Moving into the 1960’s
Living in Detroit in the 1960’s brings back many memories, as the city was vastly different as juxtaposed to its current status. Population was 1.5 million people and it held the position of the 5th largest city in the nation (U.S. Census). Although white flight to the suburbs resulted in over 500,000 people exiting the city in the 1950’s, there was still a substantial amount of people still residing in the city (U.S. Census). With the election of a new mayor a young democrat Jerome P. Cavanaugh, who upset the incumbent Louis Marini, who was not the most progressive when it came to race relations, Cavanaugh was elected with a platform that promised improved corporation with city government as related to the black
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I personally witnessed the big four in action when I was about 5 years old as in the execution of their duties of breaking up a disturbance they proceed to almost cause a mini-riot on my street, by beating up the participants of the fight. An infamous incident with the police when a reputed prostitute was killed by police after being shot in the back, supposedly because she was coming after a patrolman with a knife (Elkins qtd. in Stone 113). This incident elicited outrage from the black community which had numerous incidents of police brutality and killings by the police, building up an antagonistic relationship that would be one of the main precipitators of the forthcoming rebellion (Elkins qtd. in Stone 112-116).
The Mini-Riot of 1966
In the summer of 1966 there was a mini-riot on the east side of Detroit on one of the main thoroughfares, Kercheval Avenue at Pennsylvania (Elkins qtd. in Stone 113-114, Fine 135-143, Horner qtd. in Stone 92). Intervention by the police in a violent arrest led to mases of people coming into the street with protest against police brutality, Businesses were vandalized and additional police were called in and eventually the disturbance was quelled (Elkins qtd. in Stone 113-114 Farley, Danziger 43, Fine 135-143). City administration felt proud that the incident did not escalate into a rebellion reminiscent of the 1965 Watts rebellion, at the time the worst in
4 police men all but one charge connected to a severe beating because the man was in a high speed pursuit ,but then he stopped and got caught.So now the cops all but one got a charge for beating the african american motorist in march 1991.A result of 50 people were killed,more than 2,300 people were injured and about thousands were arrested on that night in the riot.About 1,100 buildings ended up being wrecked.The cost for the buildings was about 1 billion dollars for the damage that people had done to the buildings.It was the most devastating riots in american history.And still is to this day.There was a lot of damage in the riot.White police force practiced racial profiling and engaged in racist
The Newark uprising of 1967 was the result of many different forms of injustices directed against the black community in Newark. Police brutality was one of the major factors that contributed to the people’s uprising. When governor Hughes appointed a committee to investigate the causes of the uprising and the ways to improve the relationship between the police and the Newark’s community, there were many testimonies and evidences that proved that police brutality was one of the major causes leading to the uprising. Despite all the data and the evidences that the Governor’s Commission Report (GSCCD) included and the testimonies of many people that witnessed the uprising, the Report of the New Jersey State Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (PBA) rejected the findings to the Governor’s Commission Report and claimed that police brutality was just a stereotype in the African American neighborhoods. They suggested that the main reason that caused the uprising was the “weakness of official response” (PBA Report ix) to criminal acts done by members of the black community. This paper will focus mainly on assessing the arguments made by the PBA report and comparing them with the GSCCD report and the testimonies of the witnesses of the uprising.
The rioters were treated like animals, even if they were just out past curfew. Black leaders arrived at the precinct and encouraged Detroiters to be in their homes during curfew. According to Fine, “They saw a detective in an interrogation room smash the nose of a prisoner who was already covered with blood and saw another officer jab handcuffs into the side of an arrestee on whom the officer had a judo lock” (241). After seeing the treatment of the prisoners, the African American leaders left and did not continue their message of peace to the rioters. Some of the white police officers were making the whole catastrophe worse.
Such examples included the 1964 riot in Harlem when a Veteran lieutenant shot a fifteen year old black male, the protest in 1967 Newmark where burning and looting resulted in the deaths of several police and civilians alike that occurred as a result of the beating and arrest of a black cab driver. Another example is the Detroit riot of 1967 that resulted in 43
Arguably the most significant single factor which contributed to the 1960s riots was the issue of policing at the time. For many years there had been negative encounters between white members of the Los Angeles police force and the African Americas and this lead to resentment within black society. Many officers were corrupt and above all racist and discrimination was widespread and apparent. A large number of officers lied in arrest reports against black citizens and some even beat and tortured Black men regardless of whether or not they had committed or were even suspected of committing any crime. These officers abused their authority within the community using it not to achieve justice and order, but as a tool for
Some people believe that Detroit is comparable to a blank canvas. A place where an opportunity is lurking right around the corner. They imagine it as a deserted place, in which a businessman can create anything they dream of. However, the harsh reality is, Detroit is not a blank canvas. It has been splattered with an era of prominence, scribbled on with the invention of the automobile, and engraved with a history of racism and corruption. Although much of Detroit’s glory has been stripped away, there are still people who exist in the city’s remnants. Actual people, with actual families, actual homes, and actual lives. When outsiders talk about the city’s revival, they are often forgetting about these people, or the actual citizens of
A study completed in the 1960s by IACP and the US Conference of Mayors provided insight into the public's concerns about race relations. In the study, 165 cities were surveyed with the purpose of determining how prepared they were for “handling large-scale racial demonstrations” (Locke 131-132). Of the 165 cities, 94 police departments were under investigation for charges related to brutality and preferential treatment and that only two departments processed citizen complaints through a Police Review Board
In the 2013 mayoral election in Detroit, MI, the citizens experienced in a close race {55%-45%} the victorious win of Michael E. Duggan over Benny N. Napoleon, to become the first white mayor to lead the city in four decades. The great city of Detroit has for long experienced much calamity that has permeated throughout every vein in Detroit, leading to the city’s its decrepit semblance. Mayor Michael E. Duggan has brought to the city an energy that has been much needed and deserved to those residents that dream of the return of the motor city they once knew.
