Clearing a bar 50 years ago resulted in a great riot in a city

Webster 2021-12-29 08:01:38

July 23, 1967, 3:45 in the morning.

On the corner of Twelfth Street and Cremon Street in Detroit, the police raided a bar (because the bar was suspected of operating without a license) and found that there were 82 blacks celebrating two black soldiers returning from the Vietnam War.

Operating a bar without a license is a relatively serious violation of the law in the United States. The police decided to vigorously clear the bar and arrest all the black people present.

The arrest of the white policeman caused the crowd to watch and ignited the anger of the black community, which eventually led to a riot and plunged Detroit into flames.

A riot caused by law enforcement was filmed into the movie to be introduced today- "Detroit"

Faced with this situation, the state government had to mobilize national soldiers and federal troops to suppress it.

The inventory of unlicensed bars was only the fuse of this riot.

What really allowed blacks to fight back was the violent law enforcement and racial discrimination carried out by the Detroit police over the years .

Detroit police enforcement photos taken by the Associated Press

Throughout the 1960s, the white police in Detroit often patrolled the streets in groups of four, randomly ordering blacks to undergo inspections on the street, humiliating them with "Niger" (a derogatory term for "black") while asking them to show their credentials.

If anyone happened to be absent, the arrest would be considered minor, and there have been many cases of abuse leading to death.

The Associated Press took photos of the military's law enforcement during the Detroit riots

The arrogance, rudeness, and discrimination of white police officers in the face of blacks, as well as their abuse of power, eventually led blacks in Detroit to fight back.

In the early morning of July 23, 1967, more and more black people were onlookers. They used stones, bricks, and wine bottles to drive away law enforcement officers. Seeing the insults of the white policemen, the black people were overjoyed.

In order to let the white police officers see their anger more clearly, a small group of black militants beat and smashed the shops.

On July 23, the white police completely lost the effectiveness of law enforcement in the area. In order to prevent the situation from further expanding, the local black leaders called on everyone to be calm and restrained.

But once the anger that has been squeezed for many years finds a catharsis, no organization or individual can resist it. The black communities ousted their leaders and expressed their emotions and wishes for equality and freedom in the urban area.

On July 24, the state government, seeing the city completely out of control, made a more arrogant decision than the local white police:

They brazenly launched military-level actions to suppress the arrogance of blacks without considering the black people’s will to demand equal civil rights—how high is the military level?

The state government not only stationed the National Guard, but also dispatched two U.S. Army ace troops, the 101st Airborne Division and the 82nd Airborne Division. This battle set a record for all U.S. forces to suppress urban riots.

The 101st Airborne Division (101st Airborne Division) is an air assault unit of the U.S. Army. It participated in the Normandy Landing and Operation Market Garden in World War II. After the Vietnam Campaign, it was reorganized as an "Airborne Assault Division" ( Air Assault), and then participated in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The 82nd Airborne Division (82nd Airborne Division) is the first airborne division established in the US Army (August 25, 1917). It participated in the battles of Sicily, Normandy Landing and Operation Market Garden during World War II. It is the only existing active regular airborne in the United States. division.

Regardless of the turbulent public opinion, the state government adopted a higher level of military repression, which directly led to a more chaotic situation.

A government that abandons the people is bound to be abandoned by the people.

This is how the Detroit Riot unfolded thoroughly and comprehensively.

That is, on this day, extreme fanatical racists, who is also a police post whites Klaus , in the hunt for a black process plundered shops in disarray, he was shot dead.

It was also during this day, efforts to pursue a singing career dreams black brother Larry , could have access to the record company after signing a stage singing, but because of the riots led to the venue into chaos.

But for the white policeman Klaus or the black little brother Larry, this is nothing unusual.

As a black resident, this is not the first time Larry has suffered unexpected failures and setbacks. As a white policeman, Klaus is not the first to use violence against blacks.

So Larry just panicked through the chaotic neighborhood where the military and civilians were confronted, and returned to his narrow, crowded, warm and safe hut;

After Klaus was warned by the homicide team to prosecute him for murder, he continued to be armed with a gun.

In Detroit, some white policemen, like Klaus, are accustomed to being arrogant, rude and discriminatory towards blacks.

For them, it's like kicking away a dog urinating anywhere, which is normal.

In Detroit, some black residents, like Larry, are accustomed to a life of discrimination.

After all, they are government armed forces with guns. Although they are full of anger and unwillingness, they can only endure it.

Perhaps it is precisely because of this mutual habituation that many people think that riots are no big deal.

Otherwise, they would not stay close to the window even if the police and the army ordered that they were not allowed to approach the window, so as not to be killed by a sniper. They wanted to see what happened outside.

Not to mention the "black fat brother" Carl , who is meeting with the black little brother Larry , will take out a flare gun that gives orders on the field, and will imitate the white police's violent law enforcement against a large group of friends.

But no one knew in advance that this was a flare gun.

Including the two white girls from Ohio, Julie and Keran, they were all frightened-it was this parody of Carl that allowed the audience to see the usual violence of the white police How horrible and terrifying they looked when they were enforcing the law: they just held guns, pointed at the head of the black man, and yelled "Niger..." over and over again.

Once racial discrimination is blessed by power, blacks become beasts who can be killed anytime and anywhere in the eyes of these white policemen.

The Associated Press filmed scenes of forced blacks to lie on the ground during the military law enforcement during the riots

But everyone, including Carl, did not expect that the joking behavior between this young man caused him to kill him——

Klaus, a white policeman on duty nearby, and his partner, as well as some soldiers, mistakenly regarded the signal gunfire as a sniper attack.

