Where were you during the 1967 Detroit Riot?

**Kathleen** · July-24-10, 09:42 PM

carlscomputers: here's what I posted on a similar DYes thread a few years back....

Posted on Thursday, October 26, 2006 - 5:55 am:
I was 10 years old that summer, living in the E. Warren-Outer Drive area.

What I remember most is at night when we could see the orange glow of fires west of us and hear random gunshots. Some of the East Side neighborhood of our parents' youth was being burned by looters. We knew the neighborhood well enough from all the Sunday drives through the streets of their youth so us kids could visualize what was happening where.

On Tuesday, July 25th, my younger brother's 6th birthday, Grandfather came over for dinner and afterwards we drove to Corrigan Park across the street from Engine 52[[?) at E. Warren and Manistique [[near Alter Rd.) to see the nearest staging area for National Guard tanks and fire trucks called in from the suburbs. Many police officers, firefighters, and soldiers were there...in full gear for whatever awaited them. Helicopters buzzed the sky around us. It was an awesome sight to a 10-year-old!

Every night that the riots wore on was a disappointment for us older kids as the curfew imposed on us cancelled our nightly bike ride with our mom [[who worked during the day). It was a summer evening ritual that we enjoyed and remember fondly.

At some point after the riots were over, we resumed our Sunday drives and, of course, did see the devastation on the East Side, mostly along Kercheval.

If you want to read more posts in those Hall of Fame threads...
http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/...tml?1233694687
and
http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/...tml?1235953895

**carlscomputers** · July-24-10, 09:47 PM

Beachboy, your Dad certainly sounded like a great man. For all you know, he may have been a top secret Army Intelligence Officer? Thanks for sharing your memories of him...

**jcole** · July-24-10, 10:03 PM

I was 11 years old and living in the 7 Mile and Kelly area where a lot of Detroit Police lived back then. There were 5 officers on my block, including my father, who was an inspector at the time. He was stationed with the 46th Infantry where he spent several nights lying on the floor to avoid being shot by gunfire from the streets.
We kids were at home, scared to death that our fathers wouldn't be coming home again. There was a 6 pm curfew, so we had to stay on the porch in the evening and anxiously wait for word of what was happening.

LodgeDodger · July-24-10, 10:10 PM

Sounds like some of you folks have a few years on me--HELL YEAH! Anyway, the only thing I remember is my Mother telling us to stay on the back porch. We couldn't go anywhere else.

My Pop worked for the City of Detroit. I do remember hearing a story about the way the guys who worked for him saved him. About a month after the riots, Pop was working somewhere in the city. A bunch of black guys cornered him and started to beat on him. His workers stepped in and finished that fight. Thank God Pop had his workers there with him.

**DetroitPlanner** · July-24-10, 10:13 PM

The only thing I can remember was going to the D&C IGA Foodliner on Joy Rd and having the place pretty much cleared out. I was really a younging then. But I do remember that. We were relatively unscathed in our area from the riot [[Joy Rd/Southfield).

**shovelhead** · July-24-10, 10:28 PM

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........

**wirt** · July-24-10, 11:23 PM

I was 6 years old and growing up in the suburbs. I remember my next door [[police) neighbor going down to help out. My dad took us down later and I remember seeing a burnt out house near Linwood with just the chimney and a vaccuum cleaner standing.......

**56packman** · July-25-10, 12:10 AM

I was 8 years old, at my parent's home in NW Detroit [[7 mile/Lahser) and we could not leave our little postage stamp yard without permission, and then our parents would watch us cross the street to go to the neighbor's house to play. I remember the curfews, and how my dad would drive the family car to a lot on Grand River and take the bus to work instead of driving downtown. The most serious affect the riots had on us was the interruption in beer sales. The old man was going crazy after the stock of Strohs long necks were exhausted. The neighbor two doors down found out and told my Dad "I have a case of beer left over from new year's eve, I've been on the wagon and don't need it, you want it"? the old man leapt at the chance, carried home a case of very hot Pabst Blue Ribbon, cracked one open right there and drank it.
we had just gotten our first color television, a Zenith console. I remember my parents saying that if the riots spread to our area we would load the six kids and the Zenith and some clothes into the Chevy wagon and go live in Union Lake with my uncle. That never came to pass, of course.