The Watts riots began in the summer of 1965, in a city in Los Angeles called Watts. It all began with the arrest of a young African American by a white California Highway Patrol officer. Now, it was not because he was arrested for already doing something illegal, it was for the way the police officer treated the individual. According to Lacine Holland, an eyewitness to the arrest, the officer “took him and threw him in the car like a bag of laundry and kicked his feet in and slammed the door.” (Flournoy) This caused lots of unrest among the fellow residents of Watts. This was just the beginning of years of pent up oppression for the minorities, which participated in the event. Similarly, in 1992, the Rodney King riots also arose due to the acquittal of four Los Angeles Police Department officers for their brutal beating
In The United States of America much of mainstream media picks up on police violences that includes shootings and beatings that get dished out to anybody caught on camera. One of the earlier and most controversial events in the media was that of Detroit in 1967 between police and African American protesters. This event started when a group of African American partygoers were arrested for having a party at an illegal bar and the Detroit Police Department aggressively arrested the partygoers, sparking a conflict with citizens. When police make a lawful arrest there is never a reason to resist or fight back, but when police starting throwing and pushing citizens around during an arrest there is understanding among protests to be started. The protests
However, those civil demonstrations will frequently escalate into violent protesting. Normally conflicting reports or lack of transparence surrounding the incidents is the root causes of violent protesting. The mutual trust amongst the urban communities and local authorities has never transpired in American history. The rebellious attitude or rioting dates back further than the Jim Crow days in the south. In the mid-1600s slaves rebelled against their oppressors fighting for their freedom. Although, the slave’s form of rebelling took shape taking one’s life, there was no other means of letting their oppressors know how they felt. As of today, in modern day history the idea of rioting is in some shape of form similar to the slave’s rebellion against their oppressors. The most famous riot in the last decade ignited after the acquittal of four officers beating of Rodney King in 1991. The trial following the incident lasted approximately one year. In 1992, the LA riots erupted and lasted for five days causing 50 deaths with an estimated cost of damages ranging over one billion dollars. The unprecedented civil unrest resulted in approximately 12,000 people arrested and more than 9, 800 National Guard Troops dispatched (CNN, 2016). The 1992 LA Riots is one example of violent protesting following a perceived racial motived arrest of
Today the media plays such a significant role in our everyday lives and in shaping the way each generation views the world. I am really interested in this; in looking at why films are created the way they are and looking deeper into the cultural side of the media. I believe I am right for this course because I find it remarkable how the media has so much control over people’s mind-sets and the way we as a society take in and use the information we are given. I enjoy analysing films when I watch them to see how different directors construct films to their own different ideas and how time has changed the media over the years, one of my favourite films is seven as it so clever the way it Is constructed always keeping the viewer guessing and using many different camera shots to capture the emotion of the actors which feels like you felt their emotions. By learning about the history of the media in conjunction with the modern media I will gain a better understanding of why the media takes the forms it does today and how it became so influential. My interest in the media started at GCSE when I took media studies and I loved it, it was so different to everything since it was current and there are so many various parts of the media to explore. I then carried this onto my A Levels where we would analyse films, I love being able to have an insight into how and why they are made that way. This is something I was able to utilise when I made a short modern noir film for my AS coursework, researching the genre of modern noir by watching films really helped inspired my film. Planning different scenes, choosing the camera angle appropriate for the shot and then editing the film to see the finished film was a great accomplishment. My knowledge of the subject has expanded over the last few years and I have acquired analytical skills and have learnt to look critically at wider forms of media.
The mass media has become a big part of our society and its counterparts. In a time span of 50 years this medium has influenced society to an extent where it has created wonders. This immaculate tool can control almost every action we perform, from speaking to the actions that every human being performs in society. The mass media has brought upon a new era of idea's and changes in the world we live in. As we analysis media in depth we will find many aspects of media which overlap and some of the smallest factors and aspects of media, which create the biggest impact on society.
The media and advertising hinder do indeed hinder our being fully human. Mass media including radio, television and newspapers endeavors to shape public opinion on a variety of things. The media attempts to manipulate those values instilled by parents and society in general, thus taking away from our being human. Messages designed to influence peoples’ attitudes, desires and decisions fall upon society urging those people to buy a certain product, vote for a certain political figure, or support a “worthy” cause. The daily attack of media and advertising persuade the public to be one and the same, rather than allowing them to function as humans who follow their own beliefs.
The state of California has a rich history of events, that on a social level, have played major parts in change and perception among the populations as a whole, and in individual communities. History has shown, and will continue to do so in the future, that changes within communities, towns, cities, states, and countries is generally motivated by civil injustice. In researching “defining moments”, I have chosen the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. The riots of 1992 mark a pivotal point in time for California in regard to social issues and injustices in matters of race and socioeconomics. Following, I will describe the “defining event”, the 1992 Los Angeles riots, and why I believe what was important that was learned, and how it has impacted California 25 years later.