The Alleged Trial of the Sweet Family

In 1925-26, Dr. Ossian Sweet and ten other occupants from the Sweet

home was accused of 1st degree murder and assault. With this in mind, a mob of 500-800 white people were gathered in their front yard throwing stones and rocks at their new purchased home

in Detroit consequently because they were the only negroes in the neighborhood. The trial of the

Sweet's was a ridiculous and outraged case that was pointless in the end.

First of all, back then when barely any blacks came to Detroit both white and blacks had

the Northern point-of-view that is to say they didn't bother one another, and both went their own

way. Also, prejudice for several years had been gathering had at last burst with violence over

Detroit because of the Klan. Whenever a negro would move by a white area your property would

decrease in value. Neighborhood Improvement Association was to support neighborhood

improvement but their real reason for being was to keep their victimes from Negroes and to

keep out Negroes in addition to Waterworks Park Improvement. In fact, the neighborhood

would get together a mob and try to force the Negroes out of their neighborood

For one thing, when Gladys picked out the house she didn't care if it was in a white or

black neighborhood, her intentions was to own a home so she can support and raise her family. In

other words not to start a racial violence in the neighborhood. For instance, when they settled in

and there were strangers outside passing back and forth, the two young friends of Gladys decided

to spend the night with the Sweets since they felt timid about the strangers. According to the

article Dr. Sweet later said earnestly, “If I had known how bitter that neighborhood was going to

be, I wouldn’t have taken that house as a gift. But after I