In the late 50s, when I was in college, and in the early 60s, when I was married, living in a Detroit suburb – I lobbied for civil rights – equal rights – for minorities and in particular for our Black brothers.
Then the Detroit riots broke out in the early morning of July 23,1967 and lasted nearly a week. Many Blacks ran wild, destroying everything in sight of their mob.
I was so frightened I even went out and bought a gun – which I had never owned and have never fired – just in case. The Black mob came within a few miles of our home and I feared for my family – wife and five children.
There was, of course, no justification for this mob’s behavior. It not only accelerated the destruction of the Detroit economy – but it caused many citizens in Detroit and in the suburbs to become hostile towards Blacks and to think about exiting the area. Frankly, our family seized the earliest opportunity to leave the area.
From my perspective here in the East, as the years have gone by, it seemed America had made considerable progress toward the equalization of racial opportunities. A Black President was elected twice. Black mayors ruled many cities. We have a second-term Black Attorney General and many Black lawmakers. The White House has many Black staff members. The media has many Black newscasters and commentators, and is overwhelmingly pro-Black – pro-Obama – pro-Democrat, etc.
Then the Trayvon Martin killing and George Zimmerman trial became headline news – fostered by the usual race hustlers – Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Charles Rangel, Louis Farrakhan, Eric Holder, etc. They lobbied irrationally and ceaselessly for the arrest of Zimmerman and for his prosecution. Despite the incredibly weak case, the State of Florida complied with the demands of the race hustlers – leading to a lengthy, costly and unnecessary trial and to the Zimmerman acquittal.
