[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 175 (Monday, October 30, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S6872]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DETROIT RIOT

  Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, 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. More than 1,600 buildings were 
destroyed, and the cost of damage to commercial and residential 
property totaled an estimated $132 million. Beyond property damage, the 
community suffered the loss of 43 citizens and hundreds were injured.
  Detroit's 1967 unrest was not an isolated event; urban centers across 
the country were experiencing similar instances of civil disturbance. A 
day after the conclusion of the unrest in Detroit, President Lyndon B. 
Johnson sought out to investigate the cause of the phenomenon, 
establishing the Kerner Commission. The Commission concluded that the 
riots that took place between 1965 and 1968 were due to racism and 
frustration at lack of economic opportunity. From these findings, the 
Commission suggested economic, social, and housing reform to quell 
tensions.
  The events of that summer were seen through countless eyes. Many 
Detroiters saw the unrest as a rebellion against the systemic 
oppression that plagued the African-American community, who had no 
voice or adequate representation in government or in the police force 
but accounted for one-third of Detroit's population. Various government 
agencies painted the events as an insurrection, war, or riot. 
Regardless of how the events were characterized, there is no denial of 
the real emotional and physical toll the summer had on citizens. The 
countless stories of people in their homes watching tanks roll down the 
very streets children once played in or the visual of soldiers with 
rifles on their backs juxtaposed to mothers walking along the same 
sidewalk with their babies in strollers, illustrated the surreal nature 
of the unrest and the response.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in commemorating an event that 
affected not only the city of Detroit and the State of Michigan but was 
a pivotal moment in our Nation's history. Detroit stands as the 
birthplace of Motown, center of the automotive industry, and the 
``Arsenal of Democracy.'' It has been and continues to be a city of 
innovation and promise. I am proud of its resilience and the grassroots 
efforts contributing to its resurgence. The 50th anniversary of the 
civil unrest is a great opportunity to reflect and learn from the 
events of the past, celebrate progress, and to continue to support 
community partnerships that influence future success that is inclusive 
of all neighborhoods.

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