Arts, Beats & Eats is moving to Royal Oak

DetroitPole · August-17-10, 01:04 PM

Originally Posted by gnome

I never understand how some people even consider Detroit to be anything other than a large collection of suburban-style neighborhoods. Front yard, back yard and house in-between. That is not an urban environment. Detroit does have a small handful of areas that have the same urban style housing density that Chicago or New York has ... places like the southern end of Palmer Park, a block or two on the Indian Village fringe, near Wayne State and downtown ... maybe a one or two others ... but look at Rosedale Park, the Airport Sub, Berry sub, Indian Village, Green Acres, Sherwood Forrest ... all single family homes with a couple of duplexes here and there. Just like Grosse Pointe Park, Birmingham, RO and Trenton.

To claim that Detroit has the kind of vast swaths of housing stock that typifies places like Chicago's Wicker Park, Rodgers Park, Boys Town, Lincoln Park ... strains credulity. I love Detroit but I ain't buying anyone's claim that the majority of its housing is urban.

That is why it is a head scratcher when dipshits spew their urban palming 101 textbook hooey that a place like RO isn't a "city" because it has lawns. Get real. One of detroit's previous claims to fame was that it had more single family houses than anywhere in America. It served as proof that the Union movement and Union wages built a solid middle class. Where a sheet metal stamper could own his own home. Raise his kids, grow some tomatoes and live in peace.

That's Detroit. That is what it promised and you see that promise in the tattered remains of those once proud neighborhoods. Neighborhoods, not superblocks like on Roosevelt Island in NYC.

Moreover to piss on RO is to piss on the dream of owning your own place and having a place to raise your kids and your tomatoes. RO or Ferndale or Birmingham didn't spring to reality in the fall of 1967. Those places where almost entirely built out by 1960, Ferndale [[ originally called UrbanRest) by 1940. And they were built using the exact same plan that Detroit used: front yard, back yard and a house in-between.

I ain't no RO fan, but for a vibrant vibe ... I'll stack RO against Greek 1/2 block any day of the week.

The reality is that ABE exists because not everyone in the world is jazz fan and not everyone loves the drama that comes with going to Detroit. Detroit takes work to love. You have to blind yourself to all of its shittyness or you leave. The garrish paint jobs on party stores, the tagging, the bums, the trash, the store signage that SCREAMS AND SCREAMS AND SCREAMS. It is obnoxious.

Go to Birmingham and all of their benches, sign posts, newspaper boxes, parking meters ... everything is painted green. Nothing clashes, it is harmonious; store signage can't be too large, can't flash, ... the result is that it is easy to chill in that town. You want to park and shop? You can park for FREE for the first two hours in one of the parking decks, same for RO. That makes life easy. In Detroit you're at the mercy of parking meter sharks and $3.00 minimums in the decks.

jeeze

And I'm constantly amazed by people who try to base Detroit's urbanity on its housing stock.

Virtually every neighborhood in Detroit is connected to a retail/commercial corridor with businesses that open directly onto the sidewalk. This is not true for virtually all the suburbs.

It is easy to overlook this because there is next-to-nothing left of these neighborhood retail corridors in terms of occupancy. You get a pretty good picture of it in Southwest Detroit though. Sorry, nothing suburban about it.

However the retail that SE Michigan seems to prefer is the hideous sprawl that is Hall Road, or one of our dozens of unsupportable malls. Also certainly it is hard to maintain a business even with inches of bulletproof glass when you get held up on a fairly regular basis.

**luckycar** · December-13-09, 08:08 AM

gnome nails it.These old sprawl towns,RO,Ferndale,Farmington and yes even Pontiac,were cities just like Detroit back in the day.They were mini-Detroits with their own industries,schools,shopping districts and in Pontiacs case,a bus service.There are people on this site whose forefathers and mothers came to this area and never lived in Detroit.But we do want Detroit to suceed,to have good schools,have its citizens literate and productive.And I do want the same for Pontiac,which has all of Detroits problems.ABE was almost all we had and they screwed it up big time.,to get back on subject.

**Thames** · December-17-09, 10:07 PM

Great post gnome

**Hypestyles** · August-16-10, 07:08 PM

interesting, at least one person will protest the recent decision to allow open-gun-toting at the festival..

http://www.freep.com/article/2010081...ot-gun-at-fest

what trips me out is, this event isn't even in urban detroit, and the Soccer-Dad Police-Auxiliary still feel justified in loading for bear..

LodgeDodger · August-16-10, 09:25 PM

I love Royal Oak. I would move there in a second if I could. I was thrilled to learn ABE was moving to RO. I don't care for Pontiac.

I can't wait to see the Howling Diablos and Thornetta Davis. YEAH!

**Zacha341** · August-16-10, 09:47 PM

Howling and TD do make me want to go! Nice music!!!

Originally Posted by LodgeDodger

I love Royal Oak. I would move there in a second if I could. I was thrilled to learn ABE was moving to RO. I don't care for Pontiac.

I can't wait to see the Howling Diablos and Thornetta Davis. YEAH!

**fryar** · August-16-10, 10:01 PM

At least it should mean a nice overtime payoff for the RO police, as they will be obliged to redouble their efforts at the festival in order to make sure nobody suffers an alcohol-induced heat stroke and starts something. On the other hand, it should mean fewer people will be in attendance, what with all of the gun-toting, which may even out the need for more officers. In case I haven't made it clear, no way in hell would I volunteer the go hang around a place full of gun-toting people.

Royal Oak, it's the perfect place to raise your nuclear family!

**Zacha341** · August-16-10, 10:19 PM

LOL! That photo is a riot! Nice youth model Bantam 20 G 500 Mossberg pump the teen girl is holding! No wait that a full sizer!

Originally Posted by fryar

At least it should mean a nice overtime payoff for the RO police, as they will be obliged to redouble their efforts at the festival in order to make sure nobody suffers an alcohol-induced heat stroke and starts something. On the other hand, it should mean fewer people will be in attendance, what with all of the gun-toting, which may even out the need for more officers. In case I haven't made it clear, no way in hell would I volunteer the go hang around a place full of gun-toting people.

Royal Oak, it's the perfect place to raise your nuclear family!

**dtowncitylover** · August-16-10, 10:35 PM

YAY!! GUNS!!! For Royal Oak residents, let me apologize for the stupid decision that the City Commission has taken.

**Searay215** · August-17-10, 07:56 AM

Originally Posted by dtowncitylover

YAY!! GUNS!!! For Royal Oak residents, let me apologize for the stupid decision that the City Commission has taken.

Personally I think this is a lot about nothing....I would imagine that you may not even see anyone carrying. What about all the youths that are carrying illegal under their shirts? I am guessing nothing will happen. Every day you encounter someone who is carrying, and are not aware of it.
Go have some fun, and ignore the all the "chicken littles" who claim that it will be like the Ok Coral.

**jackie5275** · August-17-10, 10:45 AM

Originally Posted by Searay215

Personally I think this is a lot about nothing....I would imagine that you may not even see anyone carrying. What about all the youths that are carrying illegal under their shirts? I am guessing nothing will happen. Every day you encounter someone who is carrying, and are not aware of it.
Go have some fun, and ignore the all the "chicken littles" who claim that it will be like the Ok Coral.

I wonder what will be said if something does happen.

DC48080 · August-17-10, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by Searay215

Personally I think this is a lot about nothing....I would imagine that you may not even see anyone carrying. What about all the youths that are carrying illegal under their shirts? I am guessing nothing will happen. Every day you encounter someone who is carrying, and are not aware of it.
Go have some fun, and ignore the all the "chicken littles" who claim that it will be like the Ok Coral.

You are absolutely correct. I am much more concerned about the thug who is carrying a firearm illegally under his shirt than I am about a trained law-abiding citizen who is carrying.

Just who do these people think is the bigger threat here? People say that there shouldn't be guns at a "family event". That may be true, but the criminals don't follow the same logic with their illegal weapons.

Remember, they don't just hand out CCW permits for the asking. You have to take classes and learn when you can and cannot use a weapon in order to get a permit.