They quickly rushed into the second floor of the gathering of young people with the attitude and means of "using extraordinary methods in extraordinary times" .

Klaus killed the panicked black fat brother in the chaos.

The unrestrained power and the racial discrimination imposed on Klaus made him completely lose the good side of human nature :

He first put an opened dagger next to Black Fat Brother before he died, shooting himself to forge the rationality;

Then dragged everyone, including the little black brother Larry, downstairs and asked them to reveal the hiding place for the sniper rifle.

The movie is here, borrowing Klaus and his partner, with the riot as the background, a panoramic view of the process of violent law enforcement by the white police in Detroit:

For unwarranted charges, they don't care about the life and death of black people, and even people who are too close to them (or sympathetic) will not let it go.

A photo of some blacks being violently beaten by whites during the riots taken by the Associated Press

For example, those two white girls, Julie and Karen, were "punished" with no dignity by Klaus and his partner in a sexually assaulted and abused law enforcement method—

This is not only a true restoration of real events, but also the film's stern accusation against the white policemen who have lost their binding force .

Klaus thrust the gun through the base of Karen's thigh, while his colleague was still pushing and shoving, stripping Julie naked.

The police who have lost their power and restraint treat their white compatriots in this way, and the degree of tyranny in their treatment of blacks is even more predictable.

This is also what "Detroit" is trying to show: once power and laws are out of order, the dignity of the city and citizens will disappear.

Law and order, especially the responsibilities and boundaries of law enforcement agencies in the execution of official duties, have always been the focus of director Catherine Birog .

The female director who defeated her ex-husband James Cameron at the Oscars with "The Hurt Locker" has almost applied this theme to all her films.

Set shot, director Catherine Birog is talking to the actors

This time, "Detroit", filmed to commemorate the "1967 Detroit Riot", brought her focus to the extreme:

When public power breaks the moral bottom line, and when prejudice dominates the decisions of government departments, law enforcement agencies will become like lawless hooligans, and become a serious threat to the good people and the weak .

Black people forced to enforce the law during the riots filmed by the Associated Press

So in the movie, the audience can see the army and tanks marching into Detroit mightily, the police and soldiers wantonly besieging young people passing by on the street, and seeing them beating black people to death with batons in their hands...

This is not a dramatic visual presentation of a movie.

On the contrary, these cruel scenes actually took place in Detroit, the United States 50 years ago.

To put it bluntly, this is the evil result of law enforcement agencies' arrogance, rudeness and even discrimination against citizens .

How serious is this evil result?

Even some white people think that white policemen who abuse their power should be stopped.

For example, when Klaus was illegally detained and interrogated Klaus and his friends, the white soldier who was always standing by took advantage of the chaos to let a friend of Larry away;

For example, after Larry's friend escaped from the house with a bloody face, he was rescued by a white policeman who kept calling him "Brother" and sent to the hospital;

For example, a white police detective who was angry at Klaus shooting a black man for no reason, shouted angrily to break his neck;

The film focuses on exposing racial discrimination and violent law enforcement, but it also uses considerable details to show some whites’ sympathy for blacks and their anger at law enforcement agencies’ abuse of power.

It is precisely because of these people that the Detroit riots can be brought under control.

It is precisely because of these people that law, order, and civilization will not be reduced to a dead letter.

But the official did not realize this at all. Otherwise, they will not go past the stage of comforting the people and send troops directly to suppress it.

This rudeness, rudeness, and contempt continued to the judicial trial: a jury made up of all whites found that the white policeman Klaus who shot the blacks was not guilty and was released in court.

As for Larry, witnessing the experience of his friend's death in front of his eyes and the psychological impact of violent law enforcement made him drown in grief and misery. He couldn't pursue his singing career anymore. He was absent-minded when he went to the record company to audition with his friends. Even if he was invited by successful friends to join the team, he shook his head and refused.

Larry said: With so many people dead, I can't sing this song ...

Finally, poor and destitute, Larry chose to go to church and taught everyone to sing hymns in the choir.

The riots finally subsided, it does not mean that the disaster is over.

The Detroit Riot that lasted for 5 days resulted in 43 deaths (33 black people, 10 white people, 24 of the black dead were shot by police and national soldiers ), 1,189 people were injured, 388 families were torn apart, and 7,231 people were killed. Police arrested -nearly half of them had no criminal record, including a 4-year-old black child.

A shot of a soldier accidentally hurting a little girl in "Detroit"

In this riot, a total of 2,059 shops were looted or burnt down, and 412 buildings were destroyed, causing economic losses as high as 40 to 45 million U.S. dollars.

This is not only the inevitable result of a city’s lack of inclusiveness.

It is the end of government departments wantonly trampling on the human rights and dignity of the people with the help of power.

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Extended Reading
  • Blanche 2022-04-22 07:01:40

    I was surprised to find two things, one is that Ms. Bigelow is 66 years old, I always thought she was in her forties, and her charm and courage are really not retiring, and the other is that she has the same month and the same day as me. Many brave men were born, and for the thousandth time I felt like the tail of a crane. If Ms. Bi was not a director, she might have been a war correspondent. I admire her courage to face challenging subjects.

  • Nick 2022-03-24 09:02:40

    I don't usually like it

Detroit quotes

  • Krauss: It's a war zone out there. They're destroying the city.

  • Krauss: I'm just gonna assume you're all criminals.