Tourism Officials Fear Riot Anniversary Could Hurt Detroit’s Image
Tourism officials say 50th anniversary of 1967 riots may cast Detroit as a troubled city and ignore current progress.
This summer several Detroit institutions will remember the 50th anniversary of one of the seminal events in the city’s history.
The riots of 1967, referred to by some as “the Rebellion,” left death and destruction in its wake and put racial strife front-and-center in the minds of those who experienced it.
But some Detroit tourism officials say they fear re-examining the riots will shine a negative light on a city making significant strides after emerging from the nation’s largest-ever municipal bankruptcy.
The head of the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, Larry Alexander, tells WDET’s Quinn Klinefelter that he hopes exhibits dealing with the riots are matched by positive images from today’s Motor City.
Click on the audio link above to hear the complete interview
Here’s an excerpt of a movie based on the 1967 riots in Detroit slated for release this summer
