Detroit Riot Research Paper

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Detroit Riot:

The summer of 1967 was marked by numerous disturbances in urban areas that suffered from poverty, racial discrimination, police harassment and brutality directed at African Americans, as well as political unease connected with civil rights struggles and the Vietnam War (Moon).
On July 23, an incident triggered the outbreak of violence and destruction in Detroit. It is considered one of the most violent upheavals of the 1960s and helped to expose the problems of poor, urban African Americans in the US. The violence and destruction surpassed that of any of the other uprisings that had occurred that summer in other cities (Young Jr).
The confrontation began when the Detroit Police raided an illegal bar located in a predominantly African American area of the city. A crowd gathered outside the bar when word spread that the police had used excessive force when arresting everyone in the bar at the time. Soon, looting, arson, and sniper fire spread across the city. Reluctant to be seen as overreacting with too much force, authorities allowed the riot to escalate (Young Jr).
As the riot continued for next two days with no end in sight, The Detroit Mayor requested the help of the National Guard to help stop the violent riot. The Michigan Governor declared a state of emergency and requested help from federal troops and President Lyndon …show more content…
Army paratroopers, and 360 members of the Michigan State Police were called to Detroit. The troops used tanks and machine guns to quell the violence in the city. Since most of the National Guard troops were white, their presence instigated a violent reaction among black citizens. In contrast, many of the Army troops were African Americans and had been ordered to only load their weapons when given the direct order to do so. In the end U.S. Army soldiers were responsible for only one casualty while the actions of the National Guard troops were called into question after the riot (Young
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