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Jackie DeYoung, April 5th, 2016
In this interview, DeYoung discusses her experiences of the 1967 disturbance and how it affected her life. Additionally, she speaks about her 35 year career at the Detroit Police Department and how the department, and the city, operated and changed…
James Peters, August 4th, 2017
In this interview, James Peters discusses growing up in the Detroit metropolitan area and his service in the National Guard during the events of July 1967.
James Veselenak
James Veselenak was a lifeguard on Belle Isle in 1967. He remembers reporting to work unaware of the situation when he was stopped by a policeman who eventually let him through. He was later called back to help prepare the island to house prisoners.…
Jean Wynn
Jean Wynn was 21 years old and worked for the Detroit News in July of 1967. She was given a special pass to get to work after the curfew and remembers seeing the destruction from the YWCA where she rented a room.
Jesse Davis, November 29th, 2016
In this interview, Mr. Davis discusses growing up in Detroit's close-knit Davison neighborhood and the effect the Chrysler Freeway had on the area. He was drafted into the military and was home on a two-day pass on July 23, 1967.
Joel Gibson
Joel Gibson was 16 years old in July of 1967 and shares three memories of his time in Detroit.
John Korachis, July 20th, 2017
In this interview, Korachis recalls his childhood memories of growing up in Greece and his initial impressions of the city of Detroit. He talks about his time in the Detroit Public School system and his memories of interactions with fellow students.…
Joseph Claxton, June 12th, 2015
In this interview Claxton discusses living on the east side of Detroit in the summer of 1967 and remembers an incident during which a National Guardsman mistakenly suspected him of having a gun and, in turn, threatened Claxton with a rifle.
Juanita Harper, August 15th, 2015
In this interview, Harper discusses growing up in Detroit including life before, during, and after the 1967 disturbance. She tells the story of the death of her brother, who was shot by a National Guardsman, and the lasting effects of the event on…
Karen Miller, July 27th, 2017
In this interview, Karen Miller discusses her memories of Detroit in the summer of 1967. She was a child who did not fully understand what was happening at the time but sees the lasting impacts in the city today.
Katharine Burns, March 4th, 2016
In this interview, Katharine Burns discusses growing up in Detroit and her limited interaction with African Americans until she started working at the Lafayette Clinic. She also discusses the discrimination and the extreme disturbance in the city at…
Kathleen Kurta, June 30th, 2015
In this interview, Kurta discusses growing up on the west side of Detroit in the 1950s and 1960s and her intense personal experiences during the 1967 disturbance while working at Greenfield’s Restaurant on Woodward Avenue near downtown Detroit. She…
Ken and Carol Sopiak, March 19th, 2016
In this interview, Ken and Carol Sopiak discuss their experience planning and then enjoying a traditional Polish Catholic wedding, reception, and Poprawiny in Detroit during the events of July 1967.
Lee Begole, June 22nd, 2016
In this interview, Begole recounts his father's time serving in France, his own childhood on East Grand Boulevard, his time serving in World War II and the day the Allies marched into Rome. In 1967, he was the Director of Public Safety in Novi, MI. …
Loren Colwell, July 5th, 2016
In this interview, Colwell discusses growing up in Northwest Detroit. He discusses his brief experience with the 1967 disturbances, and informs us of the exaggerated stories around 1967.
Marc K. Shaye
Marc Shaye and his family lived in Sherwood Forest in July 1967. He and his father, Nathan, protected the Grosse Pointe quality Food warehouse near Twelfth Street and Trumbull during the unrest, as it was a main source of food for the city. In his…
Marsha Greene, August 7th, 2015
Marsha Greene discusses growing up in Detroit, first on the east side on Vernor Avenue, later on the west side in three different neighborhoods. She discussed highlights of her childhood including family, friends, and neighbors as well as her…
Martha Rabaut, January 31st, 2017
In this interview, Rabaut recalls her memories of the summer of 1967 when she worked with a program set up by the diocese to help residents of Detroit. She and her fellow volunteers would hold liturgies in their building and she remembers the…
Mary Catherine Hustoles, August 15th, 2015
In this interview, Hustoles describes driving her station wagon from her church, Immaculate Heart of Mary, which was a collection center for food and supplies, to distribution sites on and around 12th Street during the week of July 23, 1967. She…