Fast Facts Detroit:
Before and After the Riots of 1967
Detroit had a large amount of
Blacks moving up in the 1920’s
as part of the Great Migration.
Since the 1940’s many
Detroit Whites fought
against fair housing
integration.
In the 1960’s Whites would picket homes bought by Blacks in
White neighborhoods, and often break windows or start fires.
Mayor Cavanagh took office in 1961.
He had begun a system of reform in
the police department, but the
department itself was blamed for
much of the racism in the city.
Still, Mayor Cavanagh, a White Democrat, gained
popularity with Blacks because he made many attempts to
reach out to Black communities.
During the early 1960’s Detroit
had received millions in Federal
money to improve the inner
city. Schools were benefitting
from reforms as well.
In the early 1960’s, Detroit won awards
for outstanding architecture, a model
police department, and magazines and
newspapers across the country
considered Detroit to be a model city.
However, neighborhoods were
segregated and the growing
Black population was very
suspicious of the police.
Cases of police brutality
made the racial
situation even worse.
In the 1950’s and 1960’s, Detroit lost over 10,000 residents a
year as wealthier Whites moved into the suburbs. At a time
when much of the country was prospering, Detroit’s
unemployment rate was as high as 10%.
Many Detroit companies left the
city as the population declined by
180,000 people in the 1950’s.
During the 1960’s, many other cities had racerelated rioting, particularly during the summers.
Detroit went from 16.25% Black in
1950 to 28.87% Black in 1960.
Detroit became majority Black
in the 1970’s and Detroit had
its first Black mayor in 1974.