**chitaku** · July-25-10, 01:37 AM

growing up in Harper Woods, i took the bus to the Tigers game. We noticed smoke rising towards the end of the game, and when I got on the bus home a family friend grabbed me and drove me home explaining to me about the riots. I was 13. crazy man

**fanniemae** · July-25-10, 01:47 AM

Where do I begin. I was 13, up north. We were waiting for my grandparents to come up from Maryland. My dad asked them to leave a day early because of the tension in the city. The day early was to be used so they could drive up 23 instead of I-75. Extra day of travel time. I was waiting all day in the driveway of our cabin, expecting them to pull up any minute. Instead the State Police pull up. They asked to talk to my parents. They informed us that my grandparents had an accident outside of Bethesda . No one could reach us. No phones by our lake yet. We were asked to go into town and call the hospital. My aunt said we should come down ASAP. My grandma in critical condition. We went back to our home, packed and flew [[ my first plane ride) to D.C [[ Dulles). Only plane available on short notice. My grandma died August 1, 1967 from the injuries. In a strange and tragic way, I was deeply affected by the Detroit Riots. My family never got over it.

**carlscomputers** · July-25-10, 02:03 AM

Fannie, I'm so sorry to hear about your family loss as a indirect result of the Riots, these are the statistics that don't make the papers or the news, but are no less tragic to those involved...
Thank You for sharing...

**carlscomputers** · July-25-10, 02:07 AM

If you want to read more posts in those Hall of Fame threads...
http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/...tml?1233694687
and
http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/...tml?1235953895[/quote]

Thanks Kathleen

**fanniemae** · July-25-10, 02:21 AM

Originally Posted by carlscomputers

Fannie, I'm so sorry to hear about your family loss as a indirect result of the Riots, these are the statistics that don't make the papers or the news, but are no less tragic to those involved...
Thank You for sharing...

Thank you for your kind words. My dad went to his grave with the guilt. My grandparents got their car out of the car dealer where they had it to be checked over before the trip. The dealer claimed it was ready for the trip, even though they got it a day early. When they went down a hill on the interstate, about 20 minutes from their home, the car's steering did not work. The front wheels off the ground, they went off the road, about 50 feet down. Testing was done on the tires. They had less than 15 pounds of pressure. The car was impounded, then disappeared. My family had no way of going after the dealer. Another thing, my cousin was the attorney for the car dealer. That was his aunt, my grandma that died. One uncle never spoke to him again. One lesson I learned, I am very careful in life about a lot of things. Many of my dear relatives have passed on. Our family reunions after that tragedy, we appreciated each other even more. They never liked coming up here again from Maryland either.

**reddog289** · July-25-10, 02:35 AM

You know for something that happened 43 yrs ago.To alot of the folks here, It could have been last week or so.I am kinda glad I did miss it all, And hope I never see anything like it in my lifetime.

**Zacha341** · July-25-10, 05:32 AM

I was 7 living in an apartment building on Longfellow street off Dexter [[mostly urban prairie land now)... my parents where terrified. We could not go out and play. I recall being pulled back from attempting to peeking out of windows. I remember the smell of it - buildings burning. I recall vaguely an apartment on Chicago street burning. Fire engines blaring day and night. The TV going night and day too. Later my parents talked about eating can goods and bare essentials because we could not get out to the grocery store. And a dry cleaners my parents went to burned to the ground...

**Zacha341** · July-25-10, 05:35 AM

Interesting details... Union Lake is now called?

