Mrs. Potter
Title
Mrs. Potter
Description
Mrs. Potter remembers troubled times during 1967 and her experiences of coming to terms with the unrest, coming home to a torn city, and the news of the beating of her brother.
Publisher
Detroit Historical Society
Date
10/22/15
Rights
Detroit Historical Society, Detroit, MI
Format
Text
Language
en-US
Type
Written Story
Text
This is my story I am going to give it to you now- thank you for allowing me two minutes. I was out of town, before the riot. I left and stayed with my auntie but we got into it, and I left and came back home. This is my hometown- I was born and raised here. And when I got back, everything was tore up. I was in denial and I didn’t realize it was really a riot. I walked into [somewhere] and I even heard Bill Bonds on the television! I am telling you, I was really paranoid. And when I saw the soldiers come in, I thought it was a parade going on. That’s how tough it got. And I didn’t want to go stay with my mother and father, because [although] my mother was really nice to me, my daddy was abusive. So I stayed at a building downtown, which is still standing today. It was called the Salvation Army and they were taking people in. Finally I wind up going back to my abusive boyfriend, but that’s a whole another story altogether...
The main thing I want to talk about is the 1967 riot. When I came in, like I said, I was in denial. And I found out my brother got beat up by five Caucasian guys during the riot. I found that out when I went back to my boyfriend, but like I said, I was in denial. I was on the streets. I was homeless for a minute. I stayed at Salvation Army and I kept hearing them [unintelligible] fire trucks all night long. I didn’t know anything. The women in the next room from me said she had snipers burn her house up. And I’m like, “What? What are you talking about?” I couldn’t even sleep. And that’s when I finally almost realized there is a riot. And I can always remember that day, my brother winding up almost dead. He was in the hospital in critical condition. That was a terrible memory. He’s still living, but my daddy saw him get beat up and didn’t know it.
The main thing I want to talk about is the 1967 riot. When I came in, like I said, I was in denial. And I found out my brother got beat up by five Caucasian guys during the riot. I found that out when I went back to my boyfriend, but like I said, I was in denial. I was on the streets. I was homeless for a minute. I stayed at Salvation Army and I kept hearing them [unintelligible] fire trucks all night long. I didn’t know anything. The women in the next room from me said she had snipers burn her house up. And I’m like, “What? What are you talking about?” I couldn’t even sleep. And that’s when I finally almost realized there is a riot. And I can always remember that day, my brother winding up almost dead. He was in the hospital in critical condition. That was a terrible memory. He’s still living, but my daddy saw him get beat up and didn’t know it.
Original Format
D67 voicemail message
Submitter's Name
Mrs. Potter
Submission Date
08/08/2015
Files
Collection
Citation
“Mrs. Potter,” Detroit Historical Society Oral History Archive, accessed December 2, 2024, http://oralhistory.detroithistorical.org/items/show/97.