15, living on the west side of Farmington Township near I-96, today M-5 freeway. I remember helicopters flying along the freeway, turning and flying over our house on the way back to the city.

On Sunday, we went to my aunt's in Novi for a family dinner. That is the first time we heard of the riots. I was supposed to go on Monday to Detroit as the last day in driver's education was the downtown day. Drive downtown, go to the coney island for lunch courtesy of the teacher.

When we met for class, he said we were not going to the city, but to Ann Arbor again. Bummer, no coneys but we get to look at co-eds instead, all while in the luxury of a 67 Galaxie coupe.

Thursday, I took my permit to get it signed at Northville Police and my road test for my restricted motorcycle license. Rode the bike there on the streets as I had no other way to get it there. Didn't worry too much about getting stopped, all cops had other things on their minds.

My dad had to make a liquor run, we drove out to Brighton to a state package liquor store and he waited in line to get his bottles.

In 1968, the Monday before Dr. King was killed, I bought a new BSA motorcycle from a dealer in Hazel Park, about a half mile north of Eight Mile. I picked it up on Friday afternoon, things were getting panicky in the city and the burbs. I picked it up, sent my mother north on Dequindre to one of the mile roads, back to Farmington, while my friend with his '68 Super Hawk and I went across Nine Mile home. About Nine and 75 traffic was gridlocked. I jumped the curb, started riding down the sidewalk as this was a new bike with about ten miles on it and it didn't take too kindly to extended idiling. My friend said "What if the cops see us?" I replied' "Gotta catch us!"

The most bizarre thing I saw that night was atop the Farmington Police, two officers standing at watch with rifles in hand........