“Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age” is a non-fiction book written by Kevin Boyle. The book tells the story of Ossian Sweet, a black doctor who moved into a white neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan in 1925. Sweet was met with hostility from his new neighbors, and on the night of September 9, 1925, a group of white men gathered outside of Sweet’s house and began throwing stones.
Sweet and his family were inside the house at the time, and Sweet armed himself with a gun. Shots were fired from inside the house, and one of the white men, Leon Breiner, was killed. Sweet and his family were arrested and charged with murder.
The case garnered national attention, and Sweet was defended by famed civil rights lawyer Clarence Darrow. Darrow argued that Sweet had a right to defend himself and his family, and that the white mob was guilty of inciting a riot. The jury ultimately acquitted Sweet, and the case was seen as a victory for civil rights.
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