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1967 Riot,
A Chronology of the 1967 Detroit Riots
Detroit Facts Leading Up to the Riot of 1967, and Afterward
Detroit had a large amount of Blacks moving up in the 1920’s as part of the Great Migration.
Since the 1940’s many Detroit Whites fought against fair housing integration.
In the 1960’s Whites would picket homes bought by Blacks in White neighborhoods, and often break windows or start fires.
Mayor Cavanagh took office in 1961. He had begun a system of reform in the police department, but the department itself was blamed for much of the racism in the city.
Still, Mayor Cavanagh, a White Democrat, gained popularity with Blacks because he made many attempts to reach out to Black communities.
During the early 1960’s Detroit had received millions in Federal money to improve the inner city. Schools were benefitting from reforms as well.
In the early 1960’s, Detroit won awards for outstanding architecture, a model police department, and magazines and newspapers across the country considered Detroit to be a model city.
However, neighborhoods were segregated and the growing Black population was very suspicious of the police.
Cases of police brutality made the racial situation even worse.
In the 1950’s and 1960’s, Detroit lost over 10,000 residents a year as wealthier Whites moved into the suburbs. At a time when much of the country was prospering, Detroit’s unemployment rate was as high as 10%.
Many Detroit companies left the city as the population declined by 180,000 people in the 1950’s.
Detroit went from 16.25% Black in 1950 to 28.87% Black in 1960.
During the 1960’s, many other cities had race-related rioting, particularly during the summers.
Detroit became majority Black in the 1970’s and Detroit had its first Black mayor in 1974.
Sunday, July 23
On an early Sunday morning (3:45am), Detroit police officers raided an illegal bar (a “Blind Pig”) on the city’s West side. The police had been monitoring activity there and expected to find a few people inside but were surprised to find the club filled with 82 Blacks who were celebrating the homecoming of two local soldiers from Vietnam.
The police decided to detain all of the occupants, but while they were waiting for transportation to arrive, a group of onlookers had gathered outside of the club. The doorman at the club threw a bottle at a police officer. The crowd then began throwing stones at cars and officers. The police were forced to get in their cars and leave.
Soon, wild looting began in the immediate area. It grew into such a large problem that police were unable to make the first arrest until 7:00am. State and County police were called in, but because it was a Sunday, the police found it difficult to assemble enough officers to take effective action.
During the morning and early afternoon, officers tried to make a sweep across the area, but the mob had become too large. Police believed that the turmoil would soon end, but they were mistaken.
The first fire to be set was at a nearby grocery store, and the mob prevented firefighters from getting close enough to put it out. The mob, which was almost exclusively Black, did not initially attack White citizens in the area, but soon some Whites joined in the looting.
The looting expanded to other parts of the city, and the local news did not report the violence initially because they feared it would enflame the situation. At local venues, prominent Detroiters tried to call for calm. People attending the Fox Theatre and Tiger Stadium were warned to leave quietly and to avoid certain areas.
Tiger’s player Willie Horton drove to one of the troubled areas and stood on a car in his uniform. He pleaded for calm. Martha Reeves, who was singing at the Fox Theater asked people to quietly leave the show early. Unfortunately, the chaos continued.
Monday, July 24
The next day, more State and County officers were called into the city in order to help the Detroit Police. Mass arrests were made. So many that detainees were held in temporary holding areas. Arraignments became impossible because of the number of people being held. Many gave false names, and police from Windsor came to assist in finger printing the detainees. Sometimes police simply took a picture of a looter with the materials stolen and the arresting officer. Paperwork would have to wait.
About 80% of those arrested were Black. Many people who were not involved in the looting were also swept up by the police.
Michigan’s governor, George Romney (R), asked President Johnson (D) for Federal troops. Johnson was reluctant to help Romney because Romney was expected to run for president against Johnson. Detroit’s mayor, Jerome Cavanagh (D) was also reluctant to have soldiers enter the city. The White mayor had established good relationships with the Black communities and did not want to ruin that trust. He was also reluctant to ask Governor Romney for assistance.
During the rest of the day, there were 483 fires, 231 incidents reported to the police each hour, and nearly 2000 arrests. Looting was still a huge problem. Even Black owned businesses were attacked.
Perhaps most alarmingly, 2500 rifles and handguns had been stolen. Detroit, County, and State forces were not able to control the situation.
U.S. Congressman John Conyers (D), drove through the city with a loudspeaker. He spoke to fellow Blacks telling them that he supported them, but that they needed to go home because looting and rioting was not the answer. No one listened and his car was hit with rocks and bottles.
Tuesday, July 25
President Johnson authorized the use of Federal troops in compliance with the Insurrection Act around midnight and by 1:30am 8,000 National Guardsmen entered the city. 4,700 more troops would be added later in the day.
Police were showing signs of fatigue having been working around the clock. Arrests continued and reports of police brutality against Blacks and some Whites began to surface. The acts often occurred after these people were arrested.
With the increasing numbers of guns on the street, snipers made police searches difficult. However, out of 7,000 arrests that were made, only 26 involved snipers. None of these 26 were ever found guilty. Police searched private homes and vehicles claiming to be looking for illegal weapons, but this just made racial strain worse. A common reason for arrest was curfew violation. As police mug shots later proved, many of those arrested received injuries while in police custody. In some cases women were stripped of their clothes and fondled while officers took pictures.
In perhaps one of the worst instances of police brutality, police responded to a motel where a report of gunshots had been made. The motel was well known for prostitution. Police reportedly rounded up three Black men, and two White women in the motel lobby. The police made a game of throwing knives at the feet of their detainees. The police then shot the Black men. The bodies were found later in two of the motel rooms. Reportedly, a police confession to the killings was covered up.
Thursday-Friday, July 26-27
Violence likely escalated when troops first entered the city, but they were able to bring the rioting under control. Most of the Michigan National Guard troops were White, and many of the regular army troops were Black. Racial tensions made it more difficult for the National Guard as they entered the inner city. Of the twelve people shot and killed by troops, the National Guard shot 11. A government report later criticized the National Guard for acting rashly. On the other hand, Federal troops were not even allowed to load their weapons unless ordered to do so by an officer.
Tanks were also brought into the city. This made a horrible image on the news. Film showed a city on fire, tanks and soldiers, and firefights on the streets.
Ultimately, the presence of both the National Guard and Federal soldiers led to a return to order in the city. During the weekend that followed, the soldiers were withdrawn from the city.
Unfortunately the riots were copied elsewhere. The Michigan cities of Pontiac, Flint, Saginaw, and Grand Rapids experienced violence along racial lines. Usually, these riots were between Black residence and White police officers.
When the Detroit riot was over, it was estimated that 10,000 people participated in the rioting with another 100,000 gathering to watch. Those killed included 33 Blacks, and 10 Whites. More than 7,000 people were arrested, mostly Blacks.
After the riots, Mayor Cavanagh stated that, “Today we stand amidst the ashes of our hopes. We hoped against hope that what we had been doing was enough to prevent a riot. It was not.”