Political Quotes

“today I wish to observe the 50th anniversary of Detroit's tumultuous summer of 1967, widely known as the 1967 Detroit Riot or the 12th Street Riots. The events of 1967 made a tremendous impact on the city and coincided with multiple incidents that took place across the country during that historic summer. On Sunday July 23, 1967, patrons of an after-hours club were celebrating servicemembers coming home from Vietnam, above the Economy Printing Company on Clairmont Avenue and 12th Street. At 3:30 a.m., police officers raided the club, which was within a mostly African- American business district with an active nightlife, arresting 85 people. While the police arrested each person inside of the establishment, a crowd formed on the outside. Those who were gathered began reacting to the escalating discord between those who lived in the neighborhood and the police department. As time elapsed, a rise of arson and looting began to erupt. By 8 a.m., the number grew to an estimated 3,000 people who assembled in protest. As the Detroit police force struggled to contain the crowd, Mayor Jerome Cavanagh and Governor George Romney agreed to deploy the Michigan National Guard that afternoon; paratroopers joined 2 days later. Just over 7,200 arrests were made between July 23 and July 27, 1967. As tensions began to subside, community members and government officials surveyed the aftermath.…”