The Ditch: Once Upon a Time in Detroit

By Cicero Love III

This novel is a gripping story of the courage of a group of youths from Detroit's Eastside, who stood up and faced down a vicious attempt by the Urban Renewal Program to physically remove them from their neighborhood during the destruction of Hastings Street in the early 1960's. Hastings Street was a thriving Black Business District known all over the world as a flourishing cultural and business community. This program of Negro removal by the government of that period included constant police harassment, false and illegal arrests, brutality, incarceration, the Draft and intimidation by city, county, and government officials. This abuse occurred over a long period of time until a special person joined these courageous young men, educating them, changing their outlook and insight, and preparing them to rebuild this neighborhood. A neighborhood that the government deemed unfit for human habitation before these youths were born.

This novel is not only a part of Detroit's history, but is a true story. You or a family member may be connected to this great saga.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 21, 2024
• ISBN: 9781637103500

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Epilogue: The Next Project

Tributes

Final Tributes

Final Message to the Forest Park Community

Conclusion

The Forest Park Community Memories

Two Generations: One Destiny

Three Generations

Coleman Alexander Young

Our Inspiration

Warrior Christopher Alston

Remembering the Car Wash

Family Tree

Acknowledgments

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The Ditch

Once Upon a Time in Detroit

Cicero Love III

Copyright © 2023 Cicero Love III

All rights reserved

First Edition

Fulton Books

Meadville, PA

Published by Fulton Books 2023

ISBN 978-1-63710-349-4 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63710-350-0 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

To the memory of Christopher C. Alston, a community activist, who spent most of his life transforming the lives of forty-seven youths on Detroit's east side, in a neighborhood that the government deemed unfit for human habitation.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to the audacity of newspaper reporter Jim Harrington for originally reporting this story in the Detroit News in 1964.

My sincere appreciation to my sisters, Ethyl, Margie, and Annette, and to my brothers, Willie, Lloyd, Albert, James, and Tyrone, for their support over the many years of struggle and to our parents, Cicero and Charlotte, who gave their lives so that the nine of us could survive.

Introduction

This novel is based on a true story; the names have been changed to protect the innocent and their offspring. The second part of this story is documented, and it supports the facts of the original text. The story actually began fifty years before the youth featured in this story were born in the early 1900s, when thousands of immigrants from all parts of Europe found their way to the United States—some escaping the horrors of oppression and tyranny and others seeking a new life in a new country in pursuit of liberty. They came from places such as Ireland, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Italy, and every corner of Europe and beyond. Though some had skills, most were impoverished and uneducated. The rest were common laborers, yet America took them in to give them a new life and a chance at the American Dream.

Many immigrants came to big cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Detroit, settling in the worst neighborhoods in those thriving cities. In most instances, these neighborhoods were not much better than the slums that they were fleeing. These were neighborhoods where abject poverty already existed and where some immigrants would live five or six to a room among rats, roaches, and lice, but with the assistance of the US government and other Europeans, they were able to find jobs to support their families. Soon they were able to sponsor others from the countries that they had fled by sending money back to relatives and friends so they, too, could come and take advantage of America's open arms.

In Detroit, where this story began, the new immigrants moved into areas such as Paradise Valley, Hastings Street, Brush Street, John R. Street, and Mack Avenue up to Forest and Warren Avenue, to Chene Street, to DuBois Street, and north to East Grand Boulevard. Parts of this area became known as Pole Town. This area became overcrowded and, as a government study stated, unfit for human habitation. Historically, this was fifty years before Blacks were allowed to move into this area. In the 1900s, Blacks moving north from Black Bottom in Detroit and Blacks moving north from the south moved into this unfit area, purchasing low-quality homes and renting run-down flats and apartments. It was the only option for poor working Black folks due to widespread housing discrimination that still exists in Detroit metropolitan neighborhoods today. Blacks had to learn foreign languages to communicate with their new neighbors. Blacks were not welcomed by these new European immigrants, even though Blacks had been in this country over two hundred years before these new groups arrived. Most were racist before coming to America, and since they were White, it was easy for some of them to hate. They would say the n——r with a foreign accent, barely able to speak much English, but they all knew how to say the n——r. The schools in this area were predominately White and were teeming with prejudice. Blacks were not allowed to join school social clubs nor play on sports teams in public schools in Detroit. There was constant harassment of Blacks at school and in other public places by Polish, Italian, Irish, and other White groups, who would catch Blacks alone and would beat them with bicycle chains and baseball bats or would kick and stomp Black youth coming from school. The only safe places in those days for Blacks were Black Bottom and Paradise Valley and maybe the North End, where Blacks were predominant and not afraid.

There was always resistance when these White groups attempted to impose their will on Black people from Black Bottom and Paradise Valley. Why do you think that Blacks formed gangs? It was not to defend themselves against each other but to defend themselves against other ethnic White groups. The rise of Black gangs in Detroit did not occur as a result of black-on-black violence, as history has us believe, but evolved as a resistance against the new White immigrants who would attack Black youth at school and in the neighborhoods at will. And the all-White Detroit Police Department would not respond when these acts of violence were reported by Blacks, so the young Black youth of that time began to resist the vicious, violent attacks by traveling in groups to protect themselves against this White violence.

These groups of young Blacks took on names, such as the Desperados in Black Bottom, the Valley Boys, the Shakers, the Kings Men, the Warriors, and many other names that became classified by the police department as gangs, a clear double standard, for when White groups were brutalizing Blacks. These White groups were not labeled gangs. They weren't even sought or arrested in most cases, but as soon as Blacks started traveling in numbers or groups to protect themselves against those White assailant bullies, the Blacks were labeled by the law enforcement community as gangs and are still called gangs today. Thus, many Black youth have found themselves caught up in a cycle that started before they were born. This cycle was born out of racism and violence against their fathers, and just as racism and violence exist today, so are the remnants of that social resistance labeled gangs. So just as that resistance was labeled as gangs, so was the youth in this story in another time.

That period was the late 1950s and early 1960s in the same neighborhood that some previously called Pole Town, and coincidently the Detroit Police Department labeled these youth the Krakow Gang because some of them happened to live on this one block street that ended at an alley that led to the rear of Hastings Street. The name Krakow is the name of the capital of the country of Poland, where many of these early immigrants migrated from fifty years earlier. It is now occupied by Blacks. There was still one Polish elderly man left on Krakow Street, but no one ever bothered him because the parents of the youth of that time period forbid their children from retaliating against these older residents for things others had done to their people when Whites were the dominant force. This group of youth whom the Detroit Police Department dubbed the Krakow Gang found themselves caught up in a battle that would forever change their lives by an effort to remove them from this neighborhood by the Urban Renewal Program of that period. This program is also referred to as negro removal.

The Ditch is a gripping story of the courage of a group of east-side youths who found themselves caught up in a battle against city, county, and federal forces in a vicious attempt to move them from their neighborhood using intimidation, false arrests, convictions, draft, drugs, and alcohol under the guise of urban renewal in connection with the building of the I-75 Expressway, which first destroyed Hastings Street, a thriving business district, an entire neighborhood, and the lives of some of its people in the process.

Chapter 1

Our Story

In 1963, Detroit was at a threshold in making its last-chance effort to reach its changing African-American youth population, which was mostly uneducated, untrained, unemployed, and unnoticed, until a group of east-side youths, known to the Detroit Police Department as the Krakow Gang, made the headlines of the local Detroit newspapers.

According to the newspapers and the police department, this group of youth between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one was known for harassing and ripping off the cars belonging to the personnel of the Wayne County Youth Home, located on E. Forest Street, near the infamous Hastings Street. This group of youth hung out on Forest Street right across the street from the Wayne County Youth Home and Juvenile Court Building.

According to some Wayne County Youth Home staff, these youth harassed them, broke into their cars, and stole their hubcaps and other belongings from their automobiles parked in the nearby neighborhood due to a lack of parking facilities for the Wayne County Youth Home personnel. The chief judge of the Wayne County Youth Court swore vengeance and stated in the newspapers that he would use all his powers to rid the neighborhood of these menaces by locking them all up and throwing away the key.

So the war began against these youth by the Detroit Police Department, the Wayne County Youth Home and its judicial branch, and eventually the federal government. On one of those cold nights in Detroit, this group of youth had gathered around a barrel with a fire lit in it to keep them warm. The group met to discuss their fate since the police had arrested several of them on charges ranging from suspicion to spitting on the sidewalk. About five of these youth had arrived and stood quietly with their backs to the fire, not talking much at first, but soon turned to face the fire as they spoke to one another.

The first to speak was a sixteen-year-old husky youth in a navy peacoat, with the collar turned up to cover his ears against the cold. He spoke in indignation. He had a menacing look. He was known as Big John. He said, Hey, man, why the f——k did that n——r Zoe call a meeting on the coldest night of the year?

