Historical marker acknowledging Algiers Motel tragedy in Detroit 57 years later
(CBS DETROIT) - After 57 years of waiting, relatives of three young Black men who were killed by police during the 1967 Detroit riots are getting the recognition they deserve.
What happened at the Algiers Motel on July 25, 1967, still haunts family members who spent decades fighting to expose the reality of what happened that day.
Aubrey Pollard, Carl Cooper and Fred Temple were shot and killed by local and federal officers as they investigated reports of gunshots during the early stages of the riots.
Lee Forsyth's lives with these scarring memories having watched his best friends die that night.
"I can see my room right there. I've been here twice in the 57 years. This is great, the memorial. It's for someone else to remember. I don't want to remember it," Forsyth said.
He says he always knew what truly happened, and a historical marker is beginning to validate that experience.
"This day should have been done a long time ago. I'm really proud to be the mayor when this historic marker is placed today to teach the next generation," said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan.
The truth will hurt some, but not like the pain so many of these relatives went through not knowing their uncle, grandfather, or brother. Ultimately, the truth will heal too.
"Just to have this here is apology enough for me because they're being honored. This day can change the future," said Cooper's nephew Kevin Buchanan.
"By remembering the lives of Aubrey Pollard, Carl Cooper and Fred Temple, and everyone who was harmed here that night, we combat the dangers of forgetting, and we work together to build a better world where this kind of brutality and violence is not repeated," said historian Danielle McGuire.
McGuire was one of the few people who fought to uncover the truth. She says the historical marker isn't just undoing the damage caused by suppressing this history; it's also serving as a symbol that history should never be erased.