The Detroit Riot of 1967

Great Lakes Books Series

by Hubert G. Locke

During the last days of July 1967, Detroit experienced a week of devastating urban collapse—one of the worst civil disorders in twentieth-century America. Forty-three people were killed, over $50 million in property was destroyed, and the city itself was left in a state of panic and confusion, the scars of which are still present today.

Now for the first time in paperback and with a new reflective essay that examines the events a half-century later, The Detroit Riot of 1967 (originally published in 1969) is the story of that terrible experience as told from the perspective of Hubert G. Locke, then administrative aide to Detroit’s police commissioner. The book covers the week between the riot’s outbreak and the aftermath thereof. An hour-by-hour account is given of the looting, arson, and sniping, as well as the problems faced by the police, National Guard, and federal troops who struggled to restore order. Locke goes on to address the situation as outlined by the courts, and the response of the community—including the media, social and religious agencies, and civic and political leadership. Finally, Locke looks at the attempt of white leadership to forge a new alliance with a rising, militant black population; the shifts in political perspectives within the black community itself; and the growing polarization of black and white sentiment in a city that had previously received national recognition as a "model community in race relations."

The Detroit Riot of 1967 explores many of the critical questions that confront contemporary urban America and offers observations on the problems of the police system and substantive suggestions on redefining urban law enforcement in American society. Locke argues that Detroit, and every other city in America, is in a race with time—and thus far losing the battle. It has been fifty years since the riot and federal policies are needed now more than ever that will help to protect the future of urban America.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Race

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Hubert G. Locke was a Detroit native who served as administrative aide to the Detroit commissioner of police in 1967. He was dean and professor emeritus at the Daniel Evans Graduate School of the University of Washington and sat on the board of directors for the Police Foundation for over a decade. The Hubert Locke Distinguished Service Award at the University of Nebraska-Omaha is named in his honor to recognize an individual who has demonstrated exemplary commitment to public service.

Reviews

[Kimber]

Locke was a DPD admin at the time of the riots, and hence, he was able to give this detailed survey, a chronological account as received by Detroit Police. There is even provided a map so you can visualize--or try to imagine--the extent of this, which would be considered the worse riot of its time. Fifty cities in America had riots in 1967. Detroit has not yet fully recovered from theirs.

I felt impressed by Locke's ability to empathize with all perspectives, while providing analysis and commentary. On the one hand, more complicated analysis is necessary than is given in this slim volume, and that this was an early account written in 1969. But on the other hand, we may never fully know what happened or why.

The riots were the beginning of the full abandonment of Detroit. Known as "white flight," what was left behind were vast numbers of vacant buildings and properties. Just as DPD was inundated by the riots, the local governments were completely overwhelmed with the complexity of Detroit's problems.

Locke, For both racial components [black and white]...there is deeply held convictions, again for drastically different reasons, that American society, "the system," is in shambles, that the cities of America are tragically symbolic of this societal confusion, and that in some form or other violence is inevitable.

[Craig Werner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Written in the immediate aftermath, this book's description of the violence itself is written almost entirely from the police perspective with the machinations of the governmental agencies involved mixed in. Locke's clearly aligned with the city's liberal power structure and, while he makes an argument for dealing with the situations that caused the riot, it winds up reading as a defense rather than an attempt to comprehend the complexities. Skip this and read the Kerner Commission report.

[Coleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written in 1969 and published in hardcover, then re-published recently (2017) in paperback. So when reading, one should understand the vantage point of the author - who writes meticulously about the events of 1967, and analyzes them and their significance both before 1967, and over the next two years to 1969, but without the knowledge of the events of these past 50 years.

I more than read this book, I studied it. The author does an excellent job of describing the riots events almost minute by minute for over a week's time in July, 1967. He also related the events of the Detroit riot of 1943, and somewhat compares and contrasts them, including the circumstances leading up to both riots. He cannot, without a crystal ball, have known the effect of social media - as opposed to the media of the 1960's on those events. But much of what he writes of the looting, arson, vandalism, and violence, and his consideration of the rioters, the police, the courts, the politics, the assistance/ and lack thereof of various levels of troops bears serious regard today.

The author supplements his original hardback book with several pages of modern 'reflections' of the cyclical nature of civil disobedience and the scars that remain in their aftermath at the end of this paperback one published in 2017.

While I did not agree with everything he wrote in 1967, nor his supplemental refelctions in 2017, certainly many of the points that he makes as to cause and effect throughout the book are valid ones.

