Season 2, Episode 10- How The Klan Almost Elected A Mayor

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04/23/19 • 21 min

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Detroit was becoming an eclectic mix of cultures during the 1920s -- African-Americans from the south, immigrants from southern Europe, and a growing Catholic population. The Ku Klux Klan exploited the fear of outsiders and almost elected a Detroit lawyer named Charles Bowles during that decade. He ran again and won the Detroit mayoral seat in 1929, but as gang violence climaxed with the assassination of a popular radio commentator, his promise of law and order was not delivered. He would be recalled from office. We'll explain, with help from Michael Placco, of Macomb Community College, and Kenneth Shepherd, of Henry Ford College.

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Season 2, Episode 9- The Legend Of The Nain Rouge

There must be some reason behind Detroit's bad luck in the last three-plus centuries. We have the explanation: Du Nain Rouge in French, or the Red Dwarf in English. Legend has it the creature has been spotted whenever something really awful happens. And now, some fun-loving creative types in this city have turned it into a Mardi Gras-like celebration. We talk with Francis Grunow, co-founder of Marche Du Nain Rouge; and Janet Langlois, a retired folklore expert with Wayne State University's English Department.

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