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Riots in
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, Michigan, have occurred since the city was founded in 1701. This area was settled by various ethnicities following thousands of years of indigenous history. During the colonial period, it was nominally ruled by France and Great Britain before the border was set in the early 19th century and it became part of the United States. The first riot, social unrest related to enabling fugitive slaves to escape to Canada, was recorded in 1833. Other riots were related to business protests, unions, and other issues. In the late 20th century, the
1967 Detroit riot The 1967 Detroit riot, also known as the 12th Street Riot and the Detroit Uprising, was the bloodiest of the urban riots in the United States during the "long, hot summer of 1967". Composed mainly of confrontations between African American res ...
broke out, fueled by African-American frustration with continuing racial discrimination and injustice. A total of 43 people died, and property damage was extensive. This was ranked as one of the deadliest civil disturbances in the United States.


1833

The first recorded riot in Detroit, Michigan broke out on June 17, 1833. The state had prohibited slavery and was considered free. Because of its proximity to Canada, across the
Detroit River The Detroit River is an List of international river borders, international river in North America. The river, which forms part of the border between the U.S. state of Michigan and the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ont ...
, the city became a station on the
Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...
by which refugee slaves from the South sought freedom. Some also settled here rather than continuing out of the country. In 1833 a fugitive slave couple, Thornton and Ruthie Blackburn, had been apprehended by slave catchers in the city and were to be returned to their master in
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
, under the US Fugitive Slave Act. A crowd of black residents had gathered at the Wayne County Jail in protest over a court verdict upholding the claim by agents of the Kentucky master. As Thornton Blackburn was led to a waiting steamer by sheriff John Wilson, the sheriff was attacked by a mob. This enabled the Blackburns to escape to
Windsor, Ontario Windsor ( ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from the U.S city of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Esse ...
. Thirty persons of color were subsequently arrested for conspiring to free the Blackburns, in violation of provisions of the Fugitive Slave Law.


1849

On December 13, 1849, more than 60 shop owners along Gratiot Avenue destroyed tracks of the
Detroit and Pontiac Railroad The Detroit and Pontiac Railroad is a defunct railroad which operated in the Michigan, state of Michigan during the mid-nineteenth century. It was the sixth railroad to receive a charter from Michigan, then a U.S. territory, territory, and the sec ...
, which had been laid along the road and interfered with their businesses. After the tracks were relaid, they were destroyed again by rioters. The railroad rerouted their tracks in 1852.


1855–59

During this period, large groups of men, predominantly ethnic German, attacked brothels in the east side German neighborhoods that catered to black men. During this period, there were 12 disturbances in which a total of at least 17 brothels were either seriously damaged or destroyed, all on the east side, around the present-day Lafayette Park area. Usually anywhere between 50 and 300 rioters ordered prostitutes and their customers out of the brothels before vandalizing them.


1863

This was a riot of mostly ethnic Irish against blacks, in reaction to the draft. The Irish immigrants did not want to be drafted in the Civil War, as they saw it, for the benefit of African Americans, and the fact that wealthy Americans could buy their way out of the draft. There was wide spread suspicion that Irish troops were intentionally being used in hopeless military situations as opposed to mostly native regiments and the fact that thousands of Irish immigrants had lost their lives in previous battles, particularly the Union Disaster at Fredericksburg. A similar, but larger and more damaging riot occurred in New York City.


1891

On April 23, 1891, workers of the privately run trolley system walked off their jobs in protest of pay and conditions. During three days of rioting, in which streetcars were stoned, horses were unhitched, and rails were torn apart. By the third day, rioters formed barriers in some neighborhoods, further crippling transit service. Among the rioters was future Detroit mayor and US Senator
James Couzens James Joseph Couzens (August 26, 1872October 22, 1936) was an American businessman, politician and philanthropist. He served as mayor of Detroit (1919–1922) and U.S. Senator from Michigan (1922–1936). Prior to entering politics he served as ...
. A similar streetcar riot broke out in 1918.


1894

An ongoing economic depression strained relations among the growing immigrant ethnic communities, Detroit's leaders, and wealthy citizens. On April 18, 1894, mostly Polish immigrant workers on an excavation project for the Water Board, on East Jefferson Avenue near Conner Street, attacked a crowd that had gathered at the site. Three people were killed, including Sheriff C.P. Collins.


1942

Detroit, like many industrial cities, had overcrowded housing due to the expansion of population in the defense industries during World War II. Much of it was substandard and the federal government began to build worker housing in an effort to relieve some of the strain. An estimated 1,000-person crowd of mostly ethnic whites gathered on February 28, 1942, at the intersection of Ryan Road and East Nevada Street to protest a black family that was moving into the newly built
Sojourner Truth Sojourner Truth (; born Isabella Bomefree; November 26, 1883) was an American Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist and activist for African-American civil rights, women's rights, and Temperance movement, alcohol temperance. Truth was ...
Projects. This federal project was intended for black war workers and had been located in a predominantly white neighborhood, at a time when residential segregation was strong. Police battled rioters for several hours, resulting in dozens of injuries. No further incidents took place, and blacks settled into the buildings.


