Commentary: Is Detroit becoming Michigan's next suburb?

[Gannon]

Where to start on this...

I guess I'll hit every point which strikes me as totally idiotic. There are many.

Then perhaps the points which seem reasonable, excluding words of accommodation she uses to avoid appearing the total racist windbag...which she was very careful to do. She did so poorly, VERY poorly for a PR 'Pro'.


EVERY community garden that I know of was started by a Detroiter. I'm not sure about Greg Wilerer's history, but with his work as a teacher and mentor of the city's youth...even IF he wasn't born and raised here, he is one by virture of his heart and effort. Cub was born and raised here. Kate, a long-time import. They are the three who jump immediately to mind.

Then there is the Food Justice Network, who are performing the yeoman's share of work around town insuring that EVERYONE in the city have the ability to enjoy the fruits of their labors, literally. The results of their efforts are astounding.

Of course, then there are those who work with the great leaders of this whole movement, the Monks of the Capuchin Center...and also the wonderful Greening of Detroit people.

If she imagines that community gardens are from the newbies...she is simply ignorant. I will leave it at that, since I wish to be generous...but I am totally livid right now. MANY of the newbies may garden, but ONLY because they were drawn here by the numerous news articles and a few documentaries which have shared this movement to the world.

It has been covered in the Netherlands, even. We have a dedicated crew in from FRANCE, who came for a story and have stayed because they caught our Spirit. I met a women with her baby just this morning in the Market from NYC, from where more than a few imports hail.


I must quote this part:

These suburban-like qualities are being woven around the delayed progress that many anxiously await from government programs and recycled politicians. Instead, they are moving forward without the formality of approval or applause.

This might be the crux of the issue, and while she writes the words...she doesn't even APPROACH the true culpability behind it.

After many years of being handed government program after government program, those with her attitude are left lacking while they wait for more, more, more. I daresay the previous funding and good intentions were SQUANDERED by greed and corruption. So much so that it jeapordized programs being done the same way, when the government created deadlines for funding use...what happened?!

Those in city government...our MISmanagers stuck in their own pride and ignorance...couldn't get their acts together to even spend the money on time, so it had to be returned!!!! They couldn't agree to the limits and restrictions on what they deemed gifts, albeit ones they EXPECTED. Those in power squandered it, period.


The newbies are moving forward without approval because for the last thirty years, the most important pre-requisite for council approval has been based upon COLOR. Firstly, the depth of melatonin in the applicant's skin, and if not sufficient...the depth of GREEN in their wallets.

I've seen time and again how those devoid of interesting pigmentation were raked over the coals of corruption and abuse...from the basics of city inspectors to the worst of the worst, corruption fomented within the top ranks of City Hall. Bernard Kilpatrick 'sold' access to his son's office to many a person eager and willing to help make positive change in the city.

EVERY construction project I've witnessed in the city suffered from 50 to 150% increase in their costs due to this corruption...from sons of the city that MANY like Karen Dumbass supported until the very end of their terrible reign. I say that specifically, because the crook Kwhyme was treated like fucking ROYALTY. He still is, in some circles.

But it is important to remember that there was a population that existed here long before the new discovery or rediscovery of this urban explorer's gem. There must be a place for native Detroiters too, the majority of whom continue to work hard and unselfishly to create a respectable quality of life despite limited resources and support. They cannot and should not be treated like unwelcomed visitors.

While I admit that those who enter the town with even the BEST of intentions often overlook those who've been doing similar work for decades...it is NOT their full responsibility to seek these out, when the old-timers simply don't exist on a very public level...and shun those who, again, DON'T look like them when a new face appears.

IF they tried to find everyone doing similar work, they would be WASTING a bunch of their energy and enthusiasm, visiting every storefront church and community [[which carries some risk if done wrong). I say it is the responsibility of those who've been here doing the same type of work to NOT be bitter and angry...but welcome this new energy with OPEN ARMS, MINDS, and HEARTS...and share their wisdom instead of hating that something else is being created that seems more successful.

New residents seem oblivious to the challenges of crime and schools, and instead have embraced the opportunity to redefine a seemingly faceless city.

