1943: Rioters on Woodward Avenue

Just a year after the disturbance at the Sojourner Truth Housing Project, racial tensions boiled over into one of the worst outbreaks of civil unrest in American history up to that time. On June 20th, 1943, fights between black and white youths on Belle Isle spilled over into the surrounding neighborhoods and quickly escalated into pitched street battles and looting.

Original photo: 1943. Courtesy of the Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library

Current photo: September, 2013