Feb. 14, 1953: Detroit Free Press hires first black editorial staff member
George will work primarily as a music critic for the newspaper.
Dec. 4, 1972: Police incident with 3 black men reveals problems with STRESS initiative
On this day in 1972, three young African-American men become embroiled in an incident that will arguably be the most sensational police pursuit in local history.
November 27, 1925: Detroit News: Ossian Sweet Jurors Still At Odds
On this day in 1925, the Detroit News reports that the jury is still undecided on manslaughter charges against Dr. Ossian Sweet, who had fired into a crowd during an attack on his home. He will ultimately be acquitted.
Get it while you can: Scavenging the remains of Detroit
This isn’t the 1967 riots. There’s no smoke or soot billowing into the air, but Detroit is still being looted by desperate people.
Hillsdale College President calls minorities ‘dark ones’
Responding to criticism, the university offered a sarcastic apology.
Nation of Islam Leader suggests former mayor Kilpatrick is imprisoned because he’s black
Farrakhan sought to downplay Kilpatrick’s crimes, saying he was the victim of a racially motivated law enforcement.
Hate crimes surge in Detroit’s suburbs while attacks decrease in rest of country
Hate crimes reported in Michigan rose 12% in 2011, in large part because of a major uptick in the suburbs, the FBI revealed Monday.
Today marks the anniversary of the 1943 Detroit Race Riots
By Steve Neavling Eddie Brown plopped down on a cracked curb and flicked a thick sheen of sweat from his forehead. “It’s a hot one,” he told me yesterday at sunset, along a quiet, sweltering stretch of Woodward between Midtown and downtown. In the same spot 69 years ago today, under the same scorching sun, […]
Detroit News draws racial lines in mayoral race
By Steve Neavling The Detroit News seems obsessed with the idea of a white mayor running the city. A month after conservative columnist Nolan Finley suggested the time may be ripe to elect a white mayor, the News returns today with a front page headline, “Can white mayoral candidate win in Detroit?“ Never mind that no […]
Is Detroit on the verge of another uprising?
By Steve Neavling, Editor The grumblings of revolution and civil disobedience in Detroit are hard to dismiss as hyperbole. “Before long, I think there’s going to be a class or race riot,” Councilman Kwame Kenyatta told me over the phone. “People are angry.” No doubt. Police and firefighters are losing jobs. Bus routes are less […]