Daniel P. Overstreet
About Daniel
Veteran
Born in Detroit in 1948, raised in Garden City, Michigan, the loud and proud decorated Vietnam Vet, who passed May 1, 2026, made an impact far beyond his beloved bar, The Old Miami.
The “half Portuguese, half mutt” Overstreet, who was court-martialed for protesting the conflict in which he served once, faced 99 years or a firing squad, the latter of which he requested. The military judge dismissed the case as Danny had been awarded more medals than he had.
Overstreet ventured into the bar business after a stint leading one of Michigan’s Railroad Workers Unions.
He bought The Old Miami because “he didn’t fit in anywhere” according to his partner of 40+ years, Julie Flynn. “That’s sort of how the bar became a haven for our regulars and staff over the years.”
Always packed with a mix of veterans, punks, artists, Cass Corridor characters, it’s undeniable that Danny Overstreet’s bar was a Mecca of the disenfranchised.
He loathed the “Midtown” rebrand of the area, south of the Wayne State Campus. “Why don’t you just put up tollbooths to get in and keep your undesirables out,” he said, tongue firmly in often laughing cheek.
Not content to simply serve the community quips and beers, for years he bought shoes, dictionaries and Halloween pumpkins for the students at neighboring Burton International School because “they deserved a goddamn chance.”
There is no President of the Cass Corridor, though Danny Overstreet would be widely considered its Mayor. His bar and his personality are gruff, gritty beacons bridging the Detroit of the Vietnam War era to the kinder, friendlier Detroit of today.
Flag Location
Flag
A-F 12
Sponsor
Robinson Everett Jr., Rotary Club of Durham
Location
Honor Field A
