"The 1967 Detroit Riots lead to police brutality and the murders of three innocent African Americans Aubrey Pollard, 19; Fred Temple, 18; and Carl Cooper, 17 at a motel one mile east of where the 1967 Detroit Riots started” (Friedenberg).
There was a report of a sniper rifle going off at the Algiers Motel and Manor Annex on the third day of the 1967 Detroit Riots. When the Detroit policemen arrived at Algiers Motel, five African American teenagers and two Caucasian women were forced to stand spread-eagle facing a wall. The Detroit policemen also stripped the women’s clothes, then they took the men to one of the motel rooms, where they cross questioned them. A series of gunshots were triggered. The incident ended when three innocent African Americans Aubrey Pollard, Fred Temple, and Carl Cooper were murdered. Detroit Policemen claim the victims were murdered in self defense, and no gun was found at the motel. John Hersey’s book motivated the African Americans to rage at this situation because he claims that there had been no sniper, and that the three African Americans were murdered because of their skin color. Due to the slayings three police officers and a private security guard were arrested and charged with conspiracy to deny the civil rights of ten people. Ronald August of the Detroit police force was charged for a premeditated murder.Several African American teenagers testified they had been questioned and beaten up by Police Officers Robert Paille and David Senak after been forced to line up against a hallway wall during the August trial (Brown).