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In the long, hot summer of 1967,

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protests and violence 
broke out  across 
Detroit, Newark

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and more than 150 towns 
and cities across the 
United States.

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People were glued to their 
TVs as national news coverage 
showed cities burning.

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The 1960s media referred to 
these events as lawless “riots”,

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but Martin Luther King Jr 
more aptly countered that 
“riots do not develop

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out of thin air” and described 
them as “the language 
of the unheard.”

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So, what were those 
unheard Americans

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trying to tell their 
fellow citizens?

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Welcome to the 
Anatomy of Unrest.

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Historically, black Americans 
experienced widespread

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and in many cases, legalized 
forms of discrimination.

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Segregation, lack of jobs, 
inadequate housing,

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racial profiling, and 
underfunded schools were 
just some of the systems

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impacting the daily lives of 
black Americans in the 1960s.

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A report from the 
Michigan Civil Rights Commission

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underscored this, stating,

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“discrimination and police 
brutality in the United States

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was a serious and 
continuous problem.”

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These all too common 
police practices,

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combined with other forms 
of systemic racism, directly led 
to heightened tensions

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in cities across the country.

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In most cases,

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an inciting incident caused 
tensions that had been 
simmering below the surface

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to reach a breaking point.

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In Newark, two white 
police officers pulled over

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a black cab driver, beat him 
and then arrested him,

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sparking rumors he was 
beaten to death.

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In Detroit, police raided 
a bar during a homecoming 
party for a G.I.,

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roughly arresting the owner 
and his daughter as 
a crowd gathered.

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And in Tampa, police shot 
and killed Martin Chambers,

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an unarmed 19 year old in 
the back as he fled the scene 
of a robbery.

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These acts of state violence

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triggered protests from 
the community in Newark.

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In Newark crowds of people arriv

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at the Fourth Precinct to 
protest the unjust treatment 
of the cab driver.

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Once one person threw a stone, 
the floodgates opened.

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Then, police responded with 
nightsticks, shields and 
more violence.

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Unconfirmed reports of citizen 
violence surrounding the protest

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added to the already 
volatile situation.

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In Newark, the Director of 
Police investigated reports 
of sniper fire

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near a public housing project.

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Instead of civilians,

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he found that a National 
Guardsman had been shooting 
to scare

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a resident away from his window.

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Later on, he found more evidence

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that the other gunshots 
were actually just fireworks.

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But the reports were enough 
to trigger mass hysteria

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and an escalation of 
police violence.

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Perhaps seduced by the 
gripping images of inner 
cities in chaos,

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the news media of the day 
portrayed events 
as more destructive

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and widespread than they 
actually were.

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By depicting Black Americans 
in an unfair, often racist way a

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and hinting at outside agitators

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this news coverag 
firmly shaped public perception.

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And since media organizations 
at the time were largely 
populated by white,

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middle class journalists with 
no connection or understanding o 
these communities,

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the real issues at play 
were not explored or 
reported on.

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As a result,

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officials didn't understan 
what was happening on the ground

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President Lyndon B. Johnson

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appointed the National Advisory 
on Civil Disorders to find out 
what happened.

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This bipartisan group, made 
up of mayors, business leaders,

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law enforcement and others were 
with figuring out how to prevent

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similar from taking place 
in the future.

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After months of in-depth, 
on-the-ground research,

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they concluded that white 
institutional racism

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was undoubtedly the cause

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of the long, hot summer of 1967.

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Published in 1968 
the Kerner Report was an instant

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warning that, “Our natio 
is moving towards two societies

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one black, one white, 
separate and unequal.”

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How did this group of people

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from across the political 
spectrum come to 
a consensus?

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And what did the America 
people think of their findings?

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For more, watch American 
Experiences documentary, 
The Riot Report.