Shouting, dancing Negroes weaved wildly through six downtown blocks of Gary, Ind., blocking the city's major north-south artery for nearly four hours. It was not a riot but a rip-roaring victory celebration; their chant was not "Black power!" but "We beat the machine!" Through the nonincendiary power of the ballot box, Gary's Negroes had ousted the corruption-ridden regime of Mayor A. Martin Katz (TIME, April 29, 1966) and nominated one of their own race as the Democratic mayoral candidate in next November's general election. With their support, Richard Hatcher, 33, a bright, articulate lawyer and city councilman, had indeed...
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