Tyrone Cunningham

Tyrone Cunningham

Tyrone Cunningham and his brother went to see the destruction on 12th Street when they heard about the unrest.

Detroit Historical Society

05/25/2016

Detroit Historical Society, Detroit, MI

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12th Street, Hutchins Jr. High School

I can remember waking up the morning of the riot and my Mother saying don't go up on 12th, they are rioting up there. Of course after she went to work, my brother and I headed up to 12th. There was a five & dime store on the corner of Hazelwood and 12th, we lived in the middle of the block between 12th and Woodrow Wilson and one of the young kids on our block got shot in the back by the National Guard while backing out of the store. His name was Albert, he was about 12 or 13 at the time.he's paralyzed from the waist down. My brother got arrested for looting. He said the police got him and some others in Bizons Pawn Shop and poured the cologne they had all over them and said, so y'all want to smell good huh? The National Guard were camped out on the playground at Hutchins Jr. High School on Hazelwood between Woodrow Wilson and Byron. One of my friends lived across the street and we would go over and talk with them. I can remember walking down 12th looking at all the destroyed buildings and thinking, I was just up here last night, if I had known it would be gone in the morning, I would have stayed up here all night. 12th Street was never the same. You would have to have grown up there to know I mean. In 1967 I was 16 yrs old.

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Tyrone Cunningham

05/23/2016

Michigan National Guard
Looting
Gun Violence
12th Street
Hutchins Jr. High School