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Jay Levinson, August 9th, 2015
Levinson describes his neighborhood in Northwest Detroit as an ideal place to raise a family and free from racial tensions. Levinson’s next door neighbor was Mayor Jerome Cavanagh, whose children he befriended. During the unrest he recalls the smoke…
Virgil Taylor, July 23rd, 2016
In this interview, Taylor describes the looting and chaos that he witnessed during the summer of 1967. He also discusses the many issues Detroit faces today, including racism and disinvestment.
Mary VanDerMaas
Mary VanDerMaas was 12 years old and the daughter of a Detroit Fireman. He had a sense something was about to happen and stayed home from a family picnic to be near the phone. When the rest of the family heard what was happening in the city, they…
Joe Colton
Joe Colton was 6 years old the summer of 1967. He was in the car with his mother and siblings with felt the need to drive to Dearborn for safety.
Venita Thompkins, July 23rd, 2016
Venita Thompkins was 4 years old in July of 1967. She remembers seeing fires on her street and being nervous about the presence of troops and tanks and the energy of the 12th Street and Virginia Park neighborhood.
Mary Ann McCourt, July 23rd, 2016
Mary Ann McCourt is the daughter of a Detroit Fireman who served during the events of 1967. She discusses her memories of visiting her father on his breaks and hearing about the death of his friend Carl Smith, a fellow fireman. She and her family…
Angelo Sherman
A painting and explanation from Angelo Sherman who was a child in 1967.
Allan Ranusch
Allan Ranusch was 11 years old and lived in the lower east side of Detroit in 1967. He remembers when looters broke into the neighborhood convenience store, snipers, and the damage to his neighborhood.
Judith Zielke
Judith Zielke, whose father was Detroit Fireman, was 10 years old in July 1967. She remembers hearing bullets outside her house and how anxious her mother was.
Julian Witherspoon III
Julian Witherspoon was 10 years old and lived between 12th Street and 14th Street.
Venita Shelton-Mitchell
Venita Shelton-Mitchell was 14 years old and spent July 23, 1967 in Canada. When she returned, her bus was almost forbidden from crossing the border.
Minte Washington
Minte Washington was 11 years old the summer of 1967 and remembers scenes from her neighborhood.
Cindy Overmyer
Cindy Overmyer was 12 in July 1967 when she and her family came home from a vacation. She remembers going to the store to buy supplies but seeing empty shelves and the feeling around the city.
Arthur Divers, July 26th, 2016
In this interview, Arthur Divers describes what it was like living in his black community during the disturbance. He discusses the various businesses that existed before the disturbance, and how it has drastically changed the community since then. He…
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…
Dominic Kevin McNeir, June 18th, 2016
In this interview, McNeir discusses growing up in Detroit and the normalcy of interacting with local celebrities. He also talks about his hope for the future of Detroit and its communities. In the events of 1967 he discusses returning home from…
Robin West Smith
Robin West Smith was 9 years old the summer of 1967 and due to the outbreak of the unrest was unable to have stitches removed from his hand. He also remembers seeing looters break into his neighborhood corner store.
Ingrid Scott
Ingrid Scott lived on Burlingame and Hamilton in July of 1967. She remembers staying home with her family and seeing the destruction of looting and arson.
Steve Moss
Steve Moss was a 12 year old child returning from a family vacation in July of 1967.
Eva Amine
Eva Amine was 12 years old in July of 1967. She remembers her grandfather determination to keep his store open and provide food for the people of Detroit.