Anti-Tyranny Dept.: A subcommittee of the Wayne University Student -Faculty Council is presently investigating the abuses of the school’s toy police force, the Public Safety Department. The University cops have left such a trail of harassment and illegal practices through both the campus and the surrounding community that several days of testimony is expected. If you have an experience to report, call the S-FC at 577-3416…
Detroit Free Press reporter, Michael Graham, who writes pro-police and STRESS articles at the drop of Commissioner Nichol’s hat, turns out to be a frustrated cop himself. After a stint in the U.S. Army Intelligence, Graham came to the Motor City to be a cop, but was rejected because of vision difficulties. Maybe his pals at 1300 Beaubien will give him an “honorary police officer” badge for all his work for them…
We’ve been getting calls recently about young people being dragged out of Marty’s grocery store on Junction in southwest Detroit and ticketed for loitering by Detroit Police. One of the callers was a fireman who’s station is across the street from Marty’s. He said that this harassment has been going on for years…
Signs of the Times Dept.: Responding to an anonymous call, a photographer from the Fifth Estate visited a section of the new Jefferies Freeway where workmen were busy removing slogans painted on the concrete. Two of them read, “Cops Eat Shit,” and “Tired of Boredom? Shoot your Foreman.” The signs were removed the day before Tilden Engle of the Jefferson Assembly Plant allegedly shot and killed his foreman over a layoff dispute…
The Parody of the Detroit Free Press, which we ran in our last issue, caused quite a stir when a FE staffer stuck the centerfold into the window section of a Free Press newsbox in front of the Press Building. Our headline seemed to sell more newspapers than the one the real Free Press used…
Contrary to the usual practice of rip-offs by record bootleggers and T-shirt firms, American Infinite Printwear, the manufacturer of the infamous Fifth Estate T-shirts, has been trying for some time to contact former Murder City cartoonist R. Crumb, in order to pay him royalties. So far, Crumb hasn’t answered…
Apparently, our last issue got out to subscribers a little earlier than usual. We’re trying to get the paper out to subscribers as soon as possible and it looks like we’re starting to get results. If you don’t receive your paper after two weeks, call the FE office and leave your zip-coded address and the date you got the last paper…
The MC5, once one of Detroit’s best known bands, has broken up. The band experienced some personal, money and drug problems in the last two years, beside losing the support of a lot of fans…
Lo and Behold! The recent benefit showing of Reefer Madness at the Studio New Center raised $800. Our sincere thanks to the management and staff of the Theatre and to all those who attended…
No Cavities Dept.: Recent tests have shown that tubes of Crest Toothpaste contain “potentially dangerous amounts of lead.”…
Just another one of those irritating misuses of tax money was erected recently on the Jefferies Freeway. It’s a huge sign which reads, “Welcome to the Jefferies Freeway”…
More Than Just A Gig Dept.: The Detroit Policeman who was shot in the face and killed by bank robbers (remember folks, there’s no such thing as an off-duty cop) probably got his over-zealous self killed for nothing. More than 80% of all bank robbers are captured and convicted and with the electronic apparatus available in most banks, the FBI has been able to claim a higher rate of capture and conviction for bank liberators than any other criminal category…
This issue of the Fifth Estate covers a period of three weeks instead of the usual two because we are taking a week off for vacation.