Printable View
I get so tired of all the negative conversations, stories, rumors, lies, half-truths, articles and even threads about "our" city. Like it needs more of that!
What can we say today about Detroit that is positive and uplifting.
Today I affirm that people CARE about this city and the metro detroit area!
I will be toasting the completion of the Woodward Light Rail - New Starts Grant application today at a local coffee shop with a fellow DDOT friend.
That, my friend, is the best of news
Miz,
If people didn't care, this place would be a WHOLE lot worse.
It is exactly those who choose to stay and work for better that make Detroit the treasure that it really is, in the midst of what the world might see as hopelessness and despair and devastation and destruction.
That doesn't lessen the pain I feel each time I reach for a tool and remember the fellow who decided it was OK to smash my window and grab my toolbox last month. It DOES help me realize why I felt wrong considering moving to the suburbs when my world was so turned upside down a few months back.
We need to take the bad with the good, if we ignore the former we will not be able to fully appreciate the latter. [[in much the same way that not a one of us appreciates our health until we've gotten over a good flu attack, I just spent a day fighting off one and am overjoyed today to breathe and not have any head, neck, and back pain from clogged lymph nodes)
I also affirm that this town will show the world that we are resilient even in the face of overwhelming negative forces against us, both from within and without the city limits! It is mind-boggling to me when the next wave of hard luck comes our way, or how deeply rooted the political corruption really is.
I am not surprised to see the media spotlight on us, and hope they are able to search out the same glimmers of hope, love, forgiveness, and FREEDOM that me and my friends all share. Any light they shine on goodness will allow it to grow...but we need to face the weeds so WE can root them out.
Enough of my Chauncey Gardener wisdom...cheers and more, thanks for starting this thread!
Much love,
John
The Spirit of Detroit is real...where 'he' is there is liberty [[freedom).
Sorry Miz....ask the firefighters who were running all night in NE Detroit where an arsonist was burning buildings and homes, one by one...Quote:
Originally Posted by MizMotown
The sad thing about that is, he/she probably lives in the same neighborhood where the fires are being set and could care less about being positive and uplifting.
All we're saying, Buy, is to focus on the good...those firefighters who risk their lives for us...and not give too much attention to the arsonist, other than to plan their capture.
I know what you're saying Gannon....it's hard to focus on the "good" and think "positive" and be "uplifting" when it comes to Detroit with all this crap going on....AND, when you have family members and friends and sons and daughters of co-workers out there night after night...and for what? As far as capturing them, that's a joke. An arsonist a few weeks ago firebomed the same house 4 or 5 times in one night....after the second time why wasn't someone staking out that house? It's not rocket science to figure out what's coming next. Sorry, it's hard for me to be positive....Detroit is my hometown, I love it but hate what it's become.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gannon
A good thread, with the phrases "Quo Vadis" and "God Did It" flanking both sides of the top of the page.
It makes you think.
In another thread we are talking about how Detroit is the center of yet another "worsts" poll, with those laughing at Detroit and talking about how bad it must be to be Detroit.
Then in another thread we have much more coherent conversation about the mess at Cobo, and how the rest of the country [[possibly world) is about to go through, in affect, the same thing Detroit did.
It makes me wonder; are these people and cities who are laughing at Detroit, comparable to the heart laughing at the lungs for having cancer?
With that in mind, I am very excited about all the developments that still seem to be going forward, despite the poor economy. I, like DCM am also very excited about the light rail line, and coming transit that should follow. More importantly, I'm very excited every time we get a new forumer here on DYES, and anytime someone from the upcoming generation shows interest in the city. Who knows what these individuals will be contributing in the future?
I will take a page from several other posters and send hugs.
Shit does happen here but I don't like to feed the trolls. Same shit happens in the burbs. It just isn't televised. Does anyone know that when Lakeside Mall opened a security guard was murdered? That never hit the news.
Oops, I am trying to be positive. I remember a book that was published years ago, entitled, When bad things happen to good people. Great title, stupid book!
