  Cklwbig8 Member Username: Cklwbig8 Post Number: 126 Registered: 02-2005 |
How awesome was 12th street and it's surrounding neighborhood back in the day ? Has anyone here ever lived in that neighborhood? I took a quick drive down that street yesterday and it was hard to imagine what went down there 40 years ago. Can someone describe what that street was like. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 1710 Registered: 01-2005 |
From Lothrop up to Clairmont, it was store after store on the west side of the street, and scattered commercial places on the east side of the street. Everything from meat markets to pawn shops and wig shops. It was a commercial strip, to say the least. Parking was tight. Yes, the merchants were predominately Jewish, but not totally. When the riots began, the black owned stores -- I'd guess 33% -- painted "Soul Brother" on their windows. Didn't do much good; if you set fire to the store next to it, your store is gonna go anyway. There has been some written comments about the rioters burning homes. Every burned home area I saw was not from someone torching it, but catching fire from an adjacent commercial building, and spreading up the street. Fire apparatus was stretched so thin that many fires went unattended. North of Clairmont the street turned primarily residential with only an occasional commercial building present. | ||
Livernoisyard Member Username: Livernoisyard Post Number: 3522 Registered: 10-2004 |
quote:Which obviously showed that the blacks back then were not the least bit racist... However, the blacks appear to be the most racist of all ethnic groups--in that they have a high propensity to hate most everybody--when it's to their advantage to do so. Besides, they often get much more than one free pass, when others don't get any... | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 3393 Registered: 02-2005 |
I love the photos of RFK surrounded by the crowds when he spoke on 12th street in 1967. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1865 Registered: 11-2003 |
40 years ago, I undertook two assignments, pro bono, representing two 12th street youths accused of something or another--many had "loitering" tickets issued to them When I showed up in the old Recorders's Court, neither of the defendants appeared, there was no record of either arrest much less a scheduled hearing date, and so I left. I have not heard anything since. Still waiting. Lost in the system, I guess. | ||
Urbanize Member Username: Urbanize Post Number: 1906 Registered: 02-2007 |
"However, the blacks appear to be the most racist of all ethnic groups--in that they have a high propensity to hate most everybody--when it's to their advantage to do so. Besides, they often get much more than one free pass, when others don't get any..." What a big Stereotype. All blacks aren't racist or stereotypical (including me). All Jewish people aren't racist or stereotypical either. That was a very Close-Minded opinion. The reason it may seem that way however is the fact that many different ethnic groups prefer not to associate with us. Of course, people who get the feeling that they are disliked or outcasted by others get the idea that something is wrong with the others. | ||
Lmichigan Member Username: Lmichigan Post Number: 5856 Registered: 10-2003 |
I don't even know why you bit at that crap, Urbanize. It wasn't just close-minded, but, ironically, disgustingly racist. His generation is pure poision to the region, and the sooner most of them are gone, the better off the region will be to move on. Harsh words for an historic bully. I spent my early childhood on Clairmont near 12th, but this was in the mid-to-late 80's. To say it wasn't nice would be an understatement. I can't even imagine how built up it must have been. (Message edited by lmichigan on July 28, 2007) | ||
Detroitplanner Member Username: Detroitplanner Post Number: 1339 Registered: 04-2006 |
The Borman's originally had one of their original stores here before Farmer Jack became a large regional chain. It says a lot that they were part of the first development to go into the neighborhood post-riot. Its a shame, but when the Bormans still ran the chain it never turned its back on the city and was always investing in it. | ||
Cklwbig8 Member Username: Cklwbig8 Post Number: 127 Registered: 02-2005 |
Ray1936 thanks for that bit of info. When did the Jews start to move out of that neighborhood? early 50's ?? I was watching a documentary about the Temptations and David Ruffin lived on Clairmount, Melvin Franklin lived on WoodrowWilson and Otis Williams also lived off of Clairmount as well. They all attended Northwestern highschool. I wonder if smokey also lived in that neighborhood. | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 2510 Registered: 06-2004 |
