On July 25th, 1967, three young, black men were killed at the Algiers Motel in Detroit. It happened amidst the unrest of the Detroit Rebellion, a time that saw a city-wide curfew and the Michigan National Guard lining the streets. These images, although they originated decades ago, probably generate images from the protests we’ve seen in recent years over the police brutality and lack of justice in cities like Ferguson, MO, Baltimore, MD and more.

“Looking at the past enables you to look at the present with a different perspective,” says Mark Boal, writer and producer of Detroit, a must-see film that will share the true story behind this revolutionary moment in history.

And the actors and actresses involved in the filming had motivation to really connect with the incident on an emotional level because of the current events we’ve all witnessed over the past few years. They didn’t have to struggle to connect with the emotions of fear, frustration and sorrow — those are things they could feel because of what they’ve seen and what hasn’t changed. That’s why this is a film that’s garnering a lot of buzz and attention — it’s a necessary story to tell.

During the Detroit rebellion, 43 people were killed, more than 1,000 injured and over 7,000 were arrested. There were upwards of 8,000 national guard members, 4,700 combat troops and 360 state police officers in the area at the time in a community that was about 40 percent African-American policed by an almost completely white police force. The lack of representation, militarization of police and unrest in the city is shocking — but it’s not unfamiliar to those tuned into what Black Lives Matter is still fighting for to this day.

So before you see this highly-anticipated historical film, let’s brush up on the all-important real-life places and people behind this story — their experiences are what make the story worth telling, and they changed the course of history through their bravery.

Melvin Dismukes

Dismukes (played by John Boyega in the film) is the security guard who tried to calm tension and stop the police officers from beating the suspects. Although he had good intentions, he was taken for questioning and ended up on trial with the police officers and charged with 1st degree murder. Since that night, he’s been reluctant to tell his story because of misunderstanding and misconceptions about his role in everything. Dismukes detailed how he felt comfortable talking to Kathryn Bigelow for this film — and how he feels she did an amazing job representing that fateful night and his story.

John Conyers, Jr.

Rep. John Conyers, Jr. is a civil rights leader who can be seen in many of the historic pictures surrounding the rebellion. He is more than just a U.S. Congressman and historical leader, however, he’s also a cornerstone of the community in Detroit. He’s well-loved and well known in the city even today.

Ike McKinnon

McKinnon, a former Detroit police chief, grew up in Detroit, seeing the real-life buildup that led to the rebellion. Just a decade before it occured, he was the victim of police brutality at the hands of “the big four,” a group of four large white police officers who would rough up young black men for no reason. After that incident, he decided he would become a Detroit police officer. He was serving during the rebellion and was taken back by the behavior he saw by members of the National Guard who were aiming fire at people’s homes and even by fellow police officers who drew weapons on him and called him the n-word. Since then he has been an advocate for telling this story, confronting this history and therefore making sure everyone is able to learn from the wrongdoing of the past.

Carl Cooper, Aubrey Pollard and Fred Temple

Cooper (played by Jason Mitchell), 17, Pollard (played by Nathan Davis Jr.), 19 and Temple (played by Jacob Latimore), 18 did not survive the incidents that night. At first, they were described as suspected snipers who were gunned down by police officers, but after eye witnesses later told their story, the truth came out that these youths were killed for no reason. There were no guns found to lead anyone to believe they were snipers.

Larry Reed and Julie Hysell

Reed (played by Algee Smith) and Hysell (played by Hannah Murray) are survivors from the incident who graciously made themselves available for reference during filming. Reed was an aspiring musician, which we see in the film. You can catch him in his special cameo as a background character in a music studio. Algee Smith, who plays Reed in the film, says that Reed shared the real-life scars he still has to this day from the incident — a true reminder of the emotions and pain necessary to portray that character.

The Algiers Motel

The Algiers Motel, where the incident took place, became black-owned a couple years before the 1967 incident. Before then, white owners refused to rent rooms to black people because it “wouldn’t be good for business.” After the Detroit Rebellion, the Algiers changed its name to the Desert Inn before being bulldozed in 1979. There’s no evidence of that fateful night, no statues or historical plaques to tell the story, but survivors and those involved in creating Detroit are fighting to share these truths.

Keep these stories and more in mind when you go check out Detroit. The film tells an attention-grabbing, heart-wrenching story, but more importantly is it tells an accurate one. Catch the film in theaters nationwide TODAY!

This post is brought to you in collaboration with 'Detroit.'

Detroit