One definite positive is that there is a new mayor in town which means a new day has begun. Perhaps with this change in leadership, more positives may be on the horizon.
I do hope though people here can differentiate between outright bashing and criticism. If you are critical, you are identifying problems, and suggesting solutions, hopefully based on reliable facts. I can agree there is a lot of city bashing but only focusing on the positive is also creating a false reality of the city.
Thank you to those who can see the vision in this thread. I hope we can keep it going because there are definitely alot of things to be positive about.
All we're saying, Buy, is to focus on the good...those firefighters who risk their lives for us...and not give too much attention to the arsonist, other than to plan their capture. :-)
[[affirmed)
I also affirm that many families who deserve much needed assistance find that help today and can remain in peace knowing their family is safe and taken care of.
Believe me, I was once very positive about Detroit. I worked for the City of Detroit, was proud of what I did. As I have said in many of my posts before, I love Detroit, it's my hometown....I just don't like what its' become...AND I don't see any bright lights at the end of any tunnel either. Until something can be done about the drugs and dealers, gangs and corruption in City Hall, not much is going to change. Felons are appointed, appointees are stealing, politicians are raping and pillaging...are there any roll models for a young person in Detroit to follow? I don't think so. Someone, and I don't know who that someone could be, needs to go in and clean Detroit from the top where all the fat is, down to the bottom. Honesty and integrity is non-existent. It seems to me that when money is made readily available for any elected official, whether it be for the City of Detroit or DPS, they just take it. Then, the hide behind all the preachers and clergy with storefront churches when they are caught. The sad part about that is that the residents continually give these thieves first, second and third chances. Why?Quote:
Originally Posted by sumas
I have never said there is no crime in the suburbs, but there is absolutely no comparison in any stretch of the imagination that it equals Detroit. To say it's not publicized or televised is irresponsible. To mention a murder at Lakeside in 1976 is irresponsible. Show me statistics that come close to Detroit's crime rate and maybe I'll agree with you, but until then, don't tell me the same shit happens in the burbs.
MizMotown, I agree with you. I have a saying, It's not seeing is believing, it's the other way around, believing is seeing. If you believe there are good people and good things happening around you, that's exactly what you will see. I believe in the bright future of metro Detroit.
Declare not to be true a thing that seems true. It's important to not let the 'seemingly' bad outweigh the good.
Affirm anything is to assert positively that it is so, even in the face of all contrary evidence.
We speak the word, we confidently affirm, but we have nothing to do with the 'establishing' of the word, or bringing it to pass. -H. Emilie Cady
:o
I've been in Texas for over 20 years and still have my "accent"! I'm very proud of the way I talk and Texans think it's sexy!
As to the suburbs, generally I think plenty of suburbanites have a hand in Detroit's corruption and crime. Why poo poo in your own yard when you can do it in you neighbor's with no consequence or retribution? Sadly, a state takeover of Detroit may be the only thing that will truly end much of the madness. What does amaze me is that even with all the FBI digging and publicity from the rest of the nation, no one can seem t o figure out what the problem is.Quote:
Originally Posted by Buy American
Something tells me BuyAmerican and some others have a better idea than most, which might be why they are so melancholy.
BuyAmerican, it has been said that some of the changes in view between the young and old [[around here) seems to be in that the young have never seen Detroit better than it's worst, so to them the recent improvements make Detroit look pretty good. It is very hard for young people to imagine Detroit with twice it's population, where everything was perfect.
The comments on some posts here, about how great Detroit used to be, always strike me as odd. If Detroit was so great.... why did everyone leave?
It seems that we often resent the present. I'm not sure if it was actually better back then, or if our elder's memories are really of a past full of nostalgia for a past that was actually resented at the time. Either Detroit was never that perfect, or it was a case of not knowing what one had until they gave it all away. It's funny how NO ONE ever seems to admit that they gave the Detroit of the past up, they blame everyone around them, and they "ended up just fighting the times", or so they say. But, whatever Detroit of yesteryear was or was not, they/we did give it all away, didn't they/we?