Really, Karen?! REALLY? How stupid a comment. The newbies I've known have suffered some of the worst crime...home invasions and beat-downs. One of my employees at Eph's was beaten severely for her iPhone and some cash she was saving to buy a drum kit in Woodbridge, within a year of a party she was at being invaded by thugs bearing a shotgun and bat.

She and her friends have not left. They fully realize that there is crime here...much of it directed AT them because they dared move into the city they see with such potential. In this instance, this fine young woman is becoming a hub of creativity, and is trusted by one of my favorite club owners to book the acts they feature on stage.


They are largely too young to have children, and if they've reproduced, their kids are not yet old enough to go to school. Wait a while, Ms. Dumbass, they'll become active in the schools, too...and I await your ignorant complaints when that happens.

It seems they've said, "OK. Those who were here have not seized the opportunity, so step aside and allow us to do so." They are not waiting for City Council to pass any resolution, or for there to be a collective performance of "Kumbaya" with the Mayor's Office. They, along with a core group of businesses, are doing what they want, where they can, to create the city they want Detroit to become.

Sorry, honey. It SEEMS you don't have fucking clue ONE what 'they' have said. They have been shut down by council for not LOOKING LIKE THEM, in nearly every instance.

One of the FEW successes I've known against the corruption of council was that one fabulous woman who fought City Hall to break the lockhold over licensing for 'food carts' and mobile food trucks that Bert Johnson of Eastern Market owned completely for years, due his connections. I STILL can't believe she succeeded, actually, due that I have some hope yet.

IF it seems they said 'move out of the way', it is simply because the corrupt and inefficient power structure that those like Karen believes should be worshipped and supported did EVERYTHING IN THEIR ABILITY to keep true progress from happening. The racists on council and beyond NEED to be shoved out of the way, because they are the true problem in this town.


Isn't it a shame when others take on the mantra, BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY, when it doesn't align with the way you think it 'should be'?! They are doing what it takes to survive, which seems to be the base overwhelming Spirit in our town. It is our greatest strength, actually. Detroiters are resilient, we DO what it takes to survive, even with the weight of the world seemingly against us. For HOW LONG have we been the butt of everyone's jokes, while the reality of life here is far from what our critics imagine?!


I am getting angrier, so I apologize for the tone of my commentary. Karen Dumas needs to jump on a plane and move far away, and take anyone who agrees with her along for the ride. If she doesn't want to travel, she should simply jump into the river instead. I don't care where she goes, she and those like her just have to go if they are not open to change from all of this wonderful positive energy now flowing into our city. She's GOTTA either join 'em or jump, because from what I've seen...there will be no 'beating them'.

The challenge is balancing the needs of those who have stayed with the wants of those who are arriving.

The challenge is opening your mind to new possibilities, without being mired in your own racism and prejudice. The challenge is learning what is really driving these new imports, as well as the children and grand-children of those who left the town over the decades. Why would they come to a city nearly devoid of real leadership and services, and yet stay, through personal loss and continual abuse, to pursue their dreams?!


Because the Spirit of Detroit is THAT pervasive and persuasive.


I won't even touch her tag line. It is too dumb for comment, even from THIS ass. I know I'm being one, but she deserves the full bore of my blasts. For far too long, those in power have crafted a horribly corrupt shell of a city, and it is time for them to step aside.


Those who TRULY have stuck it out and done good will rise to the top on their own merit, and will be judged according to the content of their character, not the color of their skin. Of this I have no doubt, and also have NO apology for using those words, I chose them precisely...because their author dared speak them here first. His hopes for humankind were famously voiced during some of the most tumultuous times in our history, and it is about time we come together and make them true.


Sincerely,
John

[Chicago48]

Ah yes the white devil. Responsible for Detroit's decline when they left, responsible for it's continued decline when they move back.

No, that's not what I read into the commentary. I'm a exiled Detroiter and honestly when I return home, I don't know where to go. The "old" Detroit is still there, but a bit uglier and dangerous. The "New" Detroit is affluent and white. It would be nice to find a happy medium, where the white affluent "new" Detroit would work in cooperation and collaboration with the "old" Detroit to improve the city. For example, Why don't these gentrifying white people go into the ghetto and collaborate with blacks to grow gardens and beautify the neighborhoods? Or volunteer for after school reading programs?
There's a lot that can be done together.

[Gannon]

For example, Why don't these gentrifying white people go into the ghetto and collaborate with blacks to grow gardens and beautify the neighborhoods? Or volunteer for after school reading programs?
There's a lot that can be done together.

It IS already being done. There are no exclusionary policies in place, other than the standard mere human tendency to be more comfortable with those who look like the fool in your mirror.

[Detroitnerd]

For example, Why don't these gentrifying white people go into the ghetto and collaborate with blacks to grow gardens and beautify the neighborhoods? Or volunteer for after school reading programs?
There's a lot that can be done together.

That is being done. Heck, whenever Cub puts out the call, he gets what seems like a busload of people coming in, not all of them people of color, and not just from Detroit but the suburbs as well. Those Blight Busters people have been tearing down vacant houses and planting trees in inner-city neighborhoods for years, and they're a mixed crew. Greening of Detroit's roots were patrician, but they not only plant trees but offer jobs to youths taking care of them and learning skills. And, frankly, even if new residents' goals aren't as lofty as we'd like, people paying more taxes into the city coffers should translate into more service and opportunities for everybody.

I get the sense that KD either doesn't know this, or does and is just doing a bit of cut-rate demagoguery. Demagogues, after all, don't play on the facts, but on the fears of the people they're trying to rouse.

[illwill]

I think people are pretending as if Detroit is some new place that's all white with tons of thriving white neighborhoods with tons of new businesses and blocks of walkable communities. Detroit has NOT really changed all that much. A few white people moved Downtown and in the surrounding areas and people get the impression that the city is some kind of thriving metropolis. There is plenty of room for everyone in Detroit... of all ethnicities. Our city is empty, patched together and most of it looks like Oklahoma prairie land. Who cares about the media spin. For all of the old school Detroiters, I don't think we buy into all of the feel good articles because it's a drop in the bucket. I commend each and everyone one of these entrepreneurs and businesses that contribute to the improvement of our great city but the city hasn't changed that much. If these "feel good" articles were so frequent, Detroit would be a booming city. The fact is, our streets are empty, we have poor leadership and services are getting worse. I don't understand the hype because a few white faces have moved to the city to pursue their dreams? I think the real shock for the media is that white people are moving into a city with a black population of 80% plus. That's what the real story is about.

What's the big deal?

[Gannon]

If I hadn't been around Detroit for the past five years, and today was my first day back...it would've been a total shock...I mean TwiLight Zone kinda stuff.

Eastern Market was amazingly pale around eleven o'clock today. We saw so many whitefolk riding bikes around town, especially on the Isle, that I had to comment to my partner! How dare they! [[heh)

I can understand a bit of any racist's fear of the changes, it is remarkable how diverse the city is getting. But her attitude is completely and totally racist.

The society I continue to notice, though, are those who meet, visit, discuss, and exist as if pigmentation were of NO notice whatsoever.

We had the most wonderful chat with a fabulous woman at the counter at Zeff's during breakfast...never once was there any notice of our different heritage and lineage. THAT is the only way this town will survive and succeed, PERIOD.


Sincerely,
John

[lukabottle]

First, thank you Gannon for the commentary on the article. I was about to respond but realized you did so more eloquently than I ever could.

Second, strangely enough, I was gone for the last five years and just moved back to Cass Park in January [[Oakland, Ca, Montreal, QC, and a short internship in Pittsburgh, PA). I am amazed with all the changes I see around me, and not just in the Midtown and Downtown area. It seems everyday, I meet someone new organizing in the Hope District, Brightmoor, by City Airport, or even small block clubs from all different backgrounds and ages. I am so happy to be back home.

I found this article insulting and as an attempt to continue to divide people.

[DetroitPlanner]

Nothing's 100% --- but with the property tax increase cap in Michigan, there's not much that will 'push' anyone out of their homes -- unless they choose to do so.

Renters will get shuffled around -- growth can be painful -- we can do things to minimize the pain.

But don't let go of the vision of a prosperous future where we can all live better -- including today's poor.

Conversely much of the new development is being done with abatements making it so that many of those who can afford to pay the most pay the least. I can recall a few years back reading an article about some rich guy living in a 2,000 sq. ft. $400k loft downtown that was paying a quarter the property taxes I was paying for a 800 sq ft place in Warrendale.

[Gannon]

First, thank you Gannon for the commentary on the article. I was about to respond but realized you did so more eloquently than I ever could.

Second, strangely enough, I was gone for the last five years and just moved back to Cass Park in January [[Oakland, Ca, Montreal, QC, and a short internship in Pittsburgh, PA). I am amazed with all the changes I see around me, and not just in the Midtown and Downtown area. It seems everyday, I meet someone new organizing in the Hope District, Brightmoor, by City Airport, or even small block clubs from all different backgrounds and ages. I am so happy to be back home.

I found this article insulting and as an attempt to continue to divide people.

Thank you for the compliment, Luka, and welcome home.

Seems we have a ton of work to do...I know my language was harsh in some places, but I was SO angered by the tripe...hell, inspired, even...I've not been able to calm down yet.

LOL...I just watched the Bourne Supremacy again to bring my nerves DOWN a tad!!

I know Dear Ms. Guided Dumas is merely voicing a sentiment that is held by many in this town...but they need to see that they have been doing so much out of selfishness, that they have become what they have been trained to hate.

They are the racist overlords suppressing others, due the simple accident of the skin everyone was born into. None of us chose our race, or our gender, or any of that. It is wrong to judge anyone on the color of their skin, no-one will never be able to right the wrongs of the past if we continue to live them as if they were totally in force today.

I am sick to death of this bullshit. I lived with half MY heritage fighting and killing each other due this holding of history instead of living in the now. I used to dream of the Irish finally putting down their hatred and unforgiveness...and opening up their eyes to the truth that NOBODY today can be responsible for the evils perpetrated by our ancestors.

I know some still march on the holidays, and I even hear it in the songs sung at the Gaelic League every once in a while...a celebration of hatred and division, where nobody wins.

I will not stand by and allow a similar thing to continue to divide and conquer the city of my birth. Racism must end today. I live my life as if pigmentation doesn't exist.

There are those who say I can ONLY do that because of the simple accident of my being born pale in this incarnation. Those same people refuse to see that for MOST of my life in this city, those like me have been the repressed minority...abused and restricted from participating fully in the workings of this town. I always heard the justification, "we're finally getting our chance to lead, our chance to own...", which seemed to allow some to repress and abuse others.

How many times did I hear, "You must not be FROM here" and other similar comments when I lived in the Market, walking and jogging and biking around. I'd always laugh it off, because I know what my birth certificate reads. I know where my parents and their brothers and sisters grew up. I know I am a Detroiter.

Never again will I sit back and listen calmly when I hear that some candidate for office isn't BLACK ENOUGH to lead this city. I will calmly and rationally call out racism whenever and where-ever I perceive it. NOT to further divide, but to illuminate IN LOVE and seek to heal...to transcend. To rise above the ashes of the past fires.

Just today, one of my friends posted something on Facebook which was inflammatory bullshit. I called him out on it, and got no reply. Another dialogue became inflamed when something I said was grossly misunderstood. I stood my ground and defended it, while listening to those who chimed in against me. I returned the energy, in love, and we actually realized we were on the same damn side. Go figure.

Too many times, in too many instances, people are ready to dig in and fight. Indeed, I DID with regards to Karen Dumas' article. I am not fighting for white people. I am not fighting against black people. I am fighting for Detroit. Struggling to get everyone together on the same page.

Indeed, my words will be heard by many in the wrong way. I use SO MANY words in order to be heard clearly. Precisely. I know that is lost on many in today's soundbite world...and I could never, ever be as eloquent verbally, live. My power is in the written word, fueled by my faith in whatever is beyond this tangible life, and amplified by an odd love for EVERYONE.

I really want this divisive bullshit to end, so we can get on with the pleasure of showing the world that Detroit is much more than any of the popular media could ever derogatorily describe...we can be strong together. If only we could find a way to get there. I'm going to keep looking for that way, and having days like today will help.

Cheers

[detroitsgwenivere]

Now the question is John, are you willing to open YOUR mind and YOUR heart to the people who's comments are on par with Karen's and concerns do not align with yours? If they were to pour their minds and hearts out to you in words like you have done on this forum today, would you tell them "they've got to go" like you said about Karen Dumas and "people just like her"?

If the main source of your ire is the woman who wrote the article, or the mentality of the institution she represented, than I can somewhat sympathize with your enragement. But knowing that so many people across Detroit are having this conversation candidly and with no malice or venom only conveys to me that this issue is real and substantial, not ignorant or incendiary.

If you think this discourse is bad, you might want to invest in some blood pressure meds. Because this discussion is tame compared to what we will be dealing with when even greater numbers of Detroiters begin to realize that the resources being used to fund this development in the downtown neighborhoods is at the expense of THEIR lights, streets, and safety. Imagine telling another Detroiter who has been here for decades and is living like a prisoner in their own home that the reason that they're paying $1400 a year in taxes for a 950sqft house in a blownout dope neighborhood that hasn't seen a snowplow in 5 yrs. or their lights fixed EVER is so Corktown could have some new curbs installed last month. Or that some serious tax incentives have been given to individuals who's "business investments" haven't employed a single longterm Detroiter [[of any race)? All the streetlight fixtures have been repaired or replaced around my house in CTin the last few weeks, how's everyone else's streetlights working for them? How long will it take for the supposid tickle down to reach the folks not living in these targeted areas?


Who is really benefitting from this downtown investment?


These are MORE than relevant questions.

I'm sure I can confidently state for most DYessers that your opinion is most respected here Mr. Gannon, and I always make sure to appreciate what you have posted. But respect for the opinions and feelings of others is a two way street requiring an open dialogue with willing participants. More Detroiters need to make their feelings known and participate in the process, not less, if we want to get past this decades long divisiveness.


Even the Karen Dumbasses.

[erikd]

This article by Karen Damas, explores the question of how to balance the lines between the suburban and urban population identities. She writes,

From the Detroit News,
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...s-next-suburb-
Thoughts?

I keep re-reading this article, and still can't believe it.

Is Karen Dumas actually saying that bike lanes and racks at bus stops, along with sidewalk cafes and pedestrians walking the streets are "suburban qualities", as opposed to vacant buildings and graffiti covered walls, which are "urban assets"?

The ignorance displayed in her commentary really gives us some insight into how misinformed and obtuse the Bing administration really is...

[Wesley Mouch]

Conversely much of the new development is being done with abatements making it so that many of those who can afford to pay the most pay the least. I can recall a few years back reading an article about some rich guy living in a 2,000 sq. ft. $400k loft downtown that was paying a quarter the property taxes I was paying for a 800 sq ft place in Warrendale.

All property tax abatements should be banned.

[fryar]

Is Karen Dumas actually saying that bike lanes and racks at bus stops, along with sidewalk cafes and pedestrians walking the streets are "suburban qualities", as opposed to vacant buildings and graffiti covered walls, which are "urban assets"?

It seems that way. I also stumbled over that waaaaay more than the race stuff.

I do think the issue of gentrification squeezing the long-term residents of the place that is gentrifying is very much legitimate.

Perhaps the piece is directed at an audience of disaffected and alienated Detroiters who may, on account of their bottled up frustration, not care to split these hairs?

[DetroitPlanner]

Divisiveness needs to stop, or at least be controlled to a civilized level. I know that this may be hard to do when some have so much power and money while others got the short end of the stick. Articles like this play on homogeneity and peoples fears of being taken over.

[Hermod]

that hasn't seen a snowplow in 5 yrs

What else is new? Back in the 1940s and 1950s when Detroit was rolling in auto company dough, the main streets in our neighborhood [[Whittier, Harper, Kelly) got plowed during and after each snowstorm. The residential streets like Nottingham, Roxbury, Yorkshire, and Grayton did not get plowed. After the first snowstorm, you didn't see the pavement until the thaw in March. The snow just got compacted by the traffic.

[illwill]

I'm surprised at all of the rage in regards to the article by Karen Dumas. This is nothing new. This is exactly the caliber of journalism that the entire country is FORCED to put up with in almost every news paper today. Surprise! Surprise! There is no longer a standard in journalism. I understand Gannon's reasons for being pissed off though. Karen Dumas doesn't have much room for criticism because quite frankly, she was part of the machine that stagnated Detroit's development process for so many year. But again, you have to blame the Detroit News for allowing HER to voice HER opinion when she was part of Detroit's problems and certainly far from a solution. Why are people not criticizing the Detroit News? I personally don't know if SHE is a racist so I cannot make an opinion about that.

As far as gentrification and Detroiter's being pushed out...that's a laugh. Property is STILL dirt cheap in Detroit and it will continue to be dirt cheap for the next 20 years. Forcing people out is a laugh too. Anyone wanting to be in Detroit should easily be able to find a corner for a pretty fair price. In regards to any Downtown, the price of real estate will always be at a premium compared to the rest of the city. That's everywhere. But Detroit has several other areas that are ripe for making a home. More than enough to go around. Gentrification has not changed the real estate market that much outside of Downtown and MAYBE a hand full of neighborhoods.

But I do feel bad for the elderly and senior citizens. This group should get a freeze on their taxes.

[GUSHI]

The article does seem a little racist,
You do have too fix the core neighborhoods first then the rest, not just the white hoods, but the core black hoods also, the east side does feel like your in Bruce twp, w all the vacant land, pretty much just abandon the east side , give parts of it to Hamtown, or the pointes, make the city smaller, land wise, easier to maintain, look at hamtramck, for example, increase its border pass mt Elliott, put up more low income single family homes, also add the neighbor hoods by transfiguration/Our lady help of Christians to hamtramck, give some of the land that was taken away from hamtramck back in the day back to them, it's already full of immigrants for the Most part, and let it expand w more immigrants, do the same with Dearborn, increase it's border annex parts of it to Dearborn, get rid of highland park completely, annex parts of it to hamtramck and Detroit,Detroits currently borders are to much for the city to handle,

[GUSHI]

By doing so you make the points, Dearborn and Hamtramck even more diverse and the people living in these areas, overnight get better schools and services, police, and those kids living those areas formerly of dps get a better education,

[GUSHI]

White kids and black kids go to school together, and the racism starts to end, old attitudes of a lot of Detroiter's and Metro-Detroiter's start to change with the next generations,

[Jaybiz]

Just yesterday me and my dad drove through his old neighborhood by Chene and Frederick area and then we slowly made our way to the neighborhood we lived in when I was growing up, over off Morang and I94; to anyone worried that the so-called "New Detroit" is becoming too suburban and too white rest assured that probably won't happen in your lifetime. Also, I take no blame or for the shape of the east side, there was no huge white flight that was based on imagined fears, it was simple people got tired of putting up with bullshit crime and moved. I'm not talking about the riots in the 60's I wasn't even close to being born, I'm talking about the 80's and the 90's when people just said fuck it and left and these weren't some scared timid racist people either, these were tough blue-collar people who held out as long as possible. That being said I am in the process of moving back to the city[[downtown area) because I do love it and it's in my blood. So now ironically, I guess me and people like me will be called "transplants" by the uninformed even though we are the people who built and made Detroit great to begin with.

[Gannon]

Now the question is John, are you willing to open YOUR mind and YOUR heart to the people who's comments are on par with Karen's and concerns do not align with yours? If they were to pour their minds and hearts out to you in words like you have done on this forum today, would you tell them "they've got to go" like you said about Karen Dumas and "people just like her"?

If the main source of your ire is the woman who wrote the article, or the mentality of the institution she represented, than I can somewhat sympathize with your enragement. But knowing that so many people across Detroit are having this conversation candidly and with no malice or venom only conveys to me that this issue is real and substantial, not ignorant or incendiary.

If you think this discourse is bad, you might want to invest in some blood pressure meds. Because this discussion is tame compared to what we will be dealing with when even greater numbers of Detroiters begin to realize that the resources being used to fund this development in the downtown neighborhoods is at the expense of THEIR lights, streets, and safety. Imagine telling another Detroiter who has been here for decades and is living like a prisoner in their own home that the reason that they're paying $1400 a year in taxes for a 950sqft house in a blownout dope neighborhood that hasn't seen a snowplow in 5 yrs. or their lights fixed EVER is so Corktown could have some new curbs installed last month. Or that some serious tax incentives have been given to individuals who's "business investments" haven't employed a single longterm Detroiter [[of any race)? All the streetlight fixtures have been repaired or replaced around my house in CTin the last few weeks, how's everyone else's streetlights working for them? How long will it take for the supposid tickle down to reach the folks not living in these targeted areas?


Who is really benefitting from this downtown investment?


These are MORE than relevant questions.

I'm sure I can confidently state for most DYessers that your opinion is most respected here Mr. Gannon, and I always make sure to appreciate what you have posted. But respect for the opinions and feelings of others is a two way street requiring an open dialogue with willing participants. More Detroiters need to make their feelings known and participate in the process, not less, if we want to get past this decades long divisiveness.


Even the Karen Dumbasses.

Thank you. This is exactly the type of challenge necessary for introspection and adjustment...learning and growing. I need it as much as any, I am not above or beyond being blind and ignorant myself. I hope it was clear when at the end I included MYSELF as the 'ass' who is likely acting "dumb".


I don't throw those silly nicknames out randomly, but need to temper it a bit so I don't alienate fully those who need to hear it most. Karen IS being dumb, and a ton of her commentary is assinine. But she, hopefully, is capable and willing to learn and grow, too.

IF not, then she will be a continual problem, because as a PR Professional, she has the position of potential power to sway a bunch of innocents by her propaganda.


What you say is largely true. There is serious misappropriation of civic funding. I'd like precision on the whole 'curb' thing...but from what I see, handicapped curbs have been improved all over town. From what I understand, it was a federal mandate with federal funding...which was actually performed incorrectly the first time by those hand-picked by the Kwhyme administration [[why does this not surprise anyone?!), and had to be RE-DONE at the city's at least partial expense due some legal action.

But if there are other instances I'm unaware of, please school me.

The issue is that the money is not fungible...it is not all from the same sources, nor with the same ear-marks or restrictions on spending it. If outside funding is mis-appropriated, it is a serious offense.

That said, it is true that there remains serious imbalance in attention paid to the neighborhoods, but it is NOT racist until someone starts crying out about it from their ignorance. I have a discussion from Facebook which I'm going to make public that may be very illuminating...I'll cover the participants names to keep them anonymous, but the words should be enough to make the point.

As far as the join or jump? I don't think those who think like Karen need to go anywhere except to school. We need everyone to learn what everyone is truly saying and doing and thinking, not merely having them react to what they IMAGINE is motivating those they truly don't know.

Karen's commentary was a reaction out of ignorance. Ignorance CAN be cured, with knowledge. But one needs to be open to dialogue, not hidden behind their trepidation, fears, and potential hatred. THAT is what needs to 'simply go away', that which fuels the divides in our world.

You are right to call me out, and I sincerely thank you for it. It is much better than those who merely throw shit-bombs from the peanut gallery. I have no use for them, but hold those who wish to engage in adult conversation in VERY high esteem.

Again, thank you.


But those who ARE obstructionist racists will need to get out of the way, especially those on City Council and in other positions of power. This is not 'their city', it never actually HAS been...and their pretending it was has helped run it into the ground, and worse.


Cheers and more,
John

[Gannon]

Just yesterday me and my dad drove through his old neighborhood by Chene and Frederick area and then we slowly made our way to the neighborhood we lived in when I was growing up, over off Morang and I94; to anyone worried that the so-called "New Detroit" is becoming too suburban and too white rest assured that probably won't happen in your lifetime. Also, I take no blame or for the shape of the east side, there was no huge white flight that was based on imagined fears, it was simple people got tired of putting up with bullshit crime and moved. I'm not talking about the riots in the 60's I wasn't even close to being born, I'm talking about the 80's and the 90's when people just said fuck it and left and these weren't some scared timid racist people either, these were tough blue-collar people who held out as long as possible. That being said I am in the process of moving back to the city[[downtown area) because I do love it and it's in my blood. So now ironically, I guess me and people like me will be called "transplants" by the uninformed even though we are the people who built and made Detroit great to begin with.

Everyone who lived here back then built it and made it great.

But welcome back anyways. Please keep your racism in check, though, if there are any kernals hiding within.

I say that to everyone, including myself. The Facebook conversation has been getting hotter, yet seemingly refining itself in the process. The dross is being melted away...

Cheers,
John

[Hermod]

This is exactly the caliber of journalism that the entire country is FORCED to put up with in almost every news paper today. Surprise! Surprise! There is no longer a standard in journalism.

Back in the day, the journalist began as a messenger, worked his way up through copy boy, beat reporter, then journalist before becoming a columnist or editor. He learned the business by the seat of his pants. Some years back, someone decided that "journalism" was an academic science and the decay began.

Like someone said about line bosses, foremen, and supervisors, that the decline of American business began when the universities decided that management was a "science".

[SWMAP]

Someone above asked if Karen Dumas is a racist. In my opinion, having worked with her, I will say that she is an ambitious racist willing to step in anyone to get ahead. She is the daughter of a white father and a black mother. Her father deserted them as she describes it. She is reputed to love the trappings of being white, such as high-end retailers like Burberry- but she pretends a heart for all the people who "stuck it out. "
Can anyone state the premise of her self-aggrandizing essay? I can't figure out her over-all point.
I saw how she referred to re-cycled bureaucrats- and she's the epitome of re-cycled failure!
She also talks about the Detroit of 50 years ago - as if that bustling retail and neighborhoods owed ANYTHING to the people currently populating the neighborhoods who are pretty much non-tax paying, non-utility paying burden.
What exactly have Black people accomplished in our city [[my direct ancestors came with Antoine Cadillac) in the last 50 years here? I would like to hear what they have built unaided.
I do see that Dumas is pretty worried about the energetic people who are grabbing the controls of the runaway train that is Detroit. I look forward to better hands at the wheel.

[iheartthed]

I'm not sure I agree. What are the "suburban-like qualities" she mentions? The bike lanes, community gardens, and sidewalk cafes? Those are "suburban"? How many of any of those are on M-59 or Big Beaver?

And the she writes, "Detroit is also not the city it was 50 years ago, nor it is capable of ever being that way again." While that may be realistic, it's very pessimistic. I think we could repopulate the city and have a vibrant urban core between the River and the Boulevard.

A little off-topic, but her language sounds very "urban renewal" to me, which is how Detroit got into that trouble to begin with. A friend of mine forwarded me a link to a blog a few days ago that illustrates the flaw of civic leaders making "shrinkage" into policy:

De Rienzo, founder and C.E.O. of Banana Kelly [[so named for the shape of Kelly Street), said that in 1976, when he moved into a house in Hunts Point, there were 103,000 people in that community-board area, and by 1980 there were only 33,000.Seventy percent of the housing stock disappeared around the same period. It was that era when Jimmy Carter gazed at the rubble of Charlotte Street, planned shrinkage proposals [[similar to those in Detroit) left the neighborhood for dead and banks had long stopped lending. The Bronx was burning.

...

Today's South Bronx still makes up the poorest urban congressional district in the United States, and violent crime rates in the Melrose and Hunts Point areas are among the city’s highest. But the poverty, still deeply endemic, is less apocalyptic. Ideas like planned shrinkage are now scoffed at in New York [[though they are policy in places like in Detroit and elsewhere).

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/articl...ban-apocalypse

The mayor's office has been preoccupied with shrinkage plans and has seemingly put zero effort into stemming population loss. Detroit may or may not realize the error of this shrinking plan as fast as New York's leadership, but I'm almost certain that this is another big mistake that will not save the city.