Detroit’s long history of racism, rioting, which sometimes leads to looting, has been documented for over 150 years. From the 1863 riots, to the 1943 or 1967 riots, Detroit’s history has lead to numerous civilian casualties. This Blog details three officers who died due to racial tensions of its citizens, assisted by racist policies and policing.
1)-The 1943 race riots of Detroit had mobs of whites and mobs of blacks, looting, assaulting others and just causing havoc along Woodward into Paradise Valley (aka Black Bottom, or black business district). On June 6, 1943, Officer Lawrence Adam, a five year veteran of the force, responded to the riots on Brush and Vernor, with three other officers. He was shot from a assailant in a parking lot (never to be identified), and taken to the hospital. Meanwhile, his fellow officers continued firing shots at the crowd. Eventually 17 blacks would be killed by officers during this riot. Officer Adam’s seemed to be getting better when just ten days later he would die due to an infection from his gun shot.
2)-Unfortunately, race relations would not improve over the next 25 years, spilling into one of the largest race riots, the 1967 Detroit Race riots. Due to unfair and racist policing, and tactics, numerous black citizens were routinely harassed, beaten or worse. The riots of 1967 were a direct result of such police harassment and the looting of the mostly white businesses were also a result of this harassment as well as systemic racist policies keeping blacks from owning and sharing in much of the money that was to be made in the city. The rioting on July 25th of 1967 included the local A & P on a Holbrook near Woodward. Officer Jerome Olshove was one of the many police responding. While another officer was struggling with a looter, the officers shotgun discharged, killing Officer Olshove. He would be the only police officer killed during the riots. Forty three people were killed due to this riot. Of those 43, 33 were black. Most were killed for looting by police, national guard or store owners and their hired guards, who would not be charged. Many of the killed were disputed as looters and some proven not to be, yet no justice would come for them.
3)-After the 1967 race riots, white flight began, and black power was on the rise and practiced by some black residents. Included in this rise was the black panthers. Their standard distrust of the police would cause more issues for the group, in a city of about 50% blacks with very few represented in police or government. They were harassed but educated on their rights. On October 24, 1970, a plain clothes policeman, Officer Glenn Edward Smith responded to a call of help from two officers attempting to ticket black panther youths distributing literature. When he arrived a gun barrel appeared from out the front bay window of the house at 3376 Sixteenth, a Black Panther Party house. A shot was fired from said gun, killing Officer Smith. A standoff ensued, resulted in 16 people being arrested. None of them would be found guilty, and some may argue that was due to the National Black Panther Party’s extensive knowledge of laws and rights.
Detroit Police Fallen Hero stories 