Carbines and More... Detroit July 1967

[Brian Dick]

I was a little kid on a farm in Kent Bridge, Ontario but remember it on the Detroit News every night. Little did I know that I'd be wearing the uniform of the 82nd Airborne just short of 20 years later!

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[browningautorifle]

a farm in Kent Bridge

I'm surprised you couldn't see the same things I did, I was just down by Leamington/Wheatley...

[imarangemaster]

We had the riots several times in Chicago, as well. The worst was 1968 in Chicago, when MLK Jr. was killed. I was a sophomore in High School, and had a 45 minute CTA transit bus ride home (it was a private Catholic school). Shortly after they announced it, the city erupted, and they sent us all home, requiring us to go in large groups. We went through some black neighborhoods, and had stuff thrown at the bus. We were pretty scared.

The next day I saw National Guard troops and armored cars, and even one tank, driving down the streets of Chicago. The main weapons I noticed were M1 carbine and Garands, all with bayonets fixed. I knew the carbines well because my cousin was a US Postal Inspector, and had one for a "trunk gun" that he had let me shoot several times from the time I was 12 or 13.

Something broke inside of me that day. I was 16, and I never had the innocence of being a kid after that.

[tenOC]

There was a small zoo on either Boblo or Belle Isle, as I remember? The giant slide was memorable too. Oh, and the pleasure boaters mooning the Boblo ferry...

We had the riots several times in Chicago, as well. The worst was 1968 in Chicago, when MLK Jr. was killed. I was a sophomore in High School, and had a 45 minute CTA transit bus ride home (it was a private Catholic school). Shortly after they announced it, the city erupted, and they sent us all home, requiring us to go in large groups. We went through some black neighborhoods, and had stuff thrown at the bus. We were pretty scared.

While living in Detroit in the early 1980s we would ride down to the RenCen are for festivals, parades and such. More than once coming back at night, rocks and bricks would hit the windows of the bus windows. It felt like Escape From New York.They were all thick plastic for a reason. Don't remember many stories of the riots from relatives who still live there for some reason.

[DaveHH]

I had already been drafted and gone to VN, got out and went back to work when MLK was shot. I have a close friend that was in sheet metal and he made a fortune repairing riot damage in both LA and Detroit. He'd be back there for 6 months at a whack, making $5+ an hour.
I'll say this: people were getting knocked off on a regular basis, Both Kennedys. King, and then the Black Panthers, Zodiac killer and Son of Sam. I kept a loaded .380 in my van at all times, and I wasn't easily frightened. Nobody was happy with what was going on.

[painter777]

More than once coming back at night, rocks and bricks would hit the windows

That's still happening in the area, just a few weeks ago 5 teens charged with murder:
Teens charged with murder in highway rock incident

people were getting knocked off on a regular basis, Both Kennedys. King, and then the Black Panthers, Zodiac killer and Son of Sam.

All kinds of great role models back in the day. No different than todays 'Entertainers' mocking violence in their.... I'll reluctantly call music.

[imarangemaster]

Double posted?