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

[J. Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm from Detroit and remember 1967 and the riots/civil disturbance. We have friends that lived a block or two from the worst of the riot and friends that lived in distant suburbs. Right or wrong, good or bad it shaped the world view of those of us who lived in or near Detroit at that time. The book was originally published in 1969. The author was an administrative aide to the police commission in 1967; that gave him an upfront view making his hour by hour account credible and offering a glimpse into how things were handled particularly in the first hours of the riot. However, being that close to the police department may not be the distance needed to impartially judge how the police created the atmosphere for the riot's beginning. That said, just hearing the account of the four days was worth the time.

[Erin Bartels · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slim volume written in the year following the 1967 riots by one who was there through it all as assistant to the police commissioner (he was also a scholar and a minister). Locke offers a play by play of the riot and some insightful commentary on race relations, the police system, and American cities in general. A great introduction for anyone unfamiliar with the riot and not yet inclined to tackle Fine's exhaustive work. It is also a generally more enjoyable read as Locke has an intelligent and conversational tone more akin to him relating a personal experience than twenty years of research and surveys.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given an advanced reader copy of this book via Edelweiss Plus in an exchange for an honest review.

This book does exactly what it sets out to do: summarize and explain the Detroit riot of 1967. Not only does it summarize the riot, but it also gives a glimpse into what events led up to the event (Detroit riot of 1943) as well as insights to the future of Detroit. Written originally in 1969, this book is written by a native Detroiter and eye witness to the events. A very comprehensible look into this defining event in the format of an easy to follow, 160 something paged book.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

written in '69 while it was still fresh, this book goes over various aspects of what happened, why, and different perspectives of things.
I think *my* biggest take away was learning that Detroit had a huge number of southern white transplants looking for work, and a large KKK presence. Detroit was one of the least tolerant northern cities. This goes against what I was taught in school, but honestly, I trust this book more than white revisionist history lessons in school.
My second biggest take away is that calling what happened a race riot is almost ludicrous. It was integrated. Whites were looting. Blacks were looting. Whites were dying from the chaos. Blacks were *mostly* dying from the police. Yet when the events are talked about, it's framed as "Blacks revolted against the whites and the whites ran out of the city and the national guard got called in to put Black people in their place". Big yikes because according to this book, that's not at all what actually happened.
My THIRD and last big take away is the realization of how much the religious community was connected with government at that time, even the black religious leaders. I know now a days the evangelical Christian groups often lobby our government and the leaders endorse candidates from the pulpit. I didn't think it was so connected in the 60s though. The Riots were blamed on Black religious leaders not doing enough to keep the community in line. The book also went over all the things various church leaders would do, and the fact that they had organized groups and coordinated efforts to try and keep community members calm, even in the face of discrimination and unnecessary hardship.
Overall a good book. I read this in one sitting at the library, but I also rushed as I had a time limit. Do recommend.

[Michael Filippini · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Algiers hotel incident during the Detroit riot of 1967 is a isolated event within a greater incident during this time period. It is mentioned a couple of times within this book. I did read one half of John Heresay's 1968 book on the "criminal act". My problem with this incident is that ultimately the suspects who were in the Hotel at the time of the alleged executions, were simply not creditable witnesses. So therefore I'm siding in favor of law enforcement for this matter, I apologize to offended.

This self titled assessment of the 67' Detroit riots were a summary of what happened and a editorial at the second half of the book. I don't care what may or may not have happened to cause this insurrection (I refused to call it a revolt) there is no justification to loot. The only thing this book missed was the exact moment that cause the riot aside it started from issues streaming from prostitution allegedly.

This is a good book to start the study of the riot. Then there are others out there that expand more into it. This book is now out dated the only exception being a 2016 statement at the end from Hubert G. Locke, the books author. We have come a long way in the reconditioning of law enforcement notably with the requirement of college education for most major departments to include the suburbs.

It's a fast read since I'm a security guard I only read on work, lol. This can be read in half a week. I would read more on this subject, good starting point as far as this book is concerned.

[Derek Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the fact that this was written by someone who was involved in the riots while working for DPD. Gives a different perspective. Also appreciate the author's opinions on how to avoid similar situations.

[Stacy Lewis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lots to say but I won’t.

[Lena Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

The account is pretty factual and dry, and while there are some takeaways from the book I didn't find it to be a particularly profound read.

