Browse Items (16 total)
- Tags: Belle Isle
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Anita Hadley, July 5th, 2016
In this interview, Hadley discusses her childhood in Detroit, and her feeling of safety within the city. She then discusses her experience during the unrest, and how her entire family was fearful for their safety. She emphasizes that many of the…
Betty Bright
Betty Bright planned to spend the day golfing on Belle Isle but it was closed. When she got home, she heard about the unrest and eventually learned that her cousin, Jerome Olshove, was killed.
Carole and Leo Alberts, March 31st, 2016
In this interview, Carole and Leo Alberts explain their experiences growing up in some of the neighborhoods in Detroit. The couple briefly discusses the differences of living in Detroit and its suburbs. Additionally they speak about their experiences…
Daniel J. O'Brien
Daniel O'Brien recalls his experiences living along Eight Mile and witnessing racism and violence.
Dennis K. Laurion
Dennis Laurion recalls his experiences as a member of the Coast Guard stationed on Belle Isle during July 1967.
Diann Cousino, February 7th, 2017
In this interview, Cousino discusses her impressions of the events of July 1967.
Geneva Kachman
Geneva Kachman remembers hearing about the unrest as a child when her family could not spend the day on Belle Isle. Instead, her family went home and watched the news about what was happening. She also includes a poem that references the unrest.
James Tessen, August 8th, 2016
In this interview, Tessen discusses growing up on the east side and how and why he joined the Air National Guard. He then describes the various duties he performed for the Guard in the city during the unrest of 1967.
James Veselenak
James Veselenak was a lifeguard on Belle Isle in 1967. He remembers reporting to work unaware of the situation when he was stopped by a policeman who eventually let him through. He was later called back to help prepare the island to house prisoners.…
Jesse Davis, November 29th, 2016
In this interview, Mr. Davis discusses growing up in Detroit's close-knit Davison neighborhood and the effect the Chrysler Freeway had on the area. He was drafted into the military and was home on a two-day pass on July 23, 1967.
John Kastner, June 25th, 2015
In this interview, Kastner discusses his time as a police officer with the Detroit Police Department in 1967 and the years after.***NOTE: This interview contains profanity/explicit language.
Kathleen Banchero
Kathleen Banchero was a young teacher who had left her car at the Detroit Boat Club on Belle Isle while she attended a regatta in Canada with her sister and brother-in-law. When she returned, the police had blocked the bridge to Belle Isle and were…
Lee Begole, June 22nd, 2016
In this interview, Begole recounts his father's time serving in France, his own childhood on East Grand Boulevard, his time serving in World War II and the day the Allies marched into Rome. In 1967, he was the Director of Public Safety in Novi, MI. …
Richard and Janice Powell, June 23rd, 2016
In this interview, the Powells discuss Detroit during their childhoods and their perception of Detroit at the time. They then move to discuss the changes they noticed in the city in the years before 1967, such as the increased popularity of drugs as…
Ronald Navickas, August 23rd, 2016
Ronald Navickas was an employee of an armored truck company in 1967. He discusses his childhood in Highland Park and his memories of the week of July 23, 1967. He talks about why he moved and his impressions of the city when he returned and how he…
Yvonne Anderson, March 19th, 2016
In this interview, Yvonne Anderson discusses growing up in a multi-ethnic community including the black association in Detroit. She also discusses the discrimination and the extreme disturbance at that time.