Do people regret the 1967 riot?

[Hermod]

Back in the 1950s, Wayne, Genessee, and Iron counties were the only
t blue counties in the state. The other eighty counties were solid red. That being said, the white Democratic vote in Michigan was economically progressive, but not socially progressive.

[48009]

Back in the 1950s, Wayne, Genessee, and Iron counties were the only
t blue counties in the state. The other eighty counties were solid red. That being said, the white Democratic vote in Michigan was economically progressive, but not socially progressive.

According to economist Thomas Sowell:^[71]

Before the ghetto riot of 1967, Detroit's black population had the highest rate of home-ownership of any black urban population in the country, and their unemployment rate was just 3.4 percent. It was not despair that fueled the riot. It was the riot which marked the beginning of the decline of Detroit to its current state of despair. Detroit's population today is only half of what it once was, and its most productive people have been the ones who fled.

[antongast]

According to economist Thomas Sowell:^[71]

Before the ghetto riot of 1967, Detroit's black population had the highest rate of home-ownership of any black urban population in the country, and their unemployment rate was just 3.4 percent. It was not despair that fueled the riot. It was the riot which marked the beginning of the decline of Detroit to its current state of despair. Detroit's population today is only half of what it once was, and its most productive people have been the ones who fled.

You're reading the wrong damn Thomas.

[firstandten]

You're reading the wrong damn Thomas.

You are correct ! While Thomas Sowell is a fine economist, he has a right wing agenda and his interpretation of events reflects that.

[TexasT]

You are correct ! While Thomas Sowell is a fine economist, he has a right wing agenda and his interpretation of events reflects that.

Agreed. I actually enjoy reading him but I take it all with a huge grain of salt.

[Bham1982]

I would say Detroit was a relatively progressive place in 1967.

The mayor was a liberal technocrat, renowned throughout the country for his data-driven decisonmaking, and elected with strong support from blacks.

The black community had the highest median income and highest homeownership rate in the U.S.

Many academics believe that unrest is more likely to occur in good times rather than bad. It's more that expectations outpace reality, or so goes the theory. If you look at the major episodes of unrest in recent U.S. history, they tend to have taken place in times of plenty, rather than times of struggle.

[Wesley Mouch]

You're reading the wrong damn Thomas.

I've read both. Nothing wrong with Sowell's broad view. Nothing wrong with Sugrue's either. Sugrue's a very important read for any Detroiter. Doesn't diminish Sowell's insight. Both good Thomases.

[sumas]

The police force back then was pretty evil.Our next door neighbor was a cop and a very nasty man. I grew up on the far east-side which was lily white. His son Billy was my best friend until we were about 6 when his Dad told him he could only play with the boys in the area cause he didn't want a sissy for a son.

I digress, one day in summer when I was about 5 was the first time I saw a black person while I was with Billy playing. He gasped told me to run cause his dad told him "all N...s will knife you in the back". All I saw was a tired looking older black lady in a uniform. I think I remember that incident because Billy was really terrified. By age 5, he was a trained racist. I grew up in a house that was free of racial slurs but that changed with the 67 riots. My Dad became quite racist.

Side note: Billy is gay.

[sumas]

The one story that makes me sad though was our neighbors the Taglivias. They had 5 small markets around the east side in black communities. These were little grocery stores with meat counters, produce and dry goods, not liquor stores. Three were looted and burned and two were saved because area residents came out to help protect their "neighborhood" stores with guns to help those who gave them credit and charged fair prices. The loss wiped them out financially.

[Detroitnerd]

You're right. You do know very little about Detroit history.

[Toka313]

According to economist Thomas Sowell:^[71]

Before the ghetto riot of 1967, Detroit's black population had the highest rate of home-ownership of any black urban population in the country, and their unemployment rate was just 3.4 percent. It was not despair that fueled the riot. It was the riot which marked the beginning of the decline of Detroit to its current state of despair. Detroit's population today is only half of what it once was, and its most productive people have been the ones who fled.

lol, Sowell is a chump though, really. The unemployment rate was low, yes, but the job discrimination was incredibly high. Union seniority rules screwed over the black population in the 60s. They ended up in the most dangerous jobs in the factories. Remember the James Johnson case.