By DEE (198.81.27.10) on Saturday, February 22, 2003 - 01:18 am:

Listening to Martha Jean "THE QUEEN" and Ernie Durham..while I was sitting on the porch in 1967 while the city was aflame.. in the summer time!!

From "BIG-DEE

By Dick Gamble (216.93.58.214) on Saturday, February 22, 2003 - 02:18 am:

DEE,
I remember it well,I was inches away from being hired by the Detroit Police Departments Communications Division to work at Belle Isle when everything broke loose. A friend of mine who already worked there was called off Comm duty and assigned to the streets. That ended my desire of being a Detroit PO. I went to work for Motorola instead..

And it all started over a after hours raid...

By SisDetroit (68.42.209.170) on Saturday, February 22, 2003 - 08:43 am:

Dee - I'm trying to remember listening to Ernie Durham during that time. Give me a little hint to jargle my memory on what Ernie Durham was saying or playing during that horrible time.

I guess everyone was sitting on their porch during the day. But we had a curfew to be in the house before dark. And it was a extemely hot during that time. There was no breeze. If you didn't have air conditioning, you were in bad shape, and I didn't have air.

Dick - LOL, changed your mind. Actually, you would have been safe on Belle Isle. :o)

By lindajoy (216.248.57.160) on Saturday, February 22, 2003 - 10:46 am:

I remember sneaking out and riding around after curfew on the eastside of Detroit. It was so strange for the streets of Detroit to be empty.

Lindajoy

By Sue (152.163.188.68) on Saturday, February 22, 2003 - 10:53 am:

Was it really hotter in July '67 or did it just seem that way?

By douglasm (68.113.15.28) on Saturday, February 22, 2003 - 01:23 pm:

I'm not sure, Sue. All i know is that it bothered me (and still does) to look out the door of the shoe store I was working in downtown, and watch an armored personell carrier going up Woodward Avenue.
Thank God the Tigers took it all in '68.

By SisDetroit (68.42.209.170) on Saturday, February 22, 2003 - 01:32 pm:

Sue - I'm sure you have the means to look up the weather for those days. It had to have been about 85-90 degrees, with no breeze whatsoever. That is no joke.

lindajoy - Sneaking out was dangerous. Those troops were given orders to shoot any movemovents they saw after dark.

The street lights were purposely turned out by the City. It was so hot, we were sitting on the porch at night. My father flickered his lighter. A troop came up with a long gun, and clicked it. He said "Go into the house, or I will shoot."

By SisDetroit (68.42.209.170) on Saturday, February 22, 2003 - 01:36 pm:

My friend who had just gotten out of the service, said very quiety "Shhh, don't say a word, just move slowly."

By Beebopman (67.37.77.106) on Monday, February 24, 2003 - 10:44 pm:

The "Shrimp Cove" on Oakland and Owen. "Reds" Shoe Shine Palor (still there and still thriving!). And of course, Phelps Lounge!

By radiogoon (198.208.223.35) on Wednesday, February 26, 2003 - 11:25 am:

My dad was working at Jefferson Assembly on the day shift. We were living on Hereford between Warren and Mack in an upper flat. 6am start time meant leaving the house at 5:30 am. Every single morning he was stopped by Nat'l Guard APC wanting to know where he was going. With 20/20 hindsight, he's kinda lucky he didn't get shot. It was the riots that caused them to flee to the burbs in '69.

Dr. Z