Читать книгу Freedom Facts and Firsts - Jessie Carney Smith - Страница 62

The summer of 1967 was marked by disturbances in several urban areas that suffered from poverty, racial discrimination, and other negative factors in the midst of increasing population density, as well as political turbulence connected with civil rights struggles and American involvement in the Vietnam War. In Detroit a single incident on July 23 triggered the outbreak of violence and destruction. After the police raided an “after-hours club” on 12th Street where illegal drinking was taking place, they arrested and handcuffed club patrons as a crowd of blacks gathered on the scene. Outnumbered police officers could not control the crowd, which began breaking into white-owned stores, looting merchandise, and destroying property by setting fires and other means. As the riot continued over the next two days, even black-owned businesses were not spared from the violence. The National Guard restored order in the city on July 25, but by that time 43 African Americans had lost their lives, nearly 1,200 were injured, and well over 7,000 people had been arrested. The event became a symbol of urban problems and despair, with lasting negative implications for the city. Accelerated “white flight” to the suburbs and beyond caused additional economic problems for the inner city, and African Americans, who were soon to become the majority population, were left to address these and other issues largely by themselves.

Fletcher F. Moon

The event became a symbol of urban problems and despair, with lasting negative implications for the city.