On July 23, 1967, Detroit police raid a celebration of two Black servicemen's return from Vietnam, and arrest 82 people. Black Detroiters take to the streets.

Looting and arson spread across the city. Michigan's governor sends the National Guard with an order to shoot to kill. Tanks roll through residential streets, hunting snipers. One tank commander mistakes a struck match for a muzzle flash and orders machine-gun fire into an apartment, killing 4-year-old Tanya Blanding. Hours later, police and guardsmen raid the Algiers Motel, interrogate and beat guests, and kill three unarmed Black teenagers.

Paratroopers deploy on July 25. After five days of violence, 43 are dead, 7,000 arrested, and over 1,000 buildings destroyed by fire. No one is ever convicted for the Blanding or Algiers Motel killings.