North Lasalle in Detroit in Wayne County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Detroit July 1967
Photographed By J.T. Lambrou, April 7, 2021
1. Detroit July 1967 Marker
Side 1
Inscription.
Detroit July 1967. . In July 1967 the civil unrest that had been spreading across the United States reached Detroit. In the early morning hours of July 23, Detroit police officers raided a blind pig, an illegal after-hours bar, where patrons were celebrating the return of Vietnam War servicemen. Located at Clairmount Avenue and Twelfth Street (later Rosa Parks Boulevard), the bar was within a mostly African-American business district that had an active nightlife. While the police arrested all eighty-five people inside, a crowd formed outside. Reacting to the arrests, a few people threw rocks and bottles at the police. By eight a.m., the crowd had grown to an estimated 3,000 people, and arson and looting were underway. Mayor Jerome Cavanagh and Governor George Romney agreed to deploy the Michigan National Guard that afternoon. Federal Army troops joined the guard thirty-six hours later.
The civil unrest in Detroit continued for four days until July 27, 1967. More than 1,600 buildings were damaged after fires spread from the business district to nearby residences. Property damage was estimated to be $132 million. About 7,200 people were arrested, and hundreds were injured. Forty-three people died. They included bystanders, looters, a policeman, two firemen and a National Guardsman. In response to the conflicts in Detroit and throughout the United States, President Lyndon B. Johnson created the Kerner Commission to investigate the causes of the violence. It concluded that although the specific episodes of violence were spontaneous, they were in response to poverty, segregation, racism, unemployment, "frustrations of powerlessness" and police actions that enforced a double standard for how people of different races were treated.
In July 1967 the civil unrest that had been spreading across the United States reached Detroit. In the early morning hours of July 23, Detroit police officers raided a blind pig, an illegal after-hours bar, where patrons were celebrating the return of Vietnam War servicemen. Located at Clairmount Avenue and Twelfth Street (later Rosa Parks Boulevard), the bar was within a mostly African-American business district that had an active nightlife. While the police arrested all eighty-five people inside, a crowd formed outside. Reacting to the arrests, a few people threw rocks and bottles at the police. By eight a.m., the crowd had grown to an estimated 3,000 people, and arson and looting were underway. Mayor Jerome Cavanagh and Governor George Romney agreed to deploy the Michigan National Guard that afternoon. Federal Army troops joined the guard thirty-six hours later.
The civil unrest in Detroit continued for four days until July 27, 1967. More than 1,600 buildings were damaged after fires spread from the business district to nearby residences. Property damage was estimated to be $132 million. About 7,200 people were arrested, and hundreds were injured. Forty-three people died. They included bystanders, looters, a policeman, two firemen and a National Guardsman. In response to the conflicts in Detroit and throughout the United States,
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President Lyndon B. Johnson created the Kerner Commission to investigate the causes of the violence. It concluded that although the specific episodes of violence were spontaneous, they were in response to poverty, segregation, racism, unemployment, "frustrations of powerlessness" and police actions that enforced a double standard for how people of different races were treated.
Erected 2017 by Michigan Historical Commission - Michigan History Center. (Marker Number S0746C.)
Location. 42° 22.599′ N, 83° 5.989′ W. Marker is in Detroit, Michigan, in Wayne County. It is in North Lasalle. Marker is on Rosa Parks Boulevard north of Clairmount Avenue, on the left when traveling north. Marker is in Gordon Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9155 Rosa Parks Blvd, Detroit MI 48206, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . How 1968 Detroit Tigers soothed a rebellious city's racial tension. Excerpt: It was a heavy adrenaline-buzz night, not out of place in Detroit in 1968, a year of triumph, drama, violence, racial turmoil and radical activism as the city continued to pick up the pieces from the 1967 rebellion and struggle with long-term decline. All that took place while Detroit’s white and black music scenes were exploding, drawing international acclaim.(Submitted on April 8, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan.)
Photographed By J.T. Lambrou, April 7, 2021
3. Detroit July 1967 Marker
View of Gordon Park looking toward Clairmount Avenue
Photographed By J.T. Lambrou, April 7, 2021
4. Detroit July 1967 Marker
View of Gordon Park looking toward Atkinson Street
Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 8, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. This page has been viewed 201 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 8, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.