Where were you during the 1967 Detroit Riot?

[1st_Sgt]

I just turned 12 and had graduated from Herman elementary in June, lived on Burnett between West Chicago and Joy. My family and I were visiting my Dad’s friends in Redford Township, we showed up for breakfast as we always did on the weekend. We watched some TV, swam and just ran around outside as always.
But the grownups were uneasy, you know like something else was happing and not paying much attention to what we [[kids) were doing. I think they were listing to the radio outside when Dad had me get the police radio out of the car. My Mom’s Dad was a guard for Burns Detective agency and had us all listening to police radios, [[I still have ours).
By noon time there was a lot of smoke far in the sky, the police radio was going crazy, with calls one after another.
Dad said it was getting bad and we had to go, it was about late afternoon to early evening there was still a lot of light left.
I think we started off traveling down Grand River, but we drove right into a mess, Police, buildings on fire, people all over the streets, Dad made us duck down in the back so I don’t remember much. We had a sweet 1959 white Cadillac convertible, no one tried to stop or bother us.
We had to drive around and use some back streets. Seen where they had loads of fire trucks parked blocking the street outside the fire house across from Ruthruff Elem. [[Plymouth and GR ?)
We sleep on the floor under the bed that first night. People were outside running down the alley carrying boxes and off loading cars. Nat Guard troops were in jeeps and tracks driving all over. The next morning, real early Dad took us to my Grandma’s house by way of Dearborn to Honorah off Vernor [[He got gas in Dearborn). Mom and us kids stayed there until it was over.
He went back to our house and stayed with my German shepherd dog Butch a trained police dog and the shotgun to protect our property. One night during the week my dog got cut under the eye I guess by someone taking a short cut through the back yard but Butch must have got a piece of him also.
Dad climbed out on the roof to see where the fires were at and was almost arrested when a helicopter flew over and ordered him down.
At Grandma's we road our bikes over to Patton park to see the Nat Guard Troops, some of them sent kids to the store for snacks.
I remember seeing buildings mostly stores burned down all around our neighborhood, on Joy Road and Grand River. We moved close to Grandmas on the southwest side on Oct 31st.

[Kirby]

We had been up north and were coming home. The car radio was not on as the kids were sleeping and the adults were talking. My uncle was driving and was pulled over on Mt Elliott and the Boulevard. The cops were keyed up and asked him what he was doing driving....didn't he know there was a riot going on??? The answer was no, he had no idea. We went home and all the neighbors were gathered on a porch. Someone had a police scanner and everyone was gathered around listening to police calls. I was 9 years old and terrified. Police were everywhere, tanks were driving up and down Mt Elliott and sirens were going everywhere. The next day my parents had me taken to live with an aunt until the riot was over.

[Trumpeteer]

At Grandma's we road our bikes over to Patton park to see the Nat Guard Troops, some of them sent kids to the store for snacks.
I remember seeing buildings mostly stores burned down all around our neighborhood, on Joy Road and Grand River. We moved close to Grandmas on the southwest side on Oct 31st.

I lived on the corner of Wendell & Woodmere and had a clear view of Patton Park from the kitchen window. I recall it looking like a HUGE Army camp! Dad and I went down around Grand River where I took a lot of Super 8 movie film of the burned out buildings, Guardsmen on fire trucks, and a overturned car. Probably not the smartest thing to do looking back. Still have that film that's been transferred to VHS years ago. Need to transfer again to DVD.

[Jimaz]

Still have that film that's been transferred to VHS years ago. Need to transfer again to DVD.

If it ever ends up on the web please let us know.

[upinnair]

I was three years old just about to turn four. I lived on Euclid between John R and Brush. I also remember tanks, fires, and my father ending up with lots of beer in our basement.

One night while sitting on our porch we saw soldiers coming down the street so me, my parents, and some friends of theirs all ran in the house and laid on the floor. I wanted to see the "Army-men" so I stood up to look out of the window as they passed by. My mother yelled at me to lay down before I was shot by accident. I found out later that a little girl that also lived on Euclid was shot and killed trying to look out of her window at the soldiers.

[canuck]

I was six years old and growing up in Montreal was pretty cool. My dad had a nice 64 1/2 Mustang. Expo 67 was an eye-opener for a lot of folks here and the city was booming. And in spite of the olympics in 76 which brought another spurt of enthusiasm, the city had a lot of issues similar to Detroit which contributed to its decline.

