The violence in Detroit exploded on July 22. Again, it unfolded in an
irrational, nightmarish fashion. The police had been making some
rather routine raids on five illegal after-hours drinking spots. At
the last target, they were overwhelmed to find eighty-two "in-mates."
They needed over an hour in which to arrest and remove all of them.
This created considerable local disturbance and attracted an
ever-growing crowd of onlookers.
In Detroit, the black community had been upset for some time by what
it believed had been a selective enforcement of certain laws aimed at
them. Apparently, many of the observers believed that these raids were
intended to harass the black community. Small-scale looting and
violence began. After sputtering and flaring for a few hours, the riot
began to grow and spread rapidly. By that night, the National Guard
was activated.
By Monday morning, the Mayor and the Governor had asked for federal
help. The Governor had the impression that, in order to secure it, he
would have to declare a state of insurrection. He was further led to
believe that such an action would mean that insurance companies would
not pay for any damage.
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