The Critical Nexus: Deindustrialization, Racism and Urban Crisis in Post-1967 Detroit

McNair Scholars Journal Volume 11 | Issue 1 Article 5 2007 The rC itical Nexus: Deindustrialization, Racism and Urban Crisis in Post-1967 Detroit Danielle DeRuiter-Williams Grand Valley State University Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mcnair Recommended Citation DeRuiter-Williams, Danielle (2007) "The rC itical Nexus: Deindustrialization, Racism and Urban Crisis in Post-1967 Detroit," McNair Scholars Journal: Vol. 11: Iss. 1, Article 5. Available at: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mcnair/vol11/iss1/5 Copyright © 2007 by the authors. McNair Scholars Journal is reproduced electronically by ScholarWorks@GVSU. http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/ mcnair?utm_source=scholarworks.gvsu.edu%2Fmcnair%2Fvol11%2Fiss1%2F5&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages The Critical Nexus: Deindustrialization, Racism and Urban Crisis in Post-1967 Detroit Introduction bomb.4 The Detroit vice squad entered the “blind pig”1 during the early morning The time bomb Ron Scott was refer- hours of July 23rd, 1967. What began ring to was indicative of a widespread as an almost routine raid initiated a five- frustration that was even better illustrated day riot that would leave 43 dead, 467 by the rebellions springing up across the injured, 7,200 arrested, and over 2,000 country. These riots were a symptom of buildings scorched.2 The Detroit case some very deep racism and classism. was not the first violent outcry by African Though significant strides were made Americans during the Civil Rights Era. during the Civil Rights era, many of The turbulent 1960s were marred by the changes did not tangibly impact the many such riots from New York to Chi- everyday lives of blacks,5 and during the cago to the Watts section of Los Ange- 1960s and 1970s the nation saw a more les. These riots struck city centers with militant and proactive activist orienta- great veracity, but the fact that similar tion. It is in this context that universal incidents occurred in so many dissimilar black frustration had the potential to cities begs the questions of what these translate into violence and rebellion. On the surface it seemed as though Danielle DeRuiter-Williams cities have in common, and were these incidents less like riots and more like Detroiters were working and moving into McNair Scholar rebellions against the inequality that the middle class, but in reality jobless- persisted in urban centers well beyond ness was increasing with each year as the apparent successes during the civil industry began to decentralize and auto- rights movement?3 Tensions were high mate.6 The world economy was changing across the country as racism persisted and so were cultural attitudes. The riots and inequalities remained salient. Blacks that occurred in Detroit at the end of July in many major cities were without work 1967 were not senseless or causeless as and equal access to adequate housing. some would suggest: “There were some Opportunities were limited for blacks as civil rights overtones, but primarily this quality education and stable employment is a case of lawlessness and hoodlumism. were difficult to secure. Many thought Disobedience to the law cannot and will Detroit was different than other urban not be tolerated.”7 The racial antagonisms centers; Detroiter Ron Scott explained and sentiments of unrest grew from a the misconceptions about Detroit’s im- long tradition of systematic discrimi- munity to a riot: nation that impacted many aspects of everyday life. It is true that conditions do A lot of people felt it couldn’t hap- not exist in a vacuum, and as Williams pen in Detroit because people had Julius Wilson described in his 1990 book examining joblessness in Chicago, Daniel McClure, Ph.D. good jobs, they had homes, and When , “racial antagonisms or Faculty Mentor generally it was a good time, it was Work Disappears carefree, and people didn’t have the expression of racial tensions are the anything to worry about. But you result of social, political and economic can’t always judge things by how influences.” they appear on the surface. Inside Prior to July 23rd, 1967, Detroit had a most black people there was a time history that shaped its environment into 1 An illegal after-hours night club. 2 For more description of the 1967 riots see The Algiers Motel Incident. 3 These questions are not the focus of the following pages but important to mention nonetheless. 4 Hampton, Voices of Freedom, 375. 5 Though the civil rights movement did much for the ideal of equality, structural changes had not occurred on a wide enough scale to translate into real equality. 6 Sugrue, Origins of the Urban Crisis, 21. 