Paterson courthouse street renamed for Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter

PATERSON — Theodora Carter looked at the Passaic County Courthouse on Monday afternoon and recalled attending her father’s murder trial there almost 60 years ago.

“I was 6 or 7 years old,” Carter said. “I didn’t have a clue at all. There was a lot of press. I learned pretty quickly that my Daddy was famous. As I grew up, I realized the injustice of the Paterson police and how they framed him.”

Her father was boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, who along with John Artis was jailed for almost two decades over a triple homicide at a Paterson bar, only to see the murder convictions overturned in 1985.

Story continues below photo gallery.

Monday was time for poetic justice for the Carter and Artis families as officials unveiled new street signs outside the courthouse where they were convicted, renaming the road “Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter and John Artis Way.”

The event was organized by Councilman Michael Jackson, who led the way in getting his colleagues on the governing body to vote to rename the street. Dozens of Carter’s family members attended the ceremony wearing T-shirts emblazoned with photos of "Hurricane" Carter in his boxing trunks, his gloves held upright in the ready position.

The dedication was held Monday to commemorate what would have been Carter’s 87th birthday.

“This day was a long time coming, but we’re glad it did,” the Rev. Doris Carter, the boxer’s sister, said of the street-naming.

“When I was young, I carried a whole lot of anger about what happened to him,” she said. “But I had to get rid of that anger to survive.”

Local: Opening day ceremony at Hinchliffe gives Paterson Little League 'something to reach for'

'Happens all the time'

During the ceremony, Jackson introduced a young man who the councilman said was wrongly stopped and arrested that same day by a state police officer. Jackson said men of color continue to suffer the same police prejudice that he said Carter and Artis endured in the 1960s.

One of the speakers was Kenyatta Stewart, the city law director in Newark and a lawyer who has represented many young men from Paterson accused of crimes.

“This kind of thing happens all the time,” Stewart said of the way Carter and Artis were treated.

He noted that Carter’s case resulted in a precedent-setting court decision requiring prosecutors to provide defense lawyers with evidence authorities have that may exonerate the accused.

The street-naming is the first step in honoring Carter. Passaic County officials plan to put a statue of him outside the courthouse.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ street renamed for Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter