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John Boyega Protects the City During Riots in First ‘Detroit’ Trailer: Watch

John Boyega wants to keep the peace in the first trailer for Detroit. Based on the events of the Detroit riots of 1967, also known as the 12th Street riot, Kathryn Bigelow’s dramatic period piece follows the five summer days of civil unrest in the Motor City.

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U.S. paratroopers, state and local police tried to control violence, arson and looting that erupted in Detroit after officers raided an unlicensed bar and detained 82 African Americans on July 23, 1967.

“I’ll sleep when they stop rioting,” Boyega, who plays a local security guard, says in the trailer, released Wednesday, April 12.

A group of young, predominantly black citizens try to take refuge at the nearby Algiers Motel, but the card games and pool time get serious when the topic of race inevitably arises. “When you’re black it’s almost like having a gun pointed at your face,” one of the men explains.

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A gunshot alerts authorities to the group’s whereabouts, and shortly after, the group of young adults is locked in a face-off with the police.

“I need you to survive the night,” Boyega’s character says to another black man in the clip.

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John Krasinski and Anthony Mackie also appear in Detroit, which arrives in theaters August 4, days after the 50th anniversary of the riots’ end. 

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