7 Michigan governor George Romney as quoted in the August 4th, 1967 TIME article about the riots. For further description by TIME see the issue. Gov- ernor Romney’s insistence that the riots were mostly “hoodlumism” echoes the sentiment of many members of the State during this time. GVSU McNair Scholars Journal VOLUME 11, 2007 23 one where a seemingly miniscule and between deindustrialization and racism addresses the Detroit case or indi- mundane conflict could most certainly and examines how these factors worked rectly examines the underlying social, escalate into a full-scale riot. In brief together to create a pervasive structure of economic and/or political factors that these environmental factors included inequality in inner-city Detroit that led to contributed to the context in which the racism, inequality and hopelessness. the 1967 riots which, in turn, effected the riot occurred—that is, processes and As the smoke cleared from the empty city’s current circumstance of extensive problems that are related to Detroit’s streets it became apparent that the city urban decay and perpetual urban crisis. place in the broader American landscape was changed forever, and with each year More specifically, this research examines (for example, sweeping changes occur- that passes it remains obvious Detroit has racism as a response to scarcity of re- ring simultaneously across the nation that never truly been able to recover from the sources induced by an influx of unskilled impacted Detroit and it’s residents, just impact of this explosion. and semiskilled laborers, both black and as many other US cities were impacted). The following pages seek to explore white, during the first half of the century specific aspects of Detroit’s history that and a sudden and severe period of dein- [*******] created a city with a deep chasm between dustrialization, automation and decentral- the rich and the poor (oftentimes white ization in the auto-industry following the The Aftermath: Modern-Day Detroit and black) and how that chasm became Second World War. a motivator for the 1967 Detroit riots My objective is three-fold: 1.) identify Rockets, moon shots which scarred the city and have impacted and qualify the claim that at the nexus of Spend it on the have nots the persistence of urban crisis to this day. deindustrialization and racism there is an Money, we make it Thomas J. Sugrue writes: initiator and accelerator of urban crisis; Fore we see it you take it 2.) examine the concept of racism as a Oh, make you wanna holler Detroit’s postwar urban crisis result of scarcity of resources (i.e. jobs, The way they do my life emerged as the consequence of housing, education, etc.) amongst un- Make me wanna holler two of the most important, inter- skilled laborers caused by heavy industri- The way they do my life related, and unresolved problems alization and later deindustrialization; 3.) in American history: that capital- explore the impact of the 1967 race riot This ain’t livin’, This ain’t livin’ ism generates economic inequality on race relations and Detroit’s success No, no baby, this ain’t livin’ and that African Americans have or failure (economic and socially) since No, no, no disproportionately borne the im- those riots. pact of inequality…Detroit’s racial These objectives were achieved by Inflation no chance and economic crisis emerged in a answering the following three research To increase finance particular context—mid-twentieth- questions: 1.) What historical factors Bills pile up sky high century America.8 have most greatly influenced the dete- Send that boy off to die rioration of Detroit City since 1967? 2.) Make me wanna holler The context that Sugrue is referring How did industrialization (which caused The way they do my life to will be further explored in the follow- cities to one, grow at a rate greatly Make me wanna holler ing pages, but what is most important exceeding their infrastructure, and two, The way they do my life to remember is Detroit’s history prior to created a great dependence within city the postwar urban crises, including the economies on industry) and deindustrial- Hang ups, let downs impact of the Great Migration,9 among ization create a scarcity of social resourc- Bad breaks, set backs other factors, developed this context. It es and how did that impact race relations is this author’s position that twentieth- amongst Detroit’s working class? 3.) Can Natural fact is century racism10 that had its roots in the it be inferred that the increase in racism I can’t pay my taxes Great Migration, the process of postwar and tensions11 between members of the Oh, make me wanna holler deindustrialization and the scarcity of working class due to post-WWII dein- And throw up both my hands social resources that was an effect of that dustrialization were a strong motivator Yea, it makes me wanna holler deindustrialization intersected to create for the 1967 race riots? And throw up both my hands an environment where the 1967 riots The method through which conclu- Crime is increasing were inevitable.

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