[Mike Barat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I lived in Detroit during the 1967 riots with my family. I was seven Years old at the time of riots. I still remember tanks going down the street that we lived on, even though the riots were not happening in neighborhood that we lived in. Only in the last five years I have become interested in the Detroit 1967 riots. Author Hubert G. Locke gives a insight into riots that I have never come across before. This book came out 1969 and gives a perspective of the 1967 riot before, during, and after the riot. At the end of the book Mr. Locke wrote a three page perspective about how the 1967 riot effected Detroit in 2016, in the edition of the book that I was lucky enough to find in the library in Windsor, Ontario. Mr. Locke also touches on a riot that happened in Detroit in 1943 as a way of comparison without over doing it, a sign of a skilled writer. The best thing about this book that Mr. Locke packs a ton of information in just a 160 pages. The only reason I won't give this book five stars is because I felt more could have said about the media coverage and a few big names in Detroit at the time. Nonetheless if you like to read about societies and events past or present you should read this book.

[Kelsey Mangeni (kman.reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recently I noticed I’ve been reading almost exclusively fiction written within the past two years so I thought I’d through in a non-fiction published 50 year ago.

I grew up in the Detroit area but was never very interested in local history until this recent move back here.

I really liked the beginning of this book—the play by play of the riot event. I liked the ending about the city after the riot. I struggled with the middle, the author’s interpretation of the event because the pacing was really slow.
It was really interesting to read this author’s opinion on the effects of the riot, particularly rebuilding the city, relations between police and black citizens, and the desire to flee the city. Especially from the perspective of 50 years later, when this book was written only 2 years following the “worst civil explosion that has taken place in 20th century America.”

[Lisa McAllister · Rating 3 out of 5]

One pivotal event in my growing-up years was the 1967 riot. At the time, I was upset that I had to play only in the backyard, not in the front yard. I absorbed all of the assumptions and prejudices that grew from that event and swirled around me. I never read much about it or tried to form my own opinion. It's about time I did. This book was very helpful in outlining the events and looking at the urban and racial elements that contributed to the rioting. The antiquated language ("Negroes") is kind of disconcerting, but not too invasive. Definitely recommended.

[Connor Coyne]

I won't attempt to give this piece a rating, although the fact that it has been long regarded as one of the definitive analyses of the Detroit Riot of 1967 seems merited and speaks for itself, but will briefly comment on the effect of reading it in 2019.

This book, updated with a new Afterword on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the uprising, and shortly prior to Locke's passing, is both a clear product of its time and a trenchant emissary from the troubled 60s to the equally troubled 20-teens.

It is painfully clear in discussions of Detroit's roaring industry, its prosperity and spare-no-expense approaches to many social problems that this is an account written before the oil embargo, before Reagan, before the Great Recession. It is easy, even when one knows better, to divide Detroit into a before and after with July 1967 as the great dividing time, but Locke's book reminds us that even as Detroit's fatal and structural economic and social deficiencies long predated 1967, it was still in that year a city that would seem utterly unrecognizeable to us today.

At the same time, even without the afterward and its benefit of hindsight, the book's commentary has much to say about social tensions -- between Caucasians and African-Americans, between police and the communities they serve, and between suburban and urban residents -- today. This amounts to a kind of indictment, because Locke wrote this book, progressing from a reportorial description of the riot's chronology to an itemized analysis of its causes, execution, and aftermath, as an attempt to isolate problems and suggest solutions. Both the problems he identifies and the solutions he proposes seem broadly reasonable, both for 1967 and for 2019. The fact that we have not implemented the most meaningful solutions (or equally viable alternatives) kind of begs the question: "What have you been doing for the last 52 years?"

#BlackLivesMatter is a 21st century phenomenon, but in Locke's account of the Detroit riot and particularly in his penetrating and severe analyses, we will recognize many of the threads in earlier generations living in a very different city.

"If the observation that we have not made progress on these fronts is obvious," writes Locke near the end of his book, "then the riots become a symbolic way of expressing the sense of urgency that is involved."

A half-century later, these matters are no less urgent than they were when Locke was writing. If anything, they are even more urgent for the time that has been lost.

I did not pick up this book expecting to autopsy my feelings about civil unrest, police brutality, and systemic inequities... I wanted simply to better understand an important and complex moment in my state's history. "The Detroit Riot of 1967" accomplished both of these things. It would be a valuable read for any American seeking to comprehend and confront some of the most persistent issues of our past and present.