Memorial Park had become a gathering place for members of the counterculture and youth who were interested in social issues and music.
Some youths responded by throwing bottles and rocks and breaking windows on Woodward Avenue, one of the main traffic arteries in the Detroit metropolitan area.
Royal Oak officials imposed a curfew lasting from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. By the end of the second night of rioting, approximately 100 youths had been arrested.
In response, the city of Birmingham also imposed a curfew on Wednesday night,[6] due to "rioting, disturbances and destruction of property".
City officials considered asking for assistance from the National Guard if the curfews arrests were not effective in ending the rioting,[2] but that was not necessary.
[6] In the aftermath of the riots, an organization called the Young People's Coalition was formed and controlled by the disaffected youth, with the assistance of the Family Service Agency of Oakland County, Michigan.
The People's Defense Committee entered this coalition, with support from employees of a local business called the Record House, which sold rock and roll music.
The coalition's goal was to "relate to the street people who are involved with the drug abuse problem", and the group recognized that the issues had a political basis.
Young People's Coalition organizer Jim Heaphy said, "We get calls on drug abuse, general rap problems, parents, jobs, suicides, draft and legal information, all kinds of different things.
"[11] The Young People's Coalition also operated a drop-in center at the YMCA in Royal Oak, a coffee house in the YWCA in Ecorse, Michigan, and an anonymous drug analysis program.
[11] Financial support was provided by local businesses serving the counterculture, including the Record House, the Speakeasy Boutique, The Happy Apple, the Unisex Shop and the Waterbed Store.