Mike Smith, director of Wayne State's Walter P. Reuther Library, commented about the Detroit riots in 1967, which are described in the article as the worst in modern U.S. history until the 1992 Los Angeles riots which left 58 people dead. "Would I love to see the public become more deeply aware of the factors causing the riot and the aftermath of it? Yes, indeed I would," Smith said. "I think if we could reach some people, we'd have better race relations in this city."