1967 Detroit Riots: Causes, Facts, And Photos From the 12th Street Riot That Disrupted The City

The 1967 Detroit riots were one of the most violent and costliest riots in the United States. They started by a police raid on the unlicensed bar, and by the time they ended, 43 people were dead, 342 injured, thousands of arrested, and over 1400 buildings had been burned. These riots lasted for four consecutive days and nights.

1960s Detroit

Detroit had a larger black middle class than other American cities, and racial tensions were high among whites and blacks over jobs. During World War II, a large number of jobs were opened in the automobile and defense industry. Automobile and several other industries moved out of the city center, which affected several other businesses and left behind vacant storefronts, widespread unemployment, and impoverished despair.

12th Street riots

12th Street in Detroit was a center of nightlife, gambling, both legal and illegal. At the Clairmount Ave, William Scott operated a ‘blind pig’ (an after-hours illicit club) on the weekends. The police often used to raid these establishments. On July 23, the Detroit Police department raided Scott’s club. The bar was open, and there a party going on for several veterans, including two service members recently returned from the Vietnam War. The police arrested 85 patrons, and while the police were waiting for vehicles to take them away, a crowd began to gather on the street. Within an hour, thousands of people arrived on the road from nearby areas, and the police fled when the riot erupted. Looting of shops and business was started, the fire broke out, and much of the street was blazed. Firefighters were attacked as they tried to battle the flames. The police called every police to control the mob. The riots spread to a 100-block area around Virginia Park.

Detroit Mayor Jerome P. Cavanaugh requested Michigan Governor George Romney to send National Guard troops, while President Lyndon Johnson eventually ordered paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne on to the streets. The order was finally restored on July 27. A total of 43 people died, and 1700 stores were looted, and nearly 1,400 buildings burned, causing roughly $50 million in property damage. More than 7,000 people were arrested, and thousands of
became homeless.

The aftermath of the Riots

President Johnson appointed a National Advisory Commission known as Kerner Commission to investigate the riots. The commission released a 426-page report after seven months and identified more than 150 riots or major disorders between 1965 and 1968. The report also declared that the country must resolve racial discrimination, which is the primary cause of these riots.

Here below are some photos that perfectly depict the Detroit riots of 1967.

#1 Nighttime view of fires, in the wake of ongoing riots, in the northwest part of town, Detroit, Michigan, 1967

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#2 Building burning during race riots in the city, 1967

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#3 Police frisk an African-American man as other suspects lean against wall on 12th Street, 1967

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#4 Policeman arresting an African American after race riots, 1967

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#5 National Guardsman patroling street after race riots, 1967

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#6 A huge pall of smoke pours from a burning building during race riots in the city, 1967

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#7 Smoke lifting from burnt out buildings in aftermath of race riots, 1967

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#8 Police officers load suspects into a police van in the wake of ongoing riots , Detroit, Michigan, 1967

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#9 An armed National Guardsman holds is bayonet at the ready as he patrols against a backdrop of buildings that burn in the wake of ongoing riots, Detroit, 1967

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#10 View of male and female African-American suspects lined up, with their hands against a brick wall as they wait to be arrested in the wake of ongoing riots, 1967

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#11 View of a firefighters as they battle a blaze as pedestrians walk beneath them in the wake of ongoing riots, Detroit, Michigan, 1967

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#12 A pair of police officers arrest a young man, dressed in a suit, and escort him down the middle of Woodward Avenue, Detroit, 1967

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#13 Soul Brother sign indicating African American ownership to store to keep looters away during Detroit race riots, 1967

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#14 Aftermath of Detroit race riots, gutted buildings and burned cars, 1967

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#15 Aftermath of Detroit race riots, National Guard patroling streets, 1967

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#16 Aftermath of Detroit race riots, National Guard having good time with kids, 1967

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#17 Aftermath of Detroit race riots, National Guard patroling streets, Detroit, 1967

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#18 During race riots in Detroit, showing devastated neighborhood, fireman fighting fire, 1967

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#19 During race riots in Detroit, National Guard patroling devastated neighborhood, 1967

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#20 Family moving after Detroit race riots, 1967

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#21 Police evacuate apartment building in search of sniper suspects, during riots, 1967

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#22 Buildings burning out of control after race riots rock the city, Detroit, 1967

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#23 Firemen are protected by police, while they battle smoking blaze after race riots rock the city, 1967

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#24 Soldiers patrol along row of fire-gutted homes following the riot, Detroit, 1967

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#25 Aerial view of burnt out buildings and general destruction of shops and retail premises in Detroit , 1967

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#26 National Guardsmen armed with rifles stand guard amid debris littering the streets of the West Side of Detroit, 1967

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#27 Bystanders observe National Guardsmen, armed with rifles standing guard and patrolling a street corner beside a burnt out brick building on the West Side of Detroit, 1967

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#28 A National Guardsman armed with a rifle and bayonet rests in the window of a wrecked shop front in a shopping street in Detroit, 1967

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#29 Two police officers in full riot gear arrest a Black man during a breakout of rioting and looting on the West side of Detroit, Michigan, July 23, 1967

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#30 Tough looking Michigan National Guardsmen with fixed bayonets on the streets during race riots in the city, 1967

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#31 Federal troops ride on a fire engine to protect the firefighters from snipers during the riots in Detroit, 1967

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#32 A group of men construct a barricade out of wood and garbage cans to keep their street safe during the riots, Detroit, Michigan, July 27, 1967

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#33 Black residents of Detroit pick up fire hoses dropped by fleeing firemen to put out a fire in their neighborhood, 1967

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#34 Three year old Thomas Allen stands the ruins of his home on Detroit’s east side, 1967

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#35 Flames are seen here shooting from building as firemen hose down the structure, in Detroit, 1967

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#36 The gutted remins of buildings (left) attest to the destruction caused by two days of rioting in Detroit’s west side, 1967

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#37 Negro workers shovel and sweep away the sidewalk debris outside the gutted remains of a building, in Detroit, 1967

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#38 US National Guard troops as they sort equipment in a field near a Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport plane, Detroit, 1967

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#39 A policeman stands guard in a Detroit street on July 25, 1967 as firefighters try to extinguish a burning building during riots that erupted in Detroit

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#40 Policemen arrest suspects in a Detroit street on July 25, 1967 during riots that erupted in Detroit following a police operation.

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#41 A Detroit police officer stands on an end-cap in a grocery store to guard against additional looting during riots in Detroit, 1967

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#42 Men walk past the smoking ruins of a burned-out building during riots in Detroit, 1967

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#43 A group of onlookers gather to watch authorities clean up debris after fires during riots in Detroit, 1967

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#44 Residents of this riot-torn area, some holding empty cardboard boxes, line up outside building where food and clothing is being distributed, 1967

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#45 Residents of this riot-torn area, some holding empty cardboard boxes, line up outside building where food and clothing is being distributed, 1967

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#46 Federal soldiers stand guard on a tank in a Detroit street on July 25, 1967 during riots, 1967

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#47 Soldiers patrol a street on Detroit’s west side during a period of severe racial rioting, 1967

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#48 Aftermath of Detroit race riots, family walking past rubble from gutted buildings, Detroit, 1967

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#49 Heavy metal gratings which failed to protect shop windows during the race riots in Detroit. The rioters later burned the shops they had looted, 1967

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#50 Policeman lining up suspects after race riots, 1967

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