The Detroit Riot of 1967 by Hubert G. Locke

Author:Hubert G. Locke
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wayne State University Press

In the weeks that followed, this naive theme would become an often repeated one, partially encouraged by the same reporter, who became entranced with the brilliance of his own suggestion, and in a bolder mood would later write an article entitled, “How Negro Leadership Failed.” The naiveté was not in the suggestion of a task force of community peace envoys. That strategy had occurred to both the Negro community and the police department years before and had been used with success in the Kercheval incident a year earlier. Actually, over 20 such persons were out in the 12th street area that July morning—local ministers, Negro union officials, block club and civil rights group leaders. The technique was tried—and it failed. What the press failed to understand was that this failure was no more an indictment of Negro leadership than the antics of Breakthrough, a local right-wing white organization, or the Mafia are indictments of white leadership. The clear implication of this accusation was that a (if not the) valid test of Negro leadership is whether or not it can stop Negroes from rioting—a theory that is as crass as it is unenlightened and misinformed. In spite of this, however, the failure-of-Negro-leadership philosophy became a popular interpretation whose full influence was not felt until after the riot was over.

There were also other ill-concealed and inept attempts to wrest a racial meaning from the riot. On the Tuesday of the riot a local television station quoted an unnamed Negro newsman as saying:

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