This summer is an important one for Detroit; among the music festivals, the set up of the Detroit Sports Zone, River Days, and hanging out at Campus Martius Beach, Detroit is looking back 50 years to the summer of 1967. In July of 1967 a police raid of an after hours bar on the corner of 12th and Clairmount sparked the riots which left 43 people dead, 2,509 stores looted, 412 buildings burned (to be demolished), and 388 families homeless. The rioting lasted 5 day leaving in their wake $40 millions dollars of damage and a recognition for the city and citizens that relations between the black and white population needed to change.
The brief overview of the riot was intentional as this summer there are many ways for you to engage with the past. The first is Detroit 67, http://www.detroit1967.org/. The Detroit 67’s by line is “Looking back to move forward”: the goal of the project is to use the events from the summer of 67 “as a catalyst to engage, reflect and provide opportunities to take the collective action that can help move our community forward”. The project offers stories and events which are geared to engaging and acting toward a brighter future.
Second is a film 12th and Clairmount. The film is a documentary featuring home movies, news reels, and oral histories of those who experienced the riots. The film was shown in the Detroit Free Press Film festival and shall be show in the following locations:
- Saturday May 13th at the Redford Theater at 8:00pm
- Wednesday May 31st at the Maple Theater in Bloomfield Township
- Saturday June 3rd at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor
Third another film which will hit mainstream movie theaters across the country, Detroit. This film was based on the events which occurred at the Algiers Motel. You can see it in theaters August 4th.