1967 DETRIOT RIOTS BY LINDA S.

1967 DETROIT RIOTS

I was only 13 when the riots were going on. I could see Detroit burning from my grandparents’ house. I could see Detroit burning. I had a clear view of that incident since I lived across from the city airport. Now called Coleman A. Young Airport. I was working at my parents’ store which was in Detroit at that time. I was not only scared for myself, but I was scared for also all the people that worked there. I remember the curfew that was set. My Dad had to close up his business at 7 P.M.
The rebellion occurred when police raided a blind pig. Which is a bar that is closed and servicing drinks after hours.
When the police raided the place they only expected to find about a doze or so people there, instead they found some 80 plus people. The police went on to arrest all the patrons. Soon there was a crowd of people. Soon after the last car left a group of angry people came in and started breaking things up and started looting.
Due to the lack of police the Governor of Detroit called the NATIONAL GUARD. To assist in the looting and fires. Some of the rioters had weapons, the NATIONAL GUARD could not defend themselves. So they had to call the Army in, to help with the problem.
The rioting was not only black people it also involved white people as well. They also had to call Windsor police in to do finger prints as is some of these people where falsifying their names.
There was a Tiger game going on and after it was over with “Willie Horton” left the other players and went down to where the rioting was going on and stood up on the roof of his car and tried to calm the people down. To all his efforts they just ignored him. Also “John Conyers went down and stood on the roof of his car, and the crowd just started to throw items at him so he got down and left the area.
At the ending of the rioting 43 people had died 467 were injured, this included 182 regular people, 167 police, 83 firefighters, 17 National Guard troops, and 3 U.S. arm soldiers.
By the time everything was done “2509 stores were either looted or burned. Some 388 people became homeless or had to be placed somewhere else.
412 Buildings were either damaged beyond repair or were burned down completely.
The approximate cost of the riot was about 80 million dollars.
Article by Linda S.