Smith, Julius (1918?-2008)
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Julius F. Smith was a prominent Black civic leader, businessman, and political activist in Englewood, New Jersey, whose influence during the late 1960s and 1970s extended across civil rights advocacy, urban renewal debates, policing reform, and municipal politics.
Smith owned and operated a television and electronics repair business on West Englewood Avenue, which became a focal point of both his economic standing in the community and his public activism. In the early 1970s, after raising concerns about police treatment of a Black suspect, Smith’s store was fire-bombed in what authorities determined to be a deliberate act of arson. The incident followed his testimony before a grand jury that led to the indictment of multiple Englewood police officers on brutality charges. Despite being the victim of the bombing, Smith publicly urged residents not to retaliate against the police, emphasizing reconciliation and improved community-police relations.
Smith played a central role in Englewood’s Fourth Ward politics. He served as chairman of the Project Area Committee, a community body linked to the city’s urban renewal efforts, and was a leading voice for displaced homeowners affected by redevelopment projects along Forest Avenue and in the Humphrey–William Street area. He repeatedly criticized the Englewood Redevelopment Agency for undervaluing Black-owned property and excluding local Black contractors from major housing projects, calling such practices discriminatory and seeking state-level civil rights investigations.
In local politics, Smith was an outspoken critic of the city’s Democratic leadership when he believed it disregarded community consensus. He publicly condemned the temporary appointment of an 18-year-old councilman to fill a Fourth Ward vacancy, calling it an affront to taxpayers and residents. At various points, Smith organized recall efforts, circulated petitions, and endorsed alternative candidates he believed better represented the ward’s interests.
Smith also served on advisory committees addressing police-community relations and was a frequent contributor to public discourse through letters and opinion pieces. In these writings, he condemned racial slurs, challenged official silence from city leaders, and called for civilian police review boards and greater accountability in law enforcement. His advocacy often placed him at odds with both Republican and Democratic administrations, underscoring his independence from party loyalty.
Throughout periods of heightened racial tension in Englewood—including police shootings, arrests of Black youths, and redevelopment controversies—Julius F. Smith emerged as a steady, if sometimes controversial, figure who combined grassroots organizing, political pressure, and public testimony. His legacy reflects the complexities of Black leadership in a northern suburban city navigating civil rights struggles, urban change, and institutional reform during the late twentieth century.
He married Lottie W. Mays. He had two children, John J. "Jackie" and Joan Smith York.