https://www.atdetroit.net/forum/mes sages/5/108238.html?1185156058 slightly more than halfway down this ^^ page I posted some stats from Sidney Fine's book - no, the majority of the stores weren't Jewish, and yes, most of the Jews moved out in the 1950s also, just check out some of the photos of the time - you can see all the businesses that used to be there | ||
Bussey Member Username: Bussey Post Number: 551 Registered: 12-2003 |
quote: Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary bigot noun a person who constantly and stubbornly holds a particular point of view etc WordNet - bigot noun a prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from his own American Heritage Dictionary big·ot n. One who is strongly partial to one's own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) big·ot [big-uht] –noun a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion. Livernoisyard......one reason that Eugenics is missed...alas for the days of yore Where are you from Cro-Magnon man? | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 1714 Registered: 01-2005 |
"Ray1936 thanks for that bit of info. When did the Jews start to move out of that neighborhood? early 50's ??" Cklw, I really can't say, but I'll stand by my observation of the time that the majority of the stores were still Jewish owned at the time of the riot. The late fifties and sixties did see a large migration of the Jewish population towards Southfield and Oak Park, but that was for their residences, not necessarily their businesses. The early fifties were stable. | ||
20043_stotter Member Username: 20043_stotter Post Number: 50 Registered: 03-2007 |
I remember going to 12th street in 1955. I was 15 yrs old and 3 other white teenagers drove down there just to see it. It was a Saturday night and everybody was outside on and in the street. It was stable then. Nobody messed with us at all. It was more like a good time party atmosphere, like a mini New Orleans. That was the only time I was there. It changed considerably within a couple of years, I guess. | ||
Billk Member Username: Billk Post Number: 54 Registered: 09-2005 |
I have read that when Hastings street was destroyed by the building of I-75, 12th street became the new entertainment district. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 1717 Registered: 01-2005 |
Well, I-75 displaced a lot of people. They had to go somewhwere....something that too many urban planners never thought of back then. I imagine some of those displaced African Americans may have ended up in the 12th street area. | ||
Neilr Member Username: Neilr Post Number: 553 Registered: 06-2005 |
Billk & Ray, When the Black Bottom neighborhood was demolished for the building of Lafayette Park, a large number of displaced residents moved to the neighborhoods along 12th Street. Since no new housing was built for them, people jammed up into the existing stock of housing which often changed from owner occupied two-family flats to four-family rentals. The stress caused by this overcrowding of the area was one of the causes that led to the 1967 riot. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 1720 Registered: 01-2005 |
Interesting thought. Perhaps if the freeways hadn't been built, the riot would not have occurred, and Detroit might have a population pushing 2m even now. Nice to let your mind wander every now and then, eh? | ||
Lmichigan Member Username: Lmichigan Post Number: 5866 Registered: 10-2003 |
I doubt it. Detroit would have still loss a significant percentage of its population just like any other heavily-industrialized city has. You've got smaller family-sizes, and people would have still been moving out to the suburbs, if even to a smaller degree. The free-fall wouldn't have happened, but it wouldn't be any different than what's happened to the population of Chicago, Cincinnati, Buffalo, Cleveland etc...all of which are down-sized cities from their peaks. | ||
Gibran Member Username: Gibran Post Number: 786 Registered: 02-2007 |
An y pictures ? I would love to see neighborhood pictures of the area... | ||
20043_stotter Member Username: 20043_stotter Post Number: 51 Registered: 03-2007 |
Forget my earlier post above. It was Hastings Street that we went too and not 12th. | ||
Lmr Member Username: Lmr Post Number: 82 Registered: 03-2007 |
cklw Here is a link to a Detroit News special article from a few years ago (the link still works) that talks about the area, Elmhurst in particular, through the years. Very interesting series. http://www.detnews.com/special reports/2001/elmhurst/ | ||
Cklwbig8 Member Username: Cklwbig8 Post Number: 130 Registered: 02-2005 |
Lmr.. thanks that was a great series indeed ! but for this thread i am more interested in 12th street from grand blvd to clairmount. |