**gazhekwe** · August-17-10, 07:45 AM

Too bad. I was thinking of going to see how it works there, but now, I think I will stay home and play music and put up some 'cue on my own.

**Johnlodge** · August-17-10, 07:54 AM

Note that many of these same people citing the 14th amendment as gospel protecting their federal gun rights in this instance over any local municipalities' ordinance will be first in line trying to have the citizenship clause of that very same amendment changed in the upcoming debate.

**Detroitej72** · August-17-10, 08:28 AM

Originally Posted by Johnlodge

Note that many of these same people citing the 14th amendment as gospel protecting their federal gun rights in this instance over any local municipalities' ordinance will be first in line trying to have the citizenship clause of that very same amendment changed in the upcoming debate.

I'd have to agree. How many tea-baggers do you think have those "out of my cold dead hands" stickers on their cars, yet are at the same time crying for a repeal of the automatic citizenship for anyone born here.

**DetroitScooter** · August-17-10, 09:58 AM

I'll avoid the rant, but we are considering NOT going to AE&B because of this, mostly to send a message that potential constitutional topics like this need to be addressed in the courts and not on a city's legal tab. As I understand, the city council folded because they didn't want to jeopardize the entire event being called off due to a legal threat.

The hubbub reminds me of the recent "pot warehouse" unanimous decision, made no doubt to "protect" the neighborhoods and children from the evils of Mary Jane". I'll tell you what, there is more pot in and around Royal Oak than there probably has ever been, and it's all unregulated, untaxed trade, easily accessible to people of any age. Thank God that the evil weed isn't available to those who medically require it via a complex and regulated professional supply system.

**oldredfordette** · August-17-10, 11:35 AM

It's times like this that I begin to seriously investigate retiring to another country. Americans are so stupid, so frightened of their shadow, that they have to carry guns to a friggin arts festival. Lord have mercy. There is no fixing that kind of stupid.

**Detroitnerd** · August-17-10, 11:37 AM

So, let me get this straight.

Quite a few of the people who attend ABE are the same ones who decry Detroit as like the "Wild West."

The festival used to be in Pontiac, which also has a similarly rough reputation.

But once they move it to Royal Joke, everybody's gotta ammo up?

I don't get it.

**JJD** · August-17-10, 12:23 PM

I know of a guy [[friend of friend) who was hospitalized for a mental disorder in the past, yet had no issue getting a CCW/CPL. I reiterate that the class / background check in no way insure that 99.99999% of licensed carrier are responsible or intelligent. I believe many are, but they are not the ones I am concerned with.

**BagAJellyDonuts** · August-17-10, 03:48 PM

That the legislature failed to see a loophole when they wrote and passed a CCW law has been found and exploited. Now if any elected representative decides to make a stand against their mistake, the NRA lobby will hound them.

IMO, this will "kill" the festival. The move to Royal Oak was a mistake to begin with. Now people will have a reason to tell themselves to stay away.

**maxx** · August-17-10, 04:54 PM

Yes, just what are all those red-blooded gun-toters planning to do with their firearms at the festival?
Shoot any bad guys while leaving everyone else unscathed? They've been watching too many Dirty Harry movies.

**daddeeo** · August-17-10, 07:08 PM

Amazing how offended these people are when their constitutional rights are abused but when someone else has their rights abused they are no where to be found.
Just a bunch of hypocritical blow hards who want to show off what big men they are.

**daddeeo** · August-18-10, 09:47 AM

Even Brooks Patterson has chimed in on this subject against the gun toters.
He's afraid his "baby" will take a hit with a boycott.
The gun lobby say he's talking nonsense and it wouldn't be the first time.
However, when Brooks [[who is as conservative as they come) thinks
something is a bad idea you have to pay attention.

**piczka** · August-18-10, 11:16 AM

Arts, Beats and Heats!

**R8RBOB** · August-18-10, 11:32 AM

I have never been to ABE and I doubt that I will ever attend. I have seen what happens when a little bit of drink, a little bit of swagger and a little bit of ego can do when it comes to a guy and his gun and the idea of yahoos walking around with guns on their hips concerns me.