Silence, Power, and Injustice: Historical Patterns of Police Violence against Women in Detroit
This multimedia investigative report, created by Lily Johnston for the Policing and Social Justice HistoryLab, illustrates the patterns of police violence against women by the Detroit Police Department between the 1950s and the 1990s based on documents, maps, and protest accounts from the victims themselves. While state violence, especially against Black women, is often obscured by police power and threats of additional violence, the archives still contain many stories of courageous women who told their stories and demanded justice. In addition to high-profile protests against police killings and beatings, the report documents recurring violence that resulted from everyday traffic stops and home invasions; retaliation against women who filed brutality complaints or sought to protect their sons and partners; systemic police violence as well as sexual assault against female sex workers; and frequent failure to respond to requests for assistance from poor Black women and their families.
