Ruh Oh! Grosse Pointe may have built new blockade on Detroit Property!

[TKshreve]

GPP stopped being Richville long ago! Anyone who could not deal with nearby economic and social diversity left for Northville, Macomb Twp or Commerce in years past. Or Dexter. Now, except for a very few waterfront properties, it is just working class folks with lots [[their peaceful if boring lifestyle and the value of their largest/only investment, their house) to lose. People here have for the most part worked very hard and sacrificed for whatever they have. Why is that so resented? Why not instead attack the GP-expats who bailed for Northville 10 years ago?

The difference between GPP and adjacent Detroit comes down primarily to lifestyle choices, the results of which accrue over the years of one's existance. What would be the benefit of dissolving GPP and annexing it to Detroit? That seems to be what many want. But what good would it do? Who would benefit, and how?

I'm not fond of the Kercheval sheds because they are ugly and awkward-looking. I'm less fond of the concrete roundabout. Has anyone tried to drive that thing? I strongly recommend a small car with a tight turning radius and very good power steering! I went through there once, and now avoid that intersection entirely.

I would be thrilled, as would many/most of my neighbors if adjacent Detroit returned to what it was in [[many) years past, as to both residential and commercial. Jefferson-Chalmers, the below-Jefferson blocks especially, used to be so pleasant and such a treat to amble through [[or reside on) with all the character of their varied architecture.

The current state of Kercheval-in-the-Park retail [[particularly restaurants), for all the vibrancy it's brought overall, is not a good enough price/value proposition to be inclusive of the majority of nearby GPP residents. I and others would love to see small eateries, especially with ethnic influences, spring up. If property values, rents and/or building costs would be less on the Detroit side of Kercheval I think that would be a great place for them! For the time being though, I'll continue to do the vast majority of my dining out in southwest Detroit, Hamtramck, or along Madison Heights' Asian strip.

Good post Llama. Welcome.

You seem to capture my overall feelings about the situation quite well. I like the concept of a real, live entertainment district - But when it's all said and done, the fact of the matter remains that a very large tract in this corner of the city is urban prairie. And you also have a very diverse customer base which complicates peoples tastes and perceptions. Where there once existed a market place of hungry mouths and striving families now dwells a huge economical void. Bottom line - it diminishes the amount of entrepreneurial ventures that can even get a shot at succeeding.

Another thing that occurs to me as a little odd is how you come out of the roundabout and smack immediately into a traffic signal. You can't ditch the signal because I want to believe the busses require them for one reason or another. They can still improve the situation IMO.

And on the driver who blasted through the Alter side of the shed????: My sources tell me it was a tuned up customer pulling out of Dads bar. Backed right into it. Whether this person is a Detroiter or not offers very little substance to the conversation; if in fact the driver was simply just some reckless clown zipping out of there. Maybe GP will consider putting in something a little more sturdy moving forward. I will give props to GP for getting all over repairing the shed.

[Gpwrangler]

Another thing that occurs to me as a little odd is how you come out of the roundabout and smack immediately into a traffic signal. You can't ditch the signal because I want to believe the busses require them for one reason or another. They can still improve the situation IMO.

And on the driver who blasted through the Alter side of the shed????: My sources tell me it was a tuned up customer pulling out of Dads bar. Backed right into it. Whether this person is a Detroiter or not offers very little substance to the conversation; if in fact the driver was simply just some reckless clown zipping out of there. Maybe GP will consider putting in something a little more sturdy moving forward. I will give props to GP for getting all over repairing the shed.

The video will tell the story. I think it was deliberate. Whoever did it burned rubber both ways, and departed into Detroit.

The roundabout works well for normal sized vehicles. The bus does not use it; it would destroy the curb over time.

I agree we should put in something more substantial. Like a Jersey barrier.

[Jason]

Now, except for a very few waterfront properties, it is just working class folks with lots [[their peaceful if boring lifestyle and the value of their largest/only investment, their house) to lose.

Yep all those low income retail and factory workers in Grosse Pointe. Even if by working class you mean middle class, the median household income in the US is $44,000. Out of the 12 Grosse Pointe census tracts, 9 have incomes over double the median. 7 of the census tracts have 6 figure incomes. For GPP in particular, 3 out of 4 tracts make six figures, and the median household income for all of GPP is about $100,000

If by "worked very hard and sacrificed for whatever they have" you mean that being born into top performing public schools, having your parents pay for college, having family connections that help land jobs, having a social network with experience managing personal finances and professional careers. There's a huge range of benefits to growing up and living in an affluent community.

I think a lot of the general resentment comes from many affluent people not acknowledging that their path to success was made easier by their circumstances, and by not viewing less well to do people with dignity. GPP is blatantly wealthy, and you're denying it saying it's working class [[which trivializes poorer household's actual financial struggles), and that people born into the ghetto would be making six figures too if it wasn't for their "lifestyle choices" [[which is dismissive of the roadblocks they face). You may have been provoking resentment yourself without intending to or realizing it.

[ABetterDetroit]

GPP stopped being Richville long ago! Anyone who could not deal with nearby economic and social diversity left for Northville, Macomb Twp or Commerce in years past. Or Dexter. Now, except for a very few waterfront properties, it is just working class folks with lots [[their peaceful if boring lifestyle and the value of their largest/only investment, their house) to lose. People here have for the most part worked very hard and sacrificed for whatever they have. Why is that so resented? Why not instead attack the GP-expats who bailed for Northville 10 years ago?

Attack who and why? Has that ever worked for any of us? Enough with the finger pointing.

[Bham1982]

I think a lot of the general resentment comes from many affluent people not acknowledging that their path to success was made easier by their circumstances, and by not viewing less well to do people with dignity. GPP is blatantly wealthy, and you're denying it saying it's working class [[which trivializes poorer household's actual financial struggles), and that people born into the ghetto would be making six figures too if it wasn't for their "lifestyle choices" [[which is dismissive of the roadblocks they face). You may have been provoking resentment yourself without intending to or realizing it.

And this kind of worldview is why living in the Pointes is a lot more difficult than living in other affluent areas. You have to deal with this constant finger-wagging from nearby folks in the hood, who essentially pick on the Pointes because it's close, when 90% of the metro area money decided to separate itself from blight.

If you live in Northville, no one will ask you to "justify" your residence, your ethnicity, your lifestyle, your worldview. For the Pointes, most outsiders have a view that is 50 years outdated [[rich WASPs) and they completely miss the fact that wealth has dispersed far from the old school wealthy areas. That's, in part, why former nothings like Northville and Oakland Twp. are now arguably more desirable than the Pointes.

[Gistok]

And this kind of worldview is why living in the Pointes is a lot more difficult than living in other affluent areas. You have to deal with this constant finger-wagging from nearby folks in the hood, who essentially pick on the Pointes because it's close, when 90% of the metro area money decided to separate itself from blight.

If you live in Northville, no one will ask you to "justify" your residence, your ethnicity, your lifestyle, your worldview. For the Pointes, most outsiders have a view that is 50 years outdated [[rich WASPs) and they completely miss the fact that wealth has dispersed far from the old school wealthy areas. That's, in part, why former nothings like Northville and Oakland Twp. are now arguably more desirable than the Pointes.

Do you think that folks in the Pointes who don't read DYES are spared that "finger wagging" from folks in the hood, as well as all the agony and regret for buying there that goes with it??

[TKshreve]

If by "worked very hard and sacrificed for whatever they have" you mean that being born into top performing public schools, having your parents pay for college, having family connections that help land jobs, having a social network with experience managing personal finances and professional careers. There's a huge range of benefits to growing up and living in an affluent community.

I think a lot of the general resentment comes from many affluent people not acknowledging that their path to success was made easier by their circumstances, and by not viewing less well to do people with dignity. GPP is blatantly wealthy, and you're denying it saying it's working class [[which trivializes poorer household's actual financial struggles), and that people born into the ghetto would be making six figures too if it wasn't for their "lifestyle choices" [[which is dismissive of the roadblocks they face). You may have been provoking resentment yourself without intending to or realizing it.

Actually in GP, parents force their children to perform at school. They actually take the time to follow up on their performance and assist their children when and where it is called for. If you bring home poor grades your folks will more often than not hold your personal life hostage until you start applying yourself. If you cut class, screw off, get involved with drugs, etc. there are consequences.

No, you can't get a tattoo across your knuckles or up your neck. Yes, you do need to learn advanced mathematics. How do you expect to be accepted into the business world if you cannot communicate effectively with other business people? Do not have children unless you can financially and emotionally support them properly. << Is what parents need to be saying to their children. But it's not happening on a regular basis.

Now when you do apply this concept onto the majority of the student population and you have a functioning, top performing school. That's not hard to grasp, is it? It all starts with the culture. You can't blame Detroit's woes on failing schools and littered streets. Those are simply symptoms. Fix the cultural cycles of social inept and you'll do far more than any blanket bomb of federal money that's ever been thrown to this region.

I will not deny the network one gains when raised in an affluent area. That is not debatable and your point stands.

I've been told by others on here that suggesting Detroit pick itself up by the bootstraps is not a viable solution. There is no grass roots effort to bring itself out of the ashes. I have to disagree wholeheartedly with such a notion. That's the best idea there is. Hard work and dedication is what makes a city. It's what makes a people who they are. Detroit has lots of people with the motivation and ability to do this. They just need more.

[Gpwrangler]

And this kind of worldview is why living in the Pointes is a lot more difficult than living in other affluent areas. You have to deal with this constant finger-wagging from nearby folks in the hood, who essentially pick on the Pointes because it's close, when 90% of the metro area money decided to separate itself from blight.

If you live in Northville, no one will ask you to "justify" your residence, your ethnicity, your lifestyle, your worldview. For the Pointes, most outsiders have a view that is 50 years outdated [[rich WASPs) and they completely miss the fact that wealth has dispersed far from the old school wealthy areas. That's, in part, why former nothings like Northville and Oakland Twp. are now arguably more desirable than the Pointes.

Worked hard for what I have. No one's going to ask me to justify my residence. The Pointes are plenty desirable as indicated by the degree of petty jealousy shown on here.

Worked two two jobs and went to college while others partied it up. I grew up poor so the silver spoon bullshit doesn't fly with me.

[cjd]

Originally Posted by Jason
If by "worked very hard and sacrificed for whatever they have" you mean that being born into top performing public schools, having your parents pay for college, having family connections that help land jobs, having a social network with experience managing personal finances and professional careers. There's a huge range of benefits to growing up and living in an affluent community.

I think a lot of the general resentment comes from many affluent people not acknowledging that their path to success was made easier by their circumstances, and by not viewing less well to do people with dignity.

Worked hard for what I have. No one's going to ask me to justify my residence. The Pointes are plenty desirable as indicated by the degree of petty jealousy shown on here.

Worked two two jobs and went to college while others partied it up. I grew up poor so the silver spoon bullshit doesn't fly with me.

So true gpwrangler. So many on here bash the GPs [[like Jason) but I have found the people [[at least in GPP) are wonderful, hard working, and down to earth. I grew up in another rough part of Michigan [[think Saginaw, Flint, or the like) and when I decided to move back from Chicago, I wanted to live in Detroit to make it better. But I couldn't justify the property taxes and the risk of crime for my ever growing family so I moved as close to it as I could without the property tax/crime burden-- to GPP-- without any preconceived notions of what GPP was. I didn't know anything about it and there was no thinking going in to it that my [[minority) family would have any problems.

And. we. didn't. have. a. single. problem. Never once got any funny looks or crossed eyes, whether in store in GPP, a friend's house in GPS, or in a restaurant on the Hill. Nor while riding our bikes through almost every neighborhood there is within the Pointes.

Like many others in the neighborhood, we worked , played, shopped, and volunteered in Detroit. My immediate neighbors in GPP were nurses, a professor, a seamstress, 4 teachers and a social security collector [[hardly uber-rich, hardly silver-spooners). None of them grew up here. Certainly none of them were "born into top performing public schools", "had family connections that help land jobs, had a social network with experience managing personal finances and professional careers," or the like. I only met a handful [[less than 15%) that grew up in this "affluent community." Almost everyone I know moved here for the family-centric community that was near their downtown jobs.

But again, it is really troubling to read the amount of bashing of the Pointes that goes on here. Based on my experience, the Pointers are some of the people that would most like to see Detroit succeed. Many contribute their tax money and, more importantly, their time trying to help make this happen. GPP is a vibrant community that is entirely family-centric with an over-emphasis on safety, parks, and cleanliness. More like what Detroit should be.

It's a shame so many here practice geographic elitism and socioeconomic antagonizing all the while claiming to be all-in for Detroit. Its not your hipster paradise but it is a viable, sustainable inner-ring suburb that contributes daily to the well-being of Detroit.

Just move forward.

[FlyOnTheWall]

That's the best idea there is. Hard work and dedication is what makes a city. It's what makes a people who they are. Detroit has lots of people with the motivation and ability to do this. They just need more.

They need more WHAT?

[ABetterDetroit]

They need more WHAT?

Money, Always has and always will be the very best tool in the box. I have vetted and compiled a list of some good charities that do good work in the D. It is rewarding when you give, are you with me this time fly?

[FlyOnTheWall]

Money, Always has and always will be the very best tool in the box. I have vetted and compiled a list of some good charities that do good work in the D. It is rewarding when you give, are you with me this time fly?

LOL Of course you would say that. I'm so happy that you simply laid it out so bluntly. Other people's money for Detroit is what you want. Michigan already spends more money per person in Detroit than any other place in Michigan.

You do realize that other places in Michigan are as poor or poorer than Detroit, don't you?

The town that I live in has approximately the same level of poverty [[percentage wise) as Detroit but no one is crying here at the level of Detroit. I wonder why that is.

Detroit has a median income of $25,193 and my town has a median income of $24,104. Guess which I'll work to improve. If it all the same with you, I'll support my town with my money and civic efforts rather than Detroit.

Since Detroit is wealthier than us, can we expect help from Detroit? Both Detroit and my town are poor but Detroit takes from us and gives nothing back. Do you think this is fair?

How about a serious answer, is it fair ABetterDetroit?

[TKshreve]

They need more WHAT?

They need more people. really.

But I was referring to more people who care about the well being of the city and who have the ability to make a difference. Cheerleaders and jaguar-driving charlatans don't move the needle. What does is caring involved parents. Honest politicians. A police force and gov't officials who reside within the city borders. School admin that care about the childrens' progress. And children who comprehend and value the importance of education, hard work and growth.

Right now it's just way too convenient to ignore and shun those responsibilities. That needs to change.

[TKshreve]

Money, Always has and always will be the very best tool in the box. I have vetted and compiled a list of some good charities that do good work in the D. It is rewarding when you give, are you with me this time fly?

Wow, money has been thrown at Detroit for decades now. The city made the decision to bring in casinos that robbed the poor and gave to the rich. City officials squandered every last red cent that was to be used for better purposes. The city couldn't manage its way out of a paper bag; what makes you think it could manage public pensions? A city council that would have a better shot at providing ROI if they had their own reality show.

You can't possibly think......... I'll just stop there. That sentence is adequate.

[FlyOnTheWall]

They need more people. really.

But I was referring to more people who care about the well being of the city and who have the ability to make a difference. Cheerleaders and jaguar-driving charlatans don't move the needle. What does is caring involved parents. Honest politicians. A police force and gov't officials who reside within the city borders. School admin that care about the childrens' progress. And children who comprehend and value the importance of education, hard work and growth.

Right now it's just way too convenient to ignore and shun those responsibilities. That needs to change.

I strongly agree with you. You nailed it.

[bailey]

August-21-14, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by bailey
RE: the agreement, Detroit agreeing to demo abandoned buildings and remedy blight from JEFFERSON TO MACK by November 2014? That is quite the promise. Basically prioritizing that stretch over every other area of Detroit starting today. When Detroit breaches that....then what?

Yeah, city government can only focus on one project at a time. Demoing structures in more-than-one area of the city at once is just some pie in the sky, Detroit-championing bullstuff. And anyone who believes that they might be able to do that needs to open their eyes to the reality of the situation. Duggan is just like Bing!!!!

Just bumping to point out that it's December, Detroit has done nothing on Alter, the sheds are still there and that Neavling is back at it with his typical biased tabloid hackery. Just for those who actually care about facts, Detroit had a rather lengthy list of things it needed to do"no later than November 2014" which it failed to do. Of course, not one mention of that.
http://motorcitymuckraker.com/2014/1...detroit-border

[Wesley Mouch]

Just bumping to point out that it's December, Detroit has done nothing on Alter, the sheds are still there and that Neavling is back at it with his typical biased tabloid hackery. Just for those who actually care about facts, Detroit had a rather lengthy list of things it needed to do"no later than November 2014" which it failed to do. Of course, not one mention of that.
http://motorcitymuckraker.com/2014/1...detroit-border

There are so many good people of all races out there. Why do we try so hard to separate ourselves from each other. I call for all racial discimination to end. I call for the end to all statistical beating up on each other on just exactly how many whites vs. blacks are this or that according to this or that biased survey. I call for an end to race mongering.

[bailey]

There are so many good people of all races out there. Why do we try so hard to separate ourselves from each other. I call for all racial discimination to end. I call for the end to all statistical beating up on each other on just exactly how many whites vs. blacks are this or that according to this or that biased survey. I call for an end to race mongering.

probably could begin by not ascribing racist motives to the construction of a cul du sac and a farmer's market/event space.

[G-DDT]

I was accused on this forum of seeing racism in GPP. Look buddy I lived there.
So I am not boxing at shadows here. Technically I have no stake in this as I am white but racism is plain out wrong. However I am a citizen of this world and deplore elitism. Living in a predominantly black community I get reverse racism on occasion, just as stupid, just as wrong.
That wall is an abomination.

No, you are not boxing at shadows. Seems folks have forgotten that there was a ruckus when East Detroit was renamed "East Pointe". Plus, it was well noted that cops had a code for pulling over African Americans "in the wrong area"; they called it "N.O.M.A.D." [[the nice version amounting to "Negro on Mack After Dark"). Never forget that.
Yeah, growing up on the west side, I've seen racism as existing on both sides. it is a two-way swinging door, but having traveled the country a bit, I've found it favors the white-side of things heavily. The arguments against what I just stated are weak over-emotive, reactionary tyraids with very little breadth of evidence or critical comparatives of the severity of the issues and facts as they are best laid-out to back it up. I know what it's like being a renter in a petty little 'burb, that tries to go out of it's way to prove it's something and is fortifying it's borders against "some menace" it doesn't clearly wish to address in the open.
Another thing: there was a whole different mentality of growing up in Detroit than in the suburbs. First, the fear kept us humble as kids. We never yelled threats/obscenities, hooted, or barked at anyone we drove by. The threat of violence from any source was all too real, and there really are some wound-up folks ready to snap [[See that guy dressed like a Mormon with hundred-dollar bills hanging out of his pocket whistling "Peer Gint" under a street lamp in the worst neighborhood in town? He's the safest guy in town. Because everyone knows he can be the next Bernie Goetz armed to the teeth, wishing someone would even ask him for the time.). In my travels, I see very safe, shiny, little spoiled brats bloated with boredom cruising around looking to yell at folks or throw things at them. I encountered it in all of my travels. Some times it builds up and goes unchecked; the kids get ugly and mobbish, jump out and attack a bunch of Amish or tie a poor black man to the back of a bumper after they set him on fire. Yet, this kind of thing almost never occurs within the actual "rotten" cities I've lived in.
Also, kids who grew up in Detroit were exposed to a family member, a friend, a neighbor, a friend of a neighbor, a family member of a friend, etc. wo had a drug issue. It made us wise as kids. The worst we did was grass. I never once did heroin or crack. Yet, almost every Grosse Pointe kid I met was a raging drug addict who's tried it all, and not one of them would ever turn down the opportunity if you stuck a mirror and a cut-up pen-casing under their nose. They come from spoiled materialistic divorced settings. I want to feel sorry for them, but they have to act like such cliqueishly, projective little a--holes. This may all be harsh things for me to say, but I don't feel anyone should devalue my constantly reoccurring experiences in these matters.

[G-DDT]

probably could begin by not ascribing racist motives to the construction of a cul du sac and a farmer's market/event space.

No, that construct is deliberate, and it's like something out of a stupid Simpsons episodes.

[Gpwrangler]

Just bumping to point out that Neavling is back at it with his typical biased tabloid hackery. Just for those who actually care about facts, Detroit had a rather lengthy list of things it needed to do"no later than November 2014" which it failed to do. Of course, not one mention of that.
http://motorcitymuckraker.com/2014/1...detroit-border

"Many residents" are not outraged that the sheds haven't been moved as Muckraker states.

[Wesley Mouch]

No, you are not boxing at shadows. Seems folks have forgotten that there was a ruckus when East Detroit was renamed "East Pointe". Plus, it was well noted that cops had a code for pulling over African Americans "in the wrong area"; they called it "N.O.M.A.D." [[the nice version amounting to "Negro on Mack After Dark"). Never forget that.
Yeah, growing up on the west side, I've seen racism as existing on both sides. it is a two-way swinging door, but having traveled the country a bit, I've found it favors the white-side of things heavily. The arguments against what I just stated are weak over-emotive, reactionary tyraids with very little breadth of evidence or critical comparatives of the severity of the issues and facts as they are best laid-out to back it up. I know what it's like being a renter in a petty little 'burb, that tries to go out of it's way to prove it's something and is fortifying it's borders against "some menace" it doesn't clearly wish to address in the open.
Another thing: there was a whole different mentality of growing up in Detroit than in the suburbs. First, the fear kept us humble as kids. We never yelled threats/obscenities, hooted, or barked at anyone we drove by. The threat of violence from any source was all too real, and there really are some wound-up folks ready to snap [[See that guy dressed like a Mormon with hundred-dollar bills hanging out of his pocket whistling "Peer Gint" under a street lamp in the worst neighborhood in town? He's the safest guy in town. Because everyone knows he can be the next Bernie Goetz armed to the teeth, wishing someone would even ask him for the time.). In my travels, I see very safe, shiny, little spoiled brats bloated with boredom cruising around looking to yell at folks or throw things at them. I encountered it in all of my travels. Some times it builds up and goes unchecked; the kids get ugly and mobbish, jump out and attack a bunch of Amish or tie a poor black man to the back of a bumper after they set him on fire. Yet, this kind of thing almost never occurs within the actual "rotten" cities I've lived in.
Also, kids who grew up in Detroit were exposed to a family member, a friend, a neighbor, a friend of a neighbor, a family member of a friend, etc. wo had a drug issue. It made us wise as kids. The worst we did was grass. I never once did heroin or crack. Yet, almost every Grosse Pointe kid I met was a raging drug addict who's tried it all, and not one of them would ever turn down the opportunity if you stuck a mirror and a cut-up pen-casing under their nose. They come from spoiled materialistic divorced settings. I want to feel sorry for them, but they have to act like such cliqueishly, projective little a--holes. This may all be harsh things for me to say, but I don't feel anyone should devalue my constantly reoccurring experiences in these matters.

So rich/poor, white/black, young/old.... we all have our pathologies. Let's help each other get over them, stop blaming others, and enforce the laws against violence. Let's not try to purge unpure thoughts from the minds of others. But educate and guide them.

[sumas]

The wall exists, didn't like it but it goes two ways. Asked my husband to switch doctors [[his doctor of 30 yrs ) now we have zero need to travel to burbs at all . Burbs are fine but really can't understand the pathology of hate Detroit.

[Dan Wesson]

No, you are not boxing at shadows. Seems folks have forgotten that there was a ruckus when East Detroit was renamed "East Pointe". Plus, it was well noted that cops had a code for pulling over African Americans "in the wrong area"; they called it "N.O.M.A.D." [[the nice version amounting to "Negro on Mack After Dark"). Never forget that.
Yeah, growing up on the west side, I've seen racism as existing on both sides. it is a two-way swinging door, but having traveled the country a bit, I've found it favors the white-side of things heavily. The arguments against what I just stated are weak over-emotive, reactionary tyraids with very little breadth of evidence or critical comparatives of the severity of the issues and facts as they are best laid-out to back it up. I know what it's like being a renter in a petty little 'burb, that tries to go out of it's way to prove it's something and is fortifying it's borders against "some menace" it doesn't clearly wish to address in the open.
Another thing: there was a whole different mentality of growing up in Detroit than in the suburbs. First, the fear kept us humble as kids. We never yelled threats/obscenities, hooted, or barked at anyone we drove by. The threat of violence from any source was all too real, and there really are some wound-up folks ready to snap [[See that guy dressed like a Mormon with hundred-dollar bills hanging out of his pocket whistling "Peer Gint" under a street lamp in the worst neighborhood in town? He's the safest guy in town. Because everyone knows he can be the next Bernie Goetz armed to the teeth, wishing someone would even ask him for the time.). In my travels, I see very safe, shiny, little spoiled brats bloated with boredom cruising around looking to yell at folks or throw things at them. I encountered it in all of my travels. Some times it builds up and goes unchecked; the kids get ugly and mobbish, jump out and attack a bunch of Amish or tie a poor black man to the back of a bumper after they set him on fire. Yet, this kind of thing almost never occurs within the actual "rotten" cities I've lived in.
Also, kids who grew up in Detroit were exposed to a family member, a friend, a neighbor, a friend of a neighbor, a family member of a friend, etc. wo had a drug issue. It made us wise as kids. The worst we did was grass. I never once did heroin or crack. Yet, almost every Grosse Pointe kid I met was a raging drug addict who's tried it all, and not one of them would ever turn down the opportunity if you stuck a mirror and a cut-up pen-casing under their nose. They come from spoiled materialistic divorced settings. I want to feel sorry for them, but they have to act like such cliqueishly, projective little a--holes. This may all be harsh things for me to say, but I don't feel anyone should devalue my constantly reoccurring experiences in these matters.

Here is a post that I like very much. A whole lot of truth and insight that I can attest to based on my similar experiences.

[DetroitBoy]

I don't understand what the big deal is with these sheds. It isn't as if they block out the ghetto. GP has already turned that way. There are houses on Wayburn in GPP selling for 25k. A couple of others went for 30k this summer. Just across the border on Wayburn in Detroit you can pick up one for 3K so look for the rest of the Park to follow quickly. The city was so desperate they were even offering subsidized rents to college students to try to keep the neighborhood from tanking completely. My mother shrieked "GOOD LORD! Subsidized rent in Grosse Pointe! " when she heard that news from one of her friends still in the Park.

No one from Detroit should be concerned about those sheds. Those sheds are for the people in the Pointes living in a world in their minds that is long gone. Crime, murders and declining home values can't be ignored. There is no wall except in peoples' heads.

Detroiters: The border is wide open so come on down!