Back in the 1800s Milton Hershey wanted to go beyond caramels and make a milk chocolate bar. He tried his own formulations, but it wasn't quite the mellow, smooth taste of European chocolate. So he went to the European confection capitals of the world and asked if he could tour their factories. They said, NO! They weren't about to just give this Yank their trade secrets. So, Hershey went back to PA and started developing own his milk chocolate bar. He got the process by trial-and-error, but one element was lacking. He couldn't figure out how to keep the milk from going sour during the process. Even today, many people from other countries will remark that the Hershey bar tastes a bit sour, compared to, say, a Cadbury. But that is the unique quality of Hershey bars and kisses that make them so special. What did we do when the Japanese wanted to develop their car business? We just handed it to them. Then, American cars started looking like Japanese cars! Even now, it's hard to tell them apart. Sad. Why are we, as a country, so willing to shoot ourselves in the foot? I don't understand this death wish we seem to have as a country, not just Detroit. Strange how we used to make everything, and we were dependent on no one. That gave us freedom. Now, we're dependent on OPEC and China, and we'd better be nice to them, because our existence depends on them??? They have the energy and manufacturing we used to have. There is only so much Detroit can do as a city; MI needs to be on board in its recovery. As for me, I left because Texas was an attractive places for businesses to start-up or move, and there were jobs going begging for people. And, I had a free place to live, with relatives. If you are anti-business, you must be anti-jobs, too. Taxing businesses is a horrible way for gov'ts to raise funds. They pass it on to consumers, and eventually, like Comerica, they'll leave. Reverse that trend, and you're on your way. Seems to me that lifting Detroit up requires the heavy lifting of voting out the crooks that run the city. And there's a lot more than just one or two.
You are right about me and others being meloncholy about what Detroit has become. When I speak of the love I had for Detroit, this goes back to the 40's, 50's and part of the 60's; after those years, the decline began. Detroit was better back then. Detroit was far from perfect, but it was a great city with a crowded downtown, a crowded Belle Isle and safe schools where kids actually learned a thing or two, where kids respected their teachers, where kids never EVER thought of disrespecting a teacher, let alone attacking one.Quote:
Originally Posted by DetroitDad
Lives were pretty simple then. Neighbors knew each other, people were friendly and were always there with a helping hand should you need it. There were no vacant homes on any street where I lived or in my neighborhood. Kids could play outside until the street lights came on and no one worried about a drive by shooting or a firebomb coming through a window or a stray bullet hitting a sleeping baby in a crib. There were no drug dealers that I ever saw...I'm sure they existed, but we never saw them on street corners in my neighborhood. You could take a bus or a street car anywhere in the City. Adults and children respected the police. Services from the City were pretty good. These are not dreams of mine, these are actual happenings.
Buying a small little bungalow in NE Detroit, working for Detroit, raising children, was good. Then, something happened. One family would move from the block, perhaps after retiring and someone else would move in. Those that moved in didn't have the same mindset that we all had and chose to do their damdest to alienate themselves from everyone. They chose to throw trash on their front lawns, park on the grass, park on other neighbors grass and dare you to object; they would break windows, smoke dope, play loud music at all hours of the day and night...they didn't care about our quiet neighborhood because they were there to take it over. Eventually, they and others like them did just that...they ran everyone out. It took me 15 years to realize that I needed to get my family out of this dangerous place. When you're afraid to have your children come home at night because of an element of people who are just looking for a pretty young girl to beat up or rape, that's when nothing else mattered except to get them to safety.
When I left my home, the City had me fix things that I had lived with for over 30 years. Little things like a slanted driveway slab, an outlet in the basement that didn't work, a gutter that had a pinhole in it. My house was in better condition than it ever was. A year after I left, I went back and was amazed at the condition of that home. Bars on the front door, bars on the windows, broken windows, curtains hanging out of the windows, a car on the front lawn, no grass left, trash everywhere...and why is that?