There were the war measures act where the army was called in for a month scanning the city streets. I was nine years old in october 1970 when that happened. A lot of artists, writers etc... sympathetic with the nationalist cause in Quebec were thrown in jail with their rights suspended. Prime minister Trudeau who was of mixed scotch-french ancestry was a staunch believer in cultural diversity and reacted violently to the idea of a break-up of Canada, even though he was very pro french and anti-establishment in his youth. So when a labor minister in the Quebec governement [[Pierre Laporte assassinated) and british commercial trade commissioner James Cross were kidnapped, Trudeau invoked the war measures act and this all happened. A friend of mine's father was a judge and I remember he had two soldiers posted in front of his house. There wasnt the violence that Detroit lived in 67 but the scars are still there. The cultural divide is still present in Montreal. But it is more harmonious because english montrealers are more prone to speaking french proud in fact of their french slang, their kids are in french immersion even in english schools. The french majority is now in control of many strategic businesses, which for a long time was the unhealthy reserve of the anglo elite.I think that the city is slowly seeing the benefits of this strange cohabitation from 1760 til today. There is more of an oecumenical feeling now that we need to fight for a better city. Besides the fact that Montreal was always cosmopolitan, it is now much more diverse and like Detroit, it has to look to the future and not dwell on past grievances like families holding grudges.

[larrym]

I was taking an all expense paid vacation courtesy of Uncle Lyndon.

[Wingnatic]

I was 17 and living with one of my parents in Ferndale , I then moved in with my other parent in Birmingham . My older brother won a trip from LBJ as well , never saw him alive again .
On a side note to canuck , I understand everything you said , my grandmother was a Trudeau and born in Northern Michigan , her father was born in Franklin Quebec and Pierre is in our family tree as well as cartoonist Garry Trudeau .

[canuck]

Cool Wingnatic! My grandma was born in Michigan too but I dont know where, her brother was born in 1892 in London Michigan, and their grandfather lived in Ishpeming when their parents were married. I still have to connect the dots, do more research.

[sam]

We were living on Grove Street in HP. I was 20 years old and at home, away from college, during the summer. I was working at the Ford Sterling Gear & Axle on the day shift, and my father was working afternoons at the Chevrolet Gear & Axle on Holbrook. He came home one night and said a guy had been pulled from a car on Puritan in HP and beaten to death by a mob. I had always thought the riot began with that incident and never realized until much later that it started in the blind pig on Twelfth and Clairmont. We stayed in the house. Businesses were looted on 6 Mile, and Hamilton near where we lived. Occasionally army jeeps would pass in front of the house. What really amazed us was the sightseeing moms from the suburbs that loaded their kids in the car to come down and cruise the riot areas.
Many historians have recounted the '67 riot, but I think Joyce Carol Oates really nailed it in her novel, "Them."

[Paintnprint]

Here's a cutting from my book...
I was delivering papers on July 23rd, and my trusty transistor-radio reported that Detroit was in flames, under a race-riot. By the time I’d finished my daily chore and returned home, I saw dad’s truck in the driveway, not off to the right of the driveway, and Pat in his work-clothes. Pop said, “Get dressed for work.” and as that was an order I changed into other work clothes. Hardly understanding what was going on, I piled into Pop’s truck, and before I knew it we were on Grand River Avenue. I knew about the riots, and a huge black smudge of smoke ahead of us brought it into a real, 3-D world. Fairly deep into the city limits, we reached a demarcation point. A guy in a green army uniform stopped out truck and demanded to know what we were doing there. Pop quickly explained, and we were waved on into the war-zone. Good Lord. The Army on Grand River? I’d never seen that before.
Less than five minutes later we arrived at a bank whose windows and front doors were shattered, and military everywhere. Green fabric and big guns welcomed us. Unconcerned, we bailed-out and dragged plywood panels and nails to wrap that puppy up. As I unloaded, I heard GUN-FIRE, AND THOUGH I DIDN’T KNOW HOW CLOSE IT WAS, IF I COULD HEAR IT, IT WAS TOO CLOSE!
Under the guard of the National Guard, we nailed that baby tight, and got the Hell out of there before sunset.
It was the moment when I kissed my souring, old Detroit good-bye.
As so many White people did.

[Pingu]

You're kidding me, if I was anything at all back then it was something my parents hypothesized about in sex ed [[so THAT'S what those silly doggies are doing!!!)

[margaret]

p.s. I have not yet read "Them," but I appreciate the suggestion. I'm going to get that book! thanks...

[DetroitTeacher]

I was a month old, at the time. I was at my grandparents [[at Fenkell and Lahser) with my mom because dad was working [[DFD). We lived at Greenfield and Grand River. Mom said it was horrible not being able to contact him for 3 days. He'd call when he could but people got news from the TV...not Twitter. When the news reported that a firefighter Smith had died, mom really started to worry because she hadn't heard from dad [[or anyone else on the DFD).

[Danny]

Be well aware that the 1967 Detroit riot was not a race riot. It's was a riot against Detroit Police brutallity after the 'blind pig' raid on the corner of 12th and Clairmount early Sunday morning on the hot summer night.