A tall, slim dark-skinned youth who was called Fly and was wearing a trench coat blew on his hands and replied, Big John, you always bitching about something. Zoe probably called this meeting on the coldest night of the f——king year 'cause it's probably important, you dig? Fly always had his shoulders hunched up as if he were cold, and he never wore a hat or cap on his head, even in the winter.

Big John said, Fly, one day, you gonna open your smart-assed mouth. And I'm gonna put my fist in it, and my foot in your narrow ass. Big John started to move forward but slowed when he saw a blade shining in Fly's hand. Nobody moved, and a silence fell over the small group until the shortest of the group stepped between the two glaring youths.

A sixteen-year-old short muscular youth with a baby face but with a serious look to it was known as Pee Wee. He said, Man, why don't you two n——rs be cool. We here for some serious business. Zoe and Curly sounded as if something important was up, so you n——s just be cool until they get here.

The two youths glared at each other and then turned their attention to the short fellow with the commanding voice.

Fly said, Okay, Pee Wee, but you better tell that big funky n——r something 'cause ain't nobody scared of his fat ass.

Big John said, And ain't nobody scared of your narrow ass, even with that knife you always pulling out. One day, I'm gonna take that knife and break it off in your skinny ass.

Fly said, Like I said, anytime you feel froggy.

Pee Wee said, Hey, man, if you n——as don't be cool, I'm gonna get in both of you n——r's asses.

Big John said, Yeah, you and how many other li'l bitty n——rs like you?

Pee Wee glared at Big John as Fly moved a foot or two away, sort of out of harm's way. The short youth moved toward the larger youth, with a menacing look in his eyes and both hands jammed in his coat pocket. The larger youth took one step back, with one fist clenched behind him, ready for battle. At that moment, five other youths came around the corner, led by a tall muscular youth who walked on his toes, like a dancer or athlete. He wore a long black coat and a black beanie. He seemed upset and spoke with a commanding tone. He was a sixteen-year-old tall muscular youth who had called this meeting. They called him Zoe. At his side was a sixteen-year-old youth with curly hair, who was the leader of the group. They called him Curly.

Zoe said, Hey, what the f——k are you n——rs trying to prove? Pee Wee, put that goddamn switchblade away.

Pee Wee said, What blade you talking about Zoe?

Curly said, The one up your sleeve, you li'l sneaky motherf——r, and, Big John, why you always starting some shit when me or Zoe ain't around?

Big John said, Why you always think I start all the shit, huh?

Curly said, 'Cause you always trying to prove to the world that you a big bad motherf——r, and maybe you ought to be calling the shots.

Big John said, I ain't trying to prove nothing to no motherf——r, especially to a bunch of broke-ass n——rs.

The group responded, Who you calling broke? We got more money than yo' mama and she sells.

Big John interrupted, Hey, man, I don't play the dozens, so you n——rs better check that shit. I ain't said nothing about nobody's mother.

The group responded, Man, f——k you, Big John!

Big John said, Hey, Zoe, what's this meeting all about, man?

The group responded, Yeah, what's happening, man? What's the deal?

Zoe said, Well, if you n——rs would just be cool and stop f——king with each other for a minute, I'll hip you to what's happening. While you n——rs are at each other throat, the Whiteys is getting ready to f——k us all up. Did you read what they wrote in the newspaper about us? Calling us notorious and a menace to society and shit? And that goddamn judge saying he is going to lock others all up and throw away the key, and them fat-ass White b——es talking about us whistling at their ugly asses and harassing them while they are going to their cars parked in our neighborhood. They don't live here, so why should they park their shiny-ass cars in our neighborhood? And since they do park their cars here for free, then the county should put up some money to fix up some of these shacks that we have to live in.

The group responded, Yeah, and pick up that garbage in them alleys and shit. Yeah, they just want to use our neighborhood to park their funky cars in and think nothing should happen to them just 'cause they're White. Yeah, ain't that a b——h. Yeah, a real b——h at that.

At that moment, a swirling whistle came from the corner. The rollers. Be cool and clean-up said Zoe.

At that point Pee Wee pulled a cloth bag from his coat and quickly collected all knives, dice, etc. and quickly stashed the bag under a loose step of the storefront where they were gathered.

Zoe said, Hey, Curly, hit a tune.

Curly said, Which one, man?

Zoe said, Any tune, n——r.

There was laughter. Curly began to sing. Sun is shining and there's plenty of light. New day is dawning sunny and bright.