I didn't give Detroit up....Detroit gave up on itself. Detroit allowed this decline to happen because they allowed corruption, drug dealers, gangs and kids with no fathers to run rampant. Detroiters of today want to have things their way or no way. They don't want help from me or any of the "suburbanites". How can anyone blame others who don't live in Detroit any longer for how it has turned out? Isn't it time that Detroiters take responsibility for their own actions and turn the City around themselves?
This may be a rambling post, but yes, I am meloncholy and heartsick that Detroit has turned into the joke of the nation. When I and my friends and other family members lived there, it was a vibrant City...our leaving it didn't turn it into what it is today. Those that inherited it did that dirty deed.
Buy American, if I knew who you were, I'd give you a big hug.
I told basically the same story as you on another thread a few months back and got royally beaten up for it.
I was born and raised in the city. Lived there all my life. As did my parents and grandparents. But the city changed. And for much the same reasons you spoke of, my family and I left the city for the safety of the suburbs. Where I didn't have to worry about my mom living alone next to a family with 5 teenaged boys who seemed to be without adult supervision 90% of the time. Where we didn't have to chain the car hood down to the frame to keep a battery for more than two days. Where we didn't have to chain the garage door and have a flood light in the yard to keep our lawn mower and other tools through the seasons. Where we thought twice about attending events that might bring us back home too late in the evenings.
We managed to keep our house neat, clean and repaired without much money. Why then couldn't our new neighbors do the same? Why where their windows broken out? Why were their gutters hanging or torn off? Why didn't they cut their lawns or pick up the trash around their houses?
All the arguments that the reason for Detroit's demise is 'white flight' don't make a lot of sense to me. I'd love to have that house back. Or any of the houses my family and friends lived in. They were lovely houses. Until the 'next' family moved in.
I'd like to hear the reasons for that.:[[
Thanks Maxine, I consider myself hugged by you. I expected to get more flack from my post and it's been strangely quiet. You know exactly what I was talking about and I believe there are many many more out there that feel the same way.Quote:
Originally Posted by Maxine1958
I would still be in Detroit if the neighborhood hadn't gone to hell so quickly. That little 800 sq. ft. bungalow that we lived in with one bathroom was perfect for us and our plans were to stay, pay it off and live there for the rest of our lives. In my mind, it was just common sense to keep the neighborhood clean. Our elderly neighbors would get out there every morning in their housecoats and literally sweep the street in front of their house. If a newspaper got loose and blew around, we all picked it up and did our best to live in a nice place. However, to some, the neighborhood didn't matter or they just didn't know how to live with the human race. They didn't care about the house they lived in but they all had nice cars with thousands of dollars worth of speaker equipment in the trunk to blow our windows out with every chance they got. My family was very sad to leave but anxious to get out of danger.
Thanks again.
Ah yes, the ol' life was better when negroes were segregated argument. Maybe we should start shifting the blame of Detroit's slide from Coleman Young to Ossian Sweet.
It's easier to lament the old days than to comment on current events--Jimaz 's link or even Cub's Georgia Street Project.
Positive with blinders on? Nope
Positive about pockets of growth and opportunity happening? It's a start. :)
I really think it's up to the reader to take what they will from those two great posts.Quote:
Originally Posted by alsodave
The racism view is one way of taking it. I'm not 100% sure that is what they meant, as it didn't have to be a black and white issue.
Mainly, I think White Flight was really just the start of suburbanization. As is said, the hallmark of suburbia is the impoverishment of public space, and the aggrandizing of private space and an every man/family for themselves attitude.
Greed is a funny thing. It seems to me that what happened with "white flight" was that a bunch of white middle class Detroiters decided to leave the dirty and crowded cities for suburbia, and make a profit doing it at the expense of their white brethren back "home". Wern't those original Detroit homes then rented out to lower income whites and blacks? Then, those renting out the homes along with those staying there didn't have the interest or means [[one or both) in keeping them or the neighborhoods up the way blocks upon blocks of home owners who used them as their family's primary residence. What resulted was a systematic breakdown and eventual collapse of Detroit, with the black population [[redlined out of suburbia), and various whites [[the poor, the city employees, or those unable to sell their home and buy a suburban oasis, the noble, etc.) being caught holding the hot potato when the music stopped.
