19^th and early 20^th century for a very unpopulist mission: quelling civil unrest, or crowd control. Explosive riots would periodically but unpredictably break out in New York every few years. They included the famous the draft riots of 1863 and less-known ones like the Thompkins Square Riot of 1874. The riots were often sparked by men striking or threatening to strike for better wages or to form unions, at a time when the extremes of wealth and poverty matched or exceeded our own. The city and state, on government budgets far thinner than today’s, constructed several dozens of these facilities around the city. They were seen as a way to deliver men with guns quickly to hotspots. They were built with “drill halls” large enough that citizen-militias in the many thousands could march under one roof. It’s said that Irish need not apply, because they were known to be frequent sympathizers to organized labor.

This history is known to few. Most New Yorkers associate armories with art shows and other pleasantries. Perhaps it could said to be appropriate symbolism for de Blasio to use one, given that de Blasio is talking about turning around a city that he says principally serves the rich, into serving everyone. He says he wants not to suppress the masses, but empower them.