Archive footage: Milwaukee was witness to violent protests in the summer of 1967

MILWAUKEE -- The Sherman Park unrest is not the first time protests in Milwaukee have turned violent. Nearly 50 years ago, the city was witness to widespread riots.

Tyrone Daniels was a member of the NAACP Commandos. That summer, he guarded the marchers protesting housing discrimination against African-Americans.

"Mayor Maier, when he was around, they blamed it on the Commandos," Daniels said. "I guess he didn't have anybody else to blame. The only uniform force at that time in Milwaukee was the Commandos."

Those riots, which flared up in July 1967, spanned several miles of the city and lasted around five days. FOX6 News pulled film from its archives. As you watch the clips attached to this post, you'll see buildings were set on fire, businesses were looted and snipers terrorized the north side. Four people were killed, more than 100 injured and 15,000 were arrested.

"The National Guard used to ride the street in half tracks. 50 caliber machine guns mounted on the half tracks -- to keep us out of the street, to enforce curfew. That's how bad it was," said Shakespeare Lewis, who lived through the 1967 riots. "I was out there like everybody else because I felt like everybody else."

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On August 3, 1967, the violence ended.

Milwaukee Alderman Terry Witkowski was a 20-something and part-time State Fair police officer back in 1967. He planned to join the Milwaukee Police Department.

"After that weekend, I did not show up for that physical agility test," Witkowski said.

Here's another point of contrast between the protests from 1967 and this year. While the officer-involved fatal shooting of Sylville Smith sparked this most recent unrest, there was not one specific event that led to the 1967 riots. Rather, it was a culmination of a few things including housing discrimination laws against black families.