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