OK, born and raised a Detroiter. Over 60, and here's my take on what happened.

[HiPointDem]

78. I personally think there were underlying factors that were more important than the ones in the

op, though not saying the ones in the op weren't important. But they were 'pushed' to a great degree by underlying factors, which basically add up to disinvestment in Detroit which affected the lower economic tiers earliest, then moved up.

For example, automation & outsourcing of production started before the 80s (which is when it became pretty obvious to everyone), and affected black workers first:

http://books.google.com/books?id=OI30dauNztQC&pg=PA87&dq=detroit+outsourcing+unemployment+black+workers+1960s&hl=en&sa=X&ei=t4ftUayNEMPvqQHFwYBA&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=detroit%20outsourcing%20unemployment%20black%20workers%201960s&f=false

And that played into the riots.

Investment of big capital into suburbanization, redlining and discriminatory loans are other underlying forces. All aiding in disinvestment in detroit, as if it were planned. Which I believe it was.

Popular media usually focuses on the surface phenomena but gives short shrift to the underlying 'push' factors. For example, in ghetto formation, it often focuses on the type of housing (high rise v. low rise e.g.), as if it were the kind of housing that created ghettoes -- but of course people with jobs can live in any kind of housing & that housing will not become ghettoized, and people without jobs can live in any kind of housing and it *will* become ghettoized.