Originally Posted by 56packman

I was 8 years old, at my parent's home in NW Detroit [[7 mile/Lahser) and we could not leave our little postage stamp yard without permission, and then our parents would watch us cross the street to go to the neighbor's house to play. I remember the curfews, and how my dad would drive the family car to a lot on Grand River and take the bus to work instead of driving downtown. The most serious affect the riots had on us was the interruption in beer sales. The old man was going crazy after the stock of Strohs long necks were exhausted. The neighbor two doors down found out and told my Dad "I have a case of beer left over from new year's eve, I've been on the wagon and don't need it, you want it"? the old man leapt at the chance, carried home a case of very hot Pabst Blue Ribbon, cracked one open right there and drank it.
we had just gotten our first color television, a Zenith console. I remember my parents saying that if the riots spread to our area we would load the six kids and the Zenith and some clothes into the Chevy wagon and go live in Union Lake with my uncle. That never came to pass, of course.

**Hermod** · July-25-10, 05:58 AM

I was out of town, half a world away from the riots. Just read about them in Time Magazine.

**econ expat** · July-25-10, 06:16 AM

Returning to Detroit from vacation, we heard radio reports of rioting in Detroit. Apparently filtered stories to avoid panic, did not sound like "the city was on fire".

Our NW neighborhood was not affected. Grand River used to be so heavily traveled it was impossible for a pedestrian to cross anywhere but at a light.[[ I-96 from Lansing ended nearby in Farmington Twp, at Grand River, west of Middlebelt).
Every DSR bus coming up Grand River had broken windows, some had bullet holes. The drivers abandoned them at the end of the line- 7/Grand in Redford- they weren't about to go back!
Aside from the occasional bus, there was no traffic on Grand River. Everyone was hiding out, and could not buy gas if they wanted to drive anywhere.

**gnome** · July-25-10, 06:41 AM

Hermod, a M-3A1? .45 30 round clip ... unusual choice in weapons. Must be a story there

**luckycar** · July-25-10, 07:46 AM

1st night,West Side Drive-In with my folks.Helicopter traffic from near by armoury was a sign that things were happening.Dad said they training to go to Viet Nam.Then they read a statement over the speakers about a curfew for all Detroit residents.We lived in Oak Park,but left anyway.We were met at the door by my hippie older brother,and told us what was going on.The next two days we just hung around the house and listened to the radio reports and watched the news at 6:00pm.It was on the second or third day that my full of crap older cousin Morty came over to inform us that Northland was in flames!I road my bike up tp 9 Mile Rd. and to the west was zero smoke.I reutned home to tell Dad that Morty was a liar.At this point we packed up the car and drove,past the un-burnt Northland ,to my uncle's house in Farmington.
After all this,the teachers went on strike,extending summer break.Then the Tigers lost the pennant on the last day.What a crazy time to be 10 years young.

Cass1966 · July-25-10, 08:05 AM

I’m still waiting for an apology from the black community for the damage they did to the city

**Hermod** · July-25-10, 08:56 AM

Originally Posted by gnome

Hermod, a M-3A1? .45 30 round clip ... unusual choice in weapons. Must be a story there

No, basic M3 with the charging crank.

Loaded it with one round tracer to two rounds ball and could aim it like a garden hose.

It was better than the pistol and didn't get in the way in the jeep like an M16 would have.

With the flash hider, it was so quiet from the back, you could hear the recoil springs squeaking when it was firing.

I traded a Vietnamese unit about two yards of gravel for the weapon. When I left, I gave it to my replacement.

EastSider · July-25-10, 09:16 AM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

Interesting details... Union Lake is now called?

Union Lake is still called Union Lake. If you point your intertubes machine to the google, you might even be able to find a map to this most hidden of treasures.

**stasu1213** · July-25-10, 09:23 AM

Originally Posted by Cass1966

I’m still waiting for an apology from the black community for the damage they did to the city

The black community wasn't the only one burning and looting.

**Downriver Gal** · July-25-10, 09:29 AM

Originally Posted by Bobl

Prentis Street

The tabs were kicking in. Someone put an LP on the turntable, and the room was filled with the soft voice of Marty Balin, singing "Coming Back To Me". Prentis Street, in Detroit, at that moment, was a beautiful place and time to be young and alive. Who knew, that in just two months, she would be sent on her Good Humor ice cream route, smack into the middle of the insurrection of 1967...

I recently read Them by Joyce Carol Oates. The riot scene, which is set where you were, was my favorite part of the book. I'm interested in what those who were there think of her version of sixties Detroit.