October 11, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 161 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1267-E1268]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF THE GROUND BREAKING FOR FORT STREET BRIDGE PARK AND 
              THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ROUGE RIVER FIRE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DEBBIE DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 11, 2019

  Mrs. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 50th 
anniversary of the Rouge River fire and celebrate the ground breaking 
of the new Fort Street Bridge Park.
  On October 9, 1969, sparks from an acetylene torch ignited debris in 
the Rouge River. With flames rising 50 feet into the air, the burning 
river quickly became a symbol of societal indifference to pollution and 
became a catalyst for change in our community. Years before the Rouge 
fire, the river also served as an important site for another event that 
provoked societal transformation. On March 7, 1932, thousands of 
unemployed auto workers embarked on a march from Detroit to the Ford 
Rouge Factory in Dearborn to protest the economic devastation in 
Detroit's automotive industry during the Great Depression. In a painful 
part of our community's history, the marching autoworkers clashed with 
police and Ford Motor Company security guards on the historic Fort 
Street Bridge above the Rouge River, resulting in the death of five 
protestors and leaving dozens of others injured. Later known as the 
Ford Hunger March, this event laid the groundwork for the formation of 
the United Auto Workers in 1935.
  Without a doubt, the Fort Street Bridge and Rouge River are prominent 
symbols of Detroit's past.
  In the half century since the Rouge River fire, heightened public and 
political attention to

[[Page E1268]]

America's environmental crisis has generated both formal legislation 
like the Clean Water Act of 1972 and independent action to transform 
the severe health hazard into a regional asset. Thanks to the river's 
renewed heath and viability, members of our community have taken the 
initiative to commemorate the legacy of the Ford Hunger March by 
planning the creation of a pocket park located at the foot of the Fort 
Street Bridge. The new park will honor our community's vast history and 
highlight the significance of the Rouge River fire and the Fort Street 
Bridge for generations of Michiganders to come.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the 50th 
anniversary of the Rouge River fire and celebrate the ground breaking 
of the future Fort Street Bridge Park. I am grateful for our 
community's efforts to ensure our history is never forgotten.

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