We see the same thing, sort of, happening in suburbia now, only without the race tie in.
Greed is a funny thing. White flight in and of itself wasn't a black and white issue, it was a greed issue with attempted racial blame on both sides. We can talk about the race issue like we'd talk about the class issue on the Titanic, sort of, in that it is there, but arguably had nothing to do with what sank the ship, it just had to do with who was left behind.
Detroit will continue to get better and probably remain a culturally and ethnically diverse city. Lots of futures and investments are riding on Detroit, and we lost many of the bad people right along with the good. I think Detroit just needs to balance it's scales.
May Detroit be safer today. Whether one less crime happens or one less person become homeless... whatever it is... I affirm that Detroit is safer today!
And they're not now? I remember those negroes. I'll bet back in those days, in terms of friendly personal interaction, we were tons less segregated than we are today. I even had a negro "mammy" or whatever it was they called it. How about that?Quote:
Originally Posted by alsodave
Best. D.Y. Paragraph. Ever. EVER!Quote:
Originally Posted by Buy American
Wow, I didn't read ANYTHING like that in the post. Your determination to make this a racial issue is telling in and of itself.Quote:
Originally Posted by alsodave
The family that bought my grandparents' house east of the Packard plant kept it up beautifully. I believe it's still in their family, and though the neighborhood is horrible, their particular street looks pretty good and the house looks painted and pretty.
Trash comes in many colors, Dave. It's the trashy people that have no pride in ownership, or even where they rent that make neighborhoods turn south.
This is one reason why there are Homeowner Associations, now, that can take your house away if you paint your door the wrong color, not to mention keeping that rusted, fenderless Plymouth on your front lawn. :eek:
There was no determination to read anything in these posts. I based my comments on what I read--and also what Maxine1958 had posted previously.
Of course "trash" comes in all colors. So does neighborhood pride. But it's easy to turn this into "Detroit" residents versus "suburnanites".
:rolleyes:
Wait, what? What did I say about about race? I said I didn't understand the 'white flight' concept for bashing the city. We had families of both colors in our neighborhood before and after. And the 'trashed' houses were occupied by both colors also. Don't drag my name down that path. That's not what I said.Quote:
Originally Posted by alsodave
wow this thread dosnt seem to be going in the right direction..... ok ive got something. i want to recap my Detroit good times from this summer.
My girlfriend and i visited Belle Isle and the Conservatory, it was free.. and a good time, i got lots of photo.. Detroit has got a great park island,.
We also checked out the new Dequindre cut... once this is all done the connection between Eastern Market and the Riverwalk will be great... i dig that project.
We went to Eastern Market for the first time this summer and even though it was pouring rain and it was busy and we had a great pizza... im not sure what the little pizzeria was called but we both loved it!
Two times this summer we went to Dakota Inn. great authentic German food and live music. What a Gem!!!
A few Tigers games, Greektown and Layfette Coney Island.. mmmmm
We went to Mexican Town and then saw a concert at the Filmore.. that was a great time.. The Filmore is one of the gerorgous theaters of Detroit.
Michigan Central Station, though some people will protest, we took a 'self guided tour' of the place and took some great photos. Detroit is a wonderland for photographers and urban explores.
Slow's..... i can't count how many times.
Took a few drives... saw Indian Village, Bosten - Edison, checked out the Fisher and Guardian Buildings... wow!
ok so there are good things in Detorit... Thats just my Windorite perspective
Visit some neighborhoods in the 7 Mile and Hayes area. Check out Chalmers, Jefferson, Lakewood, Newport, Coplin, 6 Mile and Gratiot. Write back after driving through those areas and let me know what you think of Detroit. Downtown may be nice but the neighborhoods are forgotten.Quote:
Originally Posted by windsor_shane
What, no love for Chene & Ferry? How about Vernor & Lenox/Dickerson?Quote:
Originally Posted by Buy American
i am well aware of the devastation in Detroit, as an amateur photographer i have taken many self guided tours though the unfortunate neighborhoods... i thought this thread we were focusing in the GOOD
Who is Detroit?Quote:
Originally Posted by Buy American
I affirm to remain positive about the positive and negative about the negative!
