Today in 'Merican History: Early Sunday morning July 23 1967 Detroit police trigger the biggest riot in American history

[Razer]

>From the extensive Timeline page at "The Great Rebellion: A
Socio-economic Analysis of the 1967 Detroit Riot"


Sunday - July 23 1967

3:45 a.m. Detroit police "clean-up squad" raid a blind pig (speakeasy)
housed at Economy Printing, 12th Street/Clairmount. Angry crowd of
locals begins to form outside, eventually numbering some 250 people.

4:05 First paddy wagon loaded and departs for 10th Precinct.

5:00 D.P.D. departs with last prisoners under hail of projectiles.

5:05 Mob flows down street breaking windows. When police do not
reappear, looting begins.

5:06 Tenth Precinct's Lt. Raymond Good investigates complaint of
"burglar alarms going off on 12th Street."

5:11 Lt. Good arrives at Economy Printing and witnesses swarms of crazed
people. When he exists the cruiser to get a better look he is hit with a
brick. Good radios all cruisers to stay out of area in hopes that
rioters will cool down faster without a inflaming police presense.

5:20 Police Commissioner Girardin notified there is a flare up on 12th
Street. Girardin notifies Mayor Cavanagh.

6:00 Detroit police begin calling in off duty officers. Strength
bolstered to 369 men but only 43 committed to riot area.

7:50 Detroit police Commandos conduct sweep of 12th Street but proves
ineffectual. At least 3,000 rioters present. Belle Isle closed.

8:24 First fire is started. Detroit Fire Department arrives and
extinguishes fire without incident. All police leaves canceled. Twelve
hour shifts ordered.

9:00 Crowd on 12th Street now between 8,000 - 10,000.

9:33 Black community leaders attempt to calm thousands of rioters on
12th Street and are stoned in return.

10:00 Police strength now 1,122 men, approx 1/4 of department. Of these,
540 sent to riot area, 108 attempting to cordon off streets entering
riot area.

10:30 Police now find themselves under a barrage of bottles/stones.
Character of riot is changing from carnival atmosphere to violence.
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