1943

This was another riot related to the social strains produced by rapid demographic changes in the city, and competition for jobs and housing during World War II. In this race riot, mostly whites attacked blacks throughout the city, and especially in their neighborhoods on the east side of Woodward Avenue. Despite the evidence, a commission attributed the troubles to African-American youths.


1966

On August 11, 1966, seven black men who had gathered at Kercheval and Pennsylvania streets were asked by police to disperse. Three of them refused. One hundred rioters gathered at the intersection. Rioting continued for two additional days before a rain system brought it to an end.


1967

Violence flared between police and blacks in the early morning hours of July 23, 1967. The confrontation was spurred on by a police raid of an unlicensed, after-hours bar in the Near West Side. The rioting left 43 dead and 1,189 injured, and resulted in 7,200 arrests and more than 2,000 buildings destroyed. It was finally quelled on July 28, 1967. Michigan's Army National Guard and the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
's 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions were called in. The rioting received extensive media coverage and was part of the "
Long, hot summer of 1967 The long, hot summer of 1967 refers to a period of widespread Ghetto riots (1964–1969), racial unrest across major American cities during the summer of 1967, where over 150 riots erupted, primarily fueled by deep-seated frustrations regardin ...
". Its scale was the worst since the 1863 New York draft riots, even surpassing the
1943 Detroit race riot The 1943 Detroit race riot took place in Detroit, Michigan, from the evening of June 20 through to the early morning of June 22. It occurred in a period of dramatic population increase and social tensions associated with the military buildup of ...
; it would remain the worst until the
1992 Los Angeles riots The 1992 Los Angeles riots were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, United States, during April and May 1992. Unrest began in South Los Angeles, South Central Los Angeles on April 29, after ...
, which was also then surpassed by the 2020–2021 United States racial unrest.


1968

Rioting erupted again on 12th Street on April 4, 1968, hours after the
assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King Jr., an American civil rights activist, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:05& ...
, the major civil rights leader, in Memphis, Tennessee. Riots erupted as well in 110 other US cities. Governor George W. Romney ordered the National Guard into Detroit to try to restore order. One person was killed, stores were vandalized, and several buildings were set on fire. Order was restored the following day.


1975

In July 1975, the white owner of a Livernois Avenue bar shot and killed a black 18-year-old. African Americans began to riot in protest, continuing for two nights, July 28-29.


1984

The Tigers won the 1984 World Series in five games, but the celebrations that followed, attended by over 100,000 people, deteriorated into rioting. One person died, several more were injured, one Detroit Police Department car was set on fire, and four others were severely damaged. At one point, about 50 officers in riot gear chased a large crowd of over 6,000 people up
Woodward Avenue A woodward is a Game warden, warden of a wood. Woodward may also refer to: Places ;United States * Woodward, Iowa * Woodward, Oklahoma * Woodward, Pennsylvania, a census-designated place * Woodward Avenue, a street in Tallahassee, Florida, which b ...
from Hart Plaza. The rioting was widely reported internationally. Its most famous image was an
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
photo of
Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US president Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, to near Ardmore Avenu ...
resident Kenneth "Bubba" Helms posing in front of the police cruiser that was torched.


1990

Rioting erupted after the
Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...
won the
1990 NBA Finals The 1990 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1989–90 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The series pitted the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Detr ...
. Seven people were killed and a number of stores were looted.


2020

Following the
murder of George Floyd On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old White police officer. Floyd had been arrested after a store clerk reported that he made a purchase using a c ...
, protests erupted in
downtown Detroit Downtown Detroit is the central business district and a Neighborhoods in Detroit, residential area of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Locally, "downtown" tends to refer to the 1.4 square mile region bordered by M-10 (Michigan high ...
on May 29, 2020, as similar protests erupted across Michigan and the United States. Initially peaceful, the protests eventually turned into rioting after police cruiser windows were smashed along Michigan Avenue in Corktown. Protests resumed on May 30, but after it again erupted into rioting, the protest was declared unlawful by the Detroit Police Department. On Sunday night, May 31, mayor
Mike Duggan Michael Edward Duggan (born July 15, 1958) is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician serving as the List of mayors of Detroit, Michigan, 75th mayor of Detroit, Michigan since 2014. An Independent politician, Independent, Duggan previo ...
imposed a curfew from 8 pm to 5 am Monday and more than 100 people were arrested after violence resumed that night. Police Chief Crag stated railroad spikes were hurled at riot police. A glass door at Lafayette Coney Island was smashed, and windows smashed at a federal building as well. On June 3, protesters earned a victory as the city chose not to enforce the curfew. Protests continued throughout the summer. As protests in Detroit continued, they were mostly peaceful, with only the occasional clash with police.


See also

* Crime in Detroit * List of riots *
Detroit bankruptcy The city of Detroit, Michigan, filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy on July 18, 2013. It is the largest municipal bankruptcy filing in U.S. history by debt, estimated at $18–20 billion, exceeding Jefferson County, Alabama's $4-billion filing in 2 ...


References

{{Riots in the United States (1980–present) * African-American history in Detroit
Riots A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...
Riots A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...
Riots in Detroit