The other youths joined in singing harmony in the background. The police cruiser came slowly toward the singing youths. Two White faces were shown as the cruiser came under the streetlight and stopped in front of the group of youths singing around the fire. The officer on the driver's side spoke first. All right, let's clear this goddamn corner and put out that f——king fire.

The youths continued to sing, Since I lost my baby, oooh…

The officer turned red-faced and rushed from the squad car with his partner at his heels when he reached the circle of youths who were still singing, Since I lost… The officer shouted at the top of his voice, with his blue eyes glaring with anger, I said, clear this goddamn street now before we kick some ass! The group of youths fell silent, still not moving. Curly spoke up first. We ain't bothering nobody. Why y'all always messin' with somebody for nothing?

The first officer said, What's your name, smart-ass n——r? Let's see some ID, and I mean, in a f——king hurry! Anybody without ID get against that goddamn wall! Now!

Each of the youths reluctantly lined up, with legs spread and hands above their heads against the brick wall of the building where they stood.

The first officer said, So nobody got ID, huh? Search these bastards.

As the second officer began searching the youths, one of the youths spoke up. Hey, man, keep your hands off my ass 'cause I ain't like that, you dig?

There was laughter from the group.

The second officer said, You better shut your smart-ass mouth unless you want to taste some shoe leather.

After searching each of the youth, the first officer said, They're all clean.

The second officer said, Yeah, too f——king clean for me. Shine your light around; these smart asses got a stash nearby somewhere. Look over there by that garbage can.

The first officer said, Shit!

The second officer said, What's wrong? What's wrong?

The first officer said, F——king rats!

The second officer said, Yeah, they got rats around here as big as f——king cats.

The first officer said, Look down the alley; I thought I saw someone dart between the houses when we drove up.

The second officer returned from down the alley, still cursing, Shit! Nothing but bigger rats down there. Let's get the hell out of here and put out that fire.

The first officer said, If we come back and find you smart asses still hanging around, we'll lock your asses up for loitering. Now get your asses home.

The group hesitated for an instance but decided to leave. Fifteen minutes later, in Curly's basement, several of the youths from the so-called Krakow Gang gathered to continue the meeting that was interrupted by the police.

Curly said, Okay, fellas, this won't take long. First, Pee Wee, who is still in jail, and what charges are they being held on?

Pee Wee pulled a crumbled piece of paper from his inside coat pocket and said, Smokey got $25 worth of jaywalking tickets.

Curly said, Jaywalking! Where did that n——a get that many jaywalking tickets from?

Pee Wee said, I think he missed court a few times.

Zoe said, Who else?

Pee Wee said, Red is being held for not reporting to his probation officer. Fish got traffic tickets.

Curly said, How much?

Pee Wee said, Thirty dollars' worth.

Zoe said, Damn! Who else?

Pee Wee said, Clark is being held on suspicion.

Zoe said, Suspicion! Suspicion of what?

Pee Wee said, They didn't say. They just said suspicion.

Curly said, Yeah! Suspicion of whatever they can pin on him.

The group responded, Yeah!

Curly said, Where is that wise-ass n——r, the Professor?

Pee Wee said, After his mother got him out of the clink, he's been in the pad, and I don't think that his old bird is letting him out today.

Curly said, He'll probably come by my pad as soon as his mother falls asleep. Pee Wee, is anybody else still locked up?

Pee Wee hesitated for a minute, checking the crumbled paper in front of him, then said, Nah, that's everybody, man.

Curly said, Okay, fellas, we need about $75 to get the rest of the fellas out, so who got any dough?

The youths were looking at one another before responding.

Big John said, Okay, you tight-ass n——rs cough up, you wouldn't be freezing up if yo' asses was locked up.

Fly said, How much you got, Big John, with yo' rich ass?

Curly said, All right, fellas, stop f——king around. Kick in whatever you got.

Zoe went in his inside coat pocket and came out with a folded bill and said, I got twenty dollars.

Big John said, I can match that.

Zoe looked at Big John in a watchful manner.

Fly said, I ain't got but $10 on me now, but I can hustle up another $10 by tomorrow.

Curly said, I got $20. Anybody else got any cash?

The group responded, Nah, man, I'm busted. Yeah, me too, man.

Zoe said, What about you, Cimmeron, with yo' good pimping ass?

There was laughter from the group.

Cimmeron was a sixteen-year-old youth who wore expensive-looking clothes. He said, Well, put me down for ten dollars. I ain't checked my traps yet.

Zoe said, Well, if yo' traps ain't caught nothing, you can pawn that hot-ass watch yo' woman gave you for your birthday.