For alsodave's information, many blacks are just as upset about what has happened in Detroit as whites are. Many of them are also leaving. Is it racist when good black people don't want to live near bad black people? Your assumption that a reference to a bad neighbor is an indication of their skin color reveals a racist tendency on your part. Good people don't want to live near bad people regardless of color.
Thanks for the information, Retroit, but it's something that I'm already aware of.
Of course good people want to live around other good people, regardless of color. I live, work and shop in areas that are populated by all kinds of good people, regardless of color. There's even a few not so good people around those places, again regardless of color.
Make all of the assumptions you want about me, but I stand by my post.
The Holiday Festivities!
All those people joined together, just enjoying what Detroit has to offer.
All the black Santas holding hands with all the white Santas.Quote:
Originally Posted by DetroitDad
:D
OH I get it, the only thing worth photographing is the ruins!
Lifting Detroit Up Today and Everyday
Buy American, if you can't find anything GOOD to say, why are you continually commenting on this thread?Quote:
Originally Posted by MizMotown
Here's my contribution:
- My neighbors who I barely know...offered me the use of their snow blower, called me to tell me that my garage door was open, called me to tell me to be on alert because some suspicious person came to their door and to be careful.
- I was assisted last week by a very helpful City of Detroit employee who obviously cared about and took pride in her job.
- ThinkDetroit/PAL runs a great girls basketball program and the parents are very civil and supportive of their children.
- The Tree Lighting Celebration was beautiful and criminally uneventful.
- There is a beautiful world-class spa located right on Woodward in the heart of downtown...
I could say more, but I'll stop for now.
Sorry if my being realistic bothers you. About 30 years ago, your contribution could have been my contribution....unfortunately that changed. Like I said previously, Detroit is my hometown but I don't like what it's become.Quote:
Originally Posted by mam2009
I don't have a problem with realism. My post was just as "real" as yours -- and mine is not from 30 year ago. Its all from this year -- 2009. My question was why would you comment on THIS thread which is about saying positive things if you don't have anything positive and uplifting to say? No one here is deluded enough to believe that Detroit does not have serious ills. There are hundreds of other threads where you can promulgate your loathing and negativity. A thread where folks can discuss what DOES work in Detroit in 2009 and why should not be "thread-jacked" and derailed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Buy American
Does happiness and levity really threaten your view of reality so much? I do appreciate your contributions on other threads sometimes, but please allow those who just want to see nice things on THIS thread about the Detroit of 2009 and beyond to do that without the all too-common DetroitNo! attitude.
I feel the same way about suburbia.Quote:
Originally Posted by Buy American
It's pretty telling when I, and many others are choosing to start their families in Downtown Detroit instead of it's suburbs, even with all the things they claim to offer. Sadly [[as a Detroit city and inner suburb supporter) it is even more telling that many of our other young people are picking up and starting their families out of state.
As much as both urbanites and suburbanites like to think their pooh don't stink, it seems like we all must be doing something extremely wrong in both places.
PS Edit; But I am not sure why you chose to post negative views on Detroit in a thread in which the topic was about positive things happening in Detroit. Generally, the common view that things around here have been bad or have been getting worse is why we needed such a moral boost as this thread. I'm not sure why are trying to hold Detroit down... :confused:
There's suburbia, and then there's "suburbia". I grew up near Five Mile and Bradner [[Northville Township), and rode my bike down a dirt road to Farm Crest on Six Mile, bought ice-cream cones, visited the actual cows who made the milk right there in the barns. Today the whole place is an horizon-to-horizon ocean of McMansions, TGIF's, Ruