Is Lincoln Park officially a ghetto?

[Bham1982]

If that logic is followed it must have been a government sanctioned and enforced public policy that so many Arab immigrants live in Dearborn.

That makes no sense. There was no redlining of Arab Americans. East Dearborn wasn't even heavily Arab during that era.

They were renters, but that didn't stop them from taking care to maintain the property and keep it clean and presentable to anyone who happened to stray through the neighborhood from some other part of town.

These sorts of silly anecdotes are almost certainly inaccurate and irrelevant. "MY ancestors were the thrifty, hardworking ones who learned fluent English on Day 1 and built this region from nothing."

[aj3647]

If that logic is followed it must have been a government sanctioned and enforced public policy that so many Arab immigrants live in Dearborn.

Is Dearborn a ghetto? Arabs are not the ethnic majority in Dearborn. They aren't even the plurality. White people are. It's 41.7% Arab and about 47% whites of non-Arab ancestry [[2010 Census data). Nice try though. A for effort.

Of course it had white people in it; they were my grandparents. When they arrived on the scene Americans then were just like Americans now: "What are those foreigners doing here? They're probably gonna take my job for less pay and put me out in the street. You can't trust them immigrants, anyhow. They can't even speak the American language."

Those immigrants lived in the same neighborhood because they were familiar with each other and they learned the acceptable "American" language together. They looked out for one another and took care of one another. Hardly any of them owned the house they lived in. They were renters, but that didn't stop them from taking care to maintain the property and keep it clean and presentable to anyone who happened to stray through the neighborhood from some other part of town.

Never said Black Bottom was 100% black, just like Hamtramck wasn't 100% Polish, now was it??? But of course, you didn't feel the need to distinguish that Hamtramck had residents other than Poles when you were making your "clean white ghetto vs filthy black ghetto" argument, but thanks for pointing that out for Black Bottom.

Tell me Turkey, what happened to your white grandparents after Black Bottom was demolished? Were they relocated by the city to Brewster Douglas and Jeffries Housing projects like the black residents were? Something tells me that they weren't. Call it a hunch. Again, like to reiterate that the black residents were heavily funneled into public housing projects BY THE CITY, but yeah, government doesn't help create ghettos, not at all.

[dtowncitylover]

Why would anyone call Hamtramck a "Polish ghetto"?!?!?! That's crazy [[and really in poor taste considering WW2)! I've never heard that before. At its peak it was a Polish enclave. A Polish neighborhood. NEVER a ghetto. Some people like to twist words.

[carolcb]

It is never good to call someone's neighborhood a ghetto unless you are an archeologist or within some scholarly work. Regular conversation or text, it is a put down. And some of my neighbors from back in the day - whose extended family, primarily the women, never spoke a word of English ....well guess who is all about "these people who don't speak English". How quickly they forget, and it is nothing but racism on her part. Or maybe because she is a Republican, the rules don't pertain to her, kind of like our president's view of everything. We are all immigrants here.

[aj3647]

It is never good to call someone's neighborhood a ghetto unless you are an archeologist or within some scholarly work. Regular conversation or text, it is a put down. And some of my neighbors from back in the day - whose extended family, primarily the women, never spoke a word of English ....well guess who is all about "these people who don't speak English". How quickly they forget, and it is nothing but racism on her part. Or maybe because she is a Republican, the rules don't pertain to her, kind of like our president's view of everything. We are all immigrants here.

Same with my European ancestors. My Great Grandmother got off the boat from Europe and didn't speak a word of English when she arrived in the United States. And guess what else? She never learned English while she was here. Oh, she picked up bits and pieces, enough to be able to work as a maid. But she most certainly never became fluent or anything close to it.

It's been my experience that a lot of white people believe in revisionist family history bullshit. "Oh my ancestors were on the Mayflower", "I'm 1/16th Native American", shit like that. Or Turkey guy's belief that his ancestors got off the boat from the Motherland and were speaking fluent English not long after. It's actually extremely difficult to learn a new language as an adult and doubly so back then when there weren't ESL classes or computer programs or even television to help teach the language to foreign speakers.

Look at Elizabeth Warren. She was probably told from a young age by her family that she had Native American blood and she just believed it, without evidence, because it made her feel "special." A lot of people do that. They just believe whatever they've been told about their family tree without question, especially if it makes them feel "special" in some way.

I think most people don't want to face the unpleasant truth that what they've likely been told about their family history is probably not accurate and has been "dressed up" over the generations to make it sound way better than it is.

[Ray1936]

It's been my experience that a lot of white people believe in revisionist family history bullshit. "Oh my ancestors were on the Mayflower", "I'm 1/16th Native American", shit like that.

Traced my lineage back to the Mayflower in 1620. Fully documented. Perhaps I am supposed to be ashamed of that........or do as I do and just take curiosity satisfaction in it? And if Liz Warren wants to claim lineage to Sacagawea or Pocahontas or Hiawatha, it's okay with me, and I hope she does indeed find a connection for her personal satisfaction.

[Dumpling]

Long after all of my identifications solidified I learned that
one of my ancestors who migrated to Michigan from the Albany
area of New York whose last name was DeGarmo was descended
from one Frenchman who was called De Garmeux after a
chateau in France. He married into the colonial Dutch of New York
so the DNA test should show Dutch while the lineage looks French.

There are many overlapping large families from the colonial
era in the United States. Some do have Native American
forebears, not that that makes too much difference, since most
of us didn't keep the traditions, religions and languages alive
to any great extent. Except, who knows, Thanksgiving, which
is for anyone who wants to observe it.

[aj3647]

Traced my lineage back to the Mayflower in 1620. Fully documented.

Good for you, Ray! How's that working out for ya? Maybe that fact and a $1.50 will get you a cup of coffee. But anyways, I'm sure your personal anecdote rings true for all and every person who has ever claimed to hold royal ancestry or had an ancestor on the Mayflower has done their due diligence and fully researched their genealogy as you claim to have done and aren't just mindlessly spouting whatever their parents and grandparents told them as kids. And of course while today's lazy immigrant freeloaders REFUSE to learn English, *my* European ancestors got off the boat and were speaking fluent English just weeks later! It's true I tells ya!

[Zacha341]

Great. Let the angst begin!

[Dumpling]

Well this thread is getting away from the original topic of
Lincoln Park going downhill...but about Mayflower descendants...

https://familyhistorydaily.com/genea...w-to-find-out/

You don't see Mayflower Descendants this or Mayflower Descendants
that in every other headline...so they are just living their regular
daily lives out there mostly in the United States probably. Several
history books have been written about various "American Nations"
of which there are an estimated nine or eleven; of the "Nations"
from England there are considered to be four: "Mayflower Nation"
or Yankees; the Virginians; the Scots-Irish backcountry settlers;
and the Plain People aka the Quakers aka the Friends [[whose
school in Detroit has not seen recent use and is about to be
demolished to make way for new downtown housing).

[Dumpling]

Today Bridge has this rather bad news about Lincoln Park and
Ecorse - that these two communities currently have the highest
rates of deaths drug overdose in Michigan.

Reading the article closely does show some positive changes that
might be made.

https://www.bridgemi.com/children-fa...-street-opioid

[Colombian Dan]

I attended Kindergarden at Layafette elementary school [[the original) in LP. Mrs. Hall was my teacher.. she was also my dad's Kindergarden teacher too... My grandfather moved from Carson street in Detroit to Lincoln park [[Reo street) in 1927. Many of the Marathon refinery homes were relocated to Lincoln Park. Lots of history and memories. We lived on Arlington. Anyone remember Al's garage on Arlington? Al's garage was located in the middle of a residential neighborhood that repaired cars. Had the old pits not hoists. My brother and I, routinely would walk to Al's and just hang out watching Al and his mechanics fix cars. A Hungarian handyman by the name of Julius who fled the Communists in the 1950s was very popular in LP through the 1970s. The original aluminum siding which Julius installed is still on my grandparents house [[now owned by a Mexican family) on Reo. LP was always divided between the wealthier south ..i.e. Emmons Blvd and the more working class north. Overall LP is a good city.

[Ray1936]

Sixty years ago I was courting my to-be wife in Allen Park. I thought AP and Lincoln Park were absolutely beautiful at the time. Fortunately, we married and ended up in Las Vegas. Thank you, Lord.

You figure out what I'm trying to say.

[Former_Detroiter]

Sixty years ago I was courting my to-be wife in Allen Park. I thought AP and Lincoln Park were absolutely beautiful at the time. Fortunately, we married and ended up in Las Vegas. Thank you, Lord.

You figure out what I'm trying to say.

3 Cheers for the Southwest...Santa Fe, NM here...

[Ray1936]

3 Cheers for the Southwest...Santa Fe, NM here...

Where's the 'like' button on this darn thread?

[Dumpling]

Hope your pink cloud of happiness continues for you and your wife, Ray!

[MicrosoftFan]

Back to the original topic of Lincoln Park and Downriver communities... I think one of the least-discussed stories about Downriver is that it is quickly becoming more Hispanic. Communities such as Melvindale and Lincoln Park already have significant Hispanic populations. The next city to receive an influx will be Southgate, and then onto Brownstown. Apartment complexes in Brownstown, Woodhaven, and Taylor have relatively large Hispanic minorities. More Mexican restaurants are opening in Northern Allen Park and Southgate. Melnap and LP Schools are heading towards a Hispanic majority in the next decade, with Riverview and Southgate having more Hispanic students as well. Overall I don't think it's a bad thing for the area- and it's certainly a good thing for the aging communities of LP and Melvindale.

Long term: LP and Melvindale rebound slightly, Southgate also becomes more diverse, Brownstown continues to grow, and Woodhaven's 70s housing stock turns over to young families. Trenton continues to age and decrease in population. Wyandotte's downtown continues to drive population growth as it is an attractive destination for young professionals who work downtown but want to live in the suburbs. More millenials buy starter homes in AP and many choose to stay there. Who knows what happens to Taylor.

[Danny]

So far Lincoln Park's Downtown is no town. Does not matter if their business district on Southfield Rd. and Fort St. is all spruced up. It's L.P. is not a ghetto hood, just bedroom closet community that has the police to hood folks from Detroit, River Rouge and Ecorse out.