The 12th Street Riots, Detroit: Sunday July 23 through Wednesday July 27
In the film, the riots seem contemporaneous with the funeral for Lucy's boyfriend, which occurs after Thanksgiving 1967, but in fact the first Detroit riots occurred in July 1967, the second in April 1968, sparked by the April 4 assassination of Martin Luther King)
"12th Street was a hub of activity in the inner city. The goings on there ranged from legal operations to after hours drinking establishments. One such establishment, run by a man named William Scott became the target of the Detroit Police Departments vice squad on the evening in question. It was approximately. 3:35 in the morning in question when they decided to make their move. At the time, there were about 85 people in the bar. They were holding a party for some servicemen that had just returned home from Viet Nam. Sensing that they were outnumbered, the police called in for reinforcements and soon the paddy wagons began arriving en masse to haul them away.
Word began to spread throughout the neighborhood and soon the streets were lined with people watching the goings on. Interest in the actions of the police was fueled by a rumor that a black prostitute had been shot and killed by them a few days before. Although the rumor turned out to be untrue, it left a bad taste in mouths of the residents. Another rumor began to take hold. Word spread that the patrons were being beaten as they were led away from the bar. Soon, thousands of people took to the streets and the looting began in earnest. Around 6:30 in the morning, the first fires broke out. Not long afterwards, entire blocks were in flames. By around noon, every cop and fireman on the payrolls in Detroit was called into duty. Their numbers weren't enough and the rioting continued throughout the day. Firemen were assaulted as they tried to put out the blazes that were rapidly spreading through the city.
Recognizing that disaster was imminent, the then mayor of Detroit, Jerome P. Cavanaugh looked to the governor's office for help. The governor, George Romney, responded by sending in another 300 members of the state police. Still these numbers were not enough. By this time, the riot had spread to about a 100 block area and it was time to call for more reinforcements.
The next call was made and a local unit of the National Guard numbering about 8000 personnel was mobilized but didn't arrive until the early in the evening. By that time, over 1000 people had been arrested and five people were dead in the streets. Still, the rioting went on.
The next day, Monday, was to fare no better. 16 more people were killed by either the police or by members of the National Guard. The people began to arm themselves and began taking potshots at firemen as they tried to put out the flames. Things were beginning to spill even further out of control at an amazing pace. Sensing a city under siege, George Romney called upon President Lyndon Johnson to bring in the troops. Johnson responded by shipping in nearly 2000 army paratroopers replete with tanks and armored personnel carriers in order to quell the riots.
The next day, Tuesday (July 26), saw the streets being patrolled by tanks and soldiers armed with automatic weapons. 10 more people would die that day and still the fires burned throughout the night. Wednesday saw another 12 people die as the fighting in the streets continued."
In the film, the riots seem contemporaneous with the funeral for Lucy's boyfriend, which occurs after Thanksgiving 1967, but in fact the first Detroit riots occurred in July 1967, the second in April 1968, sparked by the April 4 assassination of Martin Luther King)
"12th Street was a hub of activity in the inner city. The goings on there ranged from legal operations to after hours drinking establishments. One such establishment, run by a man named William Scott became the target of the Detroit Police Departments vice squad on the evening in question. It was approximately. 3:35 in the morning in question when they decided to make their move. At the time, there were about 85 people in the bar. They were holding a party for some servicemen that had just returned home from Viet Nam. Sensing that they were outnumbered, the police called in for reinforcements and soon the paddy wagons began arriving en masse to haul them away.
Word began to spread throughout the neighborhood and soon the streets were lined with people watching the goings on. Interest in the actions of the police was fueled by a rumor that a black prostitute had been shot and killed by them a few days before. Although the rumor turned out to be untrue, it left a bad taste in mouths of the residents. Another rumor began to take hold. Word spread that the patrons were being beaten as they were led away from the bar. Soon, thousands of people took to the streets and the looting began in earnest. Around 6:30 in the morning, the first fires broke out. Not long afterwards, entire blocks were in flames. By around noon, every cop and fireman on the payrolls in Detroit was called into duty. Their numbers weren't enough and the rioting continued throughout the day. Firemen were assaulted as they tried to put out the blazes that were rapidly spreading through the city.
Recognizing that disaster was imminent, the then mayor of Detroit, Jerome P. Cavanaugh looked to the governor's office for help. The governor, George Romney, responded by sending in another 300 members of the state police. Still these numbers were not enough. By this time, the riot had spread to about a 100 block area and it was time to call for more reinforcements.
The next call was made and a local unit of the National Guard numbering about 8000 personnel was mobilized but didn't arrive until the early in the evening. By that time, over 1000 people had been arrested and five people were dead in the streets. Still, the rioting went on.
The next day, Monday, was to fare no better. 16 more people were killed by either the police or by members of the National Guard. The people began to arm themselves and began taking potshots at firemen as they tried to put out the flames. Things were beginning to spill even further out of control at an amazing pace. Sensing a city under siege, George Romney called upon President Lyndon Johnson to bring in the troops. Johnson responded by shipping in nearly 2000 army paratroopers replete with tanks and armored personnel carriers in order to quell the riots.
The next day, Tuesday (July 26), saw the streets being patrolled by tanks and soldiers armed with automatic weapons. 10 more people would die that day and still the fires burned throughout the night. Wednesday saw another 12 people die as the fighting in the streets continued."
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