American Notes DETROIT Derailed by Success

Perhaps because victories come so rarely, they seem to unhinge the residents of Detroit. When the Tigers won the World Series in 1984, more than 100,000 fans ran deliriously into the streets, burning cars and looting shops. Each Halloween provides another excuse for Detroiters to vent high spirits, leaving extensive property damage in their wake. Last week, after the Pistons won a second straight professional-basketball championship, success once again proved more than Detroit could safely handle. In a long night of celebrations punctuated by gunfire, eight people were killed.