In 1967 my mom and family was living on Stoepel St. west of Livernois when the riot spread thought the west side. Luckily her home and the rest of area wasn't burned down. But there were National Guards and Detroit police and fireman standing guard just in case the riot spreads. My family in the meantime as armed and ready.

[carlscomputers]

Well, we're at the 44th anniversary & I'm still wondering why no major film makers have made a big budget, historically correct movie about the '67 riots? Any thoughts?

[English]

Well, we're at the 44th anniversary & I'm still wondering why no major film makers have made a big budget, historically correct movie about the '67 riots? Any thoughts?

You'd have to have a filmmaker born after 1965 to tackle the topic. I just don't think that the Boomers or the Greatest Gen can be objective enough. Neither could many young Detroiters -- I was born 10 years later and I don't even pretend to not have my own opinions on the topic.

What's needed is a young director who grew up out of state or even overseas without any ties to Detroit. We're getting people like that moving here.

[southofbloor]

You'd have to have a filmmaker born after 1965 to tackle the topic. I just don't think that the Boomers or the Greatest Gen can be objective enough. Neither could many young Detroiters -- I was born 10 years later and I don't even pretend to not have my own opinions on the topic.

What's needed is a young director who grew up out of state or even overseas without any ties to Detroit. We're getting people like that moving here.

I was being born in August 67 just as the flames were dying out. I agree some filmmakers need to run with this. That would be an amazing movie.

But its a complicated issue - I would respectfully put forward that in any movie it needs to be traced back a few generations. The race riot that really disturbs me to the core as a white guy is the one in 1863 during the civil war when Detroit whites burned black owned homes and businesses - Free Press reports gangs of whites hauling piles of musical instruments out into the street to feed bonfires, beating the people left inside, and setting blocks of buildings on fire with inhabitants trapped inside. Wow ouch, not a good precedent for those wanting to point fingers about 67 - those who are shocked about the damage done 40 years ago should look it up and wrap their heads around the distant history that set the tone in this city.

1967 was a mess - but thankfully there are now a lot of Detrroiters who can speak intelligently about it and to each other without acrimony.

[rajdet]

I was 10 years old and probably the only person of color in the Butzel recreations center's swimming pool that Sunday afternoon. I remember my mother coming up to the fence and yelling my name at the top of her lungs. She demanded I get out of the pool, grab my clothes and get in the car. Talk about being embarrassed! On the way home she explained to me what was going on, and that was the first I heard about the riots.

[jcole]

Still too painful? Also, I don't think there were movies made about the other riots that summer or the ones in '68. Newark, NJ; Washington D.C.; Chicago. Not to forget Watts in '65. It was a time of unrest all over the country, not just here

[grumpyoldlady]

I had just graduated from high school. We lived near Morang and Kelly. My boyfriend lived on Saratoga just west of Hayes. Normally I'd ask to use the car and drive to his house. No way! My mom reluctantly took me over there and picked me up, or went and brought him to our house. I remember watching the horrifying scenes on television once the blackout was lifted. After everything settled down, my boyfriend and I foolishly took drives through the neighborhoods that had been burned out the worst. Luckily we had no problems. I got a job at Michigan Bell the following October, and worked at the Bethune office, across from the DPD Mounted Bureau. There were a few girls in our office who lived in the riot area. They did not want to talk to us about what happened, even though they discussed it amongst themselves. I still can't understand the mentality of destroying the stores they shopped in.

[MidTownMs]

We were all gathered at my parents house preparing for my brother's return from Viet Nam and celebrating my 18th birthday. What I remember most was my brother's comment upon his arrival to Detroit..."Damn I thought I left the war."

[Carey]

STASU: The idea that there were more than 43 deaths was a common rumor at the time. And there was never any evidence that more than 43 people died. Nobody, for example, ever surfaced to say, "My son is missing." The papers and TV stations explored every angle of the riot. The Free Press even won a Pulitzer for examining the story behind each death, but no outlet ever found any truth to the rumor. What the Free Press found was the authorities lied about how many people died.

I saw smoke and lots of cops and fire engines, heard what sounded like automatic gunfire but lived five miles from the nearest rioting. My best friend's father was a Detroit cop who shot a rioter. The rioter was armed with a screwdriver and was 30 feet away.

[surenowinlife]

I was enjoying my 8th summer on Burt Lake in Indian River.Remember seeing the news reports and my dad calling our relatives that still lived in Detroit proper.His brother had a business burned and looted.My parents had moved north back in the late 50's.My mom was working at Wards when the riot broke out on the 40's.

[Danny]

After 44 years the Curse of 1967 in Detroit has not being lifted. The city went down hill, corruption and violent street crime was rampant and more middle class folks pack their bags and left for the suburbs. First the middle class white families from 1950s accelerated after 1967 to the black middle class since the 2000s. Leaving behind the poor folks trapped in their urban institutional prison which I called "THE GHETTO!"