Communists; Detroit. Carl Winter (under arrow) in protest parade

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Description:

Communist party leader Carl Winter walks with a group of African Americans, carrying signs protesting the killing of Leon Mosely by a Detroit Police Officer in 1948. "The police problem burst back into public debate with the shooting death of a black teenager, Leon Mosely, in June 1948, some facts of the case were undisputed, Mosely stole a car and was joy riding when patrolman, Louis Melasi spotted his haphazard driving and gave chase, Mosely sped to get away, then crashed into a light pole, versions of what happened next differed, Melasi said Mosely got out of the car in a menacing fashion, then tried to flee, African-American witnesses said Mosely stepped out of the car too dazed to walk, Melasi beat him and then shot him when he tried to defend himself, a coroner's jury, sifting through the evidence a month after the incident, concluded that the killing was 'unnecessary, unwise and unjustifiable'," from Bridging the River of Hatred: The Pioneering Efforts of Detroit Police Commissioner, George Edwards by Mary M. Stolberg.

Notes:

Collection located at the Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. To schedule an appointment to view the original image, order high resolution copies, or seek permission to use an image, contact the Walter P. Reuther Library Audiovisual Department at reutherreference@wayne.edu., Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University, and This metadata was created by Wayne State University Library system based on original description by the Walter P. Reuther Library

Date Issued:

1948-06-11T00:00:00Z

Data Provider:

Wayne State University. Libraries and Walter P. Reuther Library

Collection:

Virtual Motor City

Place:

Michigan, Detroit, Michigan, Detroit, Michigan, Detroit, Michigan, Detroit, Michigan, and Detroit

Subject Topic:

Civil rights movements, Picketing, African Americans, Communist leadership, and Police shootings

Format:

photographs

Rights:

Copyright Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University

URL:

http://digital.library.wayne.edu/item/wayne:vmc77530