There was laughter from the group. Cimmeron said, Man, this watch ain't hot; my woman bought this watch from Rose Jewelers. You n——rs just jealous 'cause you ain't got no squeeze like Pearl to give you nice thangs. Cimmeron raised his coat sleeve and flashed a gold Bulova watch.

Fly said, Yeah, man, we ought to send that boosting b——h down to the police station. She could probably smuggle the fellas out under her dress with her slick ass.

There was laughter from the group. Cimmeron said, Y'all just have that other money by tomorrow; don't worry about me and Pearl.

Curly said, Okay, okay! If everything works out, the fellas should be out by tomorrow.

Pee Wee said, All except Smokey. He's got a PB hold.

Zoe said, Yeah right, well, we can't do anything about that now. We'll just have to wait until his PO cuts him loose.

Curly said, Hold it, hold it. Be quiet. I thought I heard my ole man walking upstairs. Oh shit, be quiet. My ole man will kick all our asses if he catches us in this basement. Man, y'all better split 'fo his crazy ass come down here.

Zoe said, Okay, we'll leave one at a time, and be cool on the noise.

Fly whispered, Hold it. Hey, Pee Wee, give me my shank you li'l sneaky motherf——r.

Curly said, Yeah, Pee Wee, set out the stash, man.

Pee Wee pulled the cloth bag from under his coat and said, Here's the shit, man. I was just waiting until the meeting was over.

Curly said, Yeah, Pee Wee, you been holding Bladie Mae too long.

Curly kissed the bone-handled knife before putting it in his pocket. Pee Wee gave everyone their belongings just as a door opened at the top of the stairs and a loud voice shouted, Charles, you down in that basement! No one answered, no one moved, and the voice blared again, Charles, is that you down in that basement? I bet if I get my shotgun, somebody will answer.

Zoe said, Shit, answer him, Curly, 'fo he come down here with that goddamn double barrel and blast all our asses.

Big John said, Yeah, man, answer him.

Curly said, Yeah, yeah, Daddy, it's me. I'll be right up.

Curly's father said, You ain't got none of them jitterbugs down in my basement, have you, boy?

Nah, I'm by myself.

Well, you come on up here and finish your chores, boy.

Okay, Daddy.

I mean, right now.

All right, Daddy.

Curly, in a low voice, said, Hey, wait till I go in the house, then y'all can split. What time we gonna meet up tomorrow?

Zoe said, How about three bells on the corner? That will give everybody a chance to get the other cash together to get the guys out of jail. (Three bells meant the Catholic Church bells on the corner Russell at Canfield, which rang three times at 3:00 p.m. daily.)

Curly said, Okay, y'all wait five minutes before you split—later, man.

The group responded, Yeah, later, Curly, don't get yo' ass in trouble with the old dude.

There was a quiet laughter. Curly left, and the group began to exit the basement one at a time.

The next day, at 2:30 p.m., the first youth showed up for the scheduled meeting of the so-called Krakow Gang. Damn, I'm the first one here; I think I'll go up to the drugstore and sip a little vino while I wait for the others.

A small group of older Black males were standing a little off the corner as to not block the doorway of the drugstore located on Russell and East Forest as the youth approached the group. Hey, Li'l Red, what's happening, man?

Li'l Red was a medium-built light-skinned sixteen-year-old youth with sandy hair whose family also lived on Krakow Street. Li'l Red still attended school but had been temporarily kicked out of school for truancy. He said, Hey, fellas, what's the word?

A tall, slim red-eyed man in his early thirties named Chip responded, What's the word? Thunderbird. What's the price? Forty-four twice. What's the rub? We need a dub. (A dub is slang for a fifty-cent coin.)

Li'l Red said, A dub, man, I ain't got no fifty cent. You n——rs been on this corner since the store opened. I know you done hustled up more than fifty cents, man.

Chip was a veteran of the Korean War who had been sent home sick after contracting malaria in the Philippines, and he drank wine both to relieve the symptoms of that disease and to ease the reality of being unemployed with few veteran's benefits available to him as was the case with many other African-American soldiers returning home from the armed services during this time. He said, You better know it, Li'l Red. We need a dub for the fifth jug, you dig? So if you want a swig, then you'd better dig, you dig? We got about seventy-five cents. So we need thirteen cents more, and we on.

At that moment, a very big dark-skinned male also in his early thirties who was wearing a flattop hat stepped to where Chip and Li'l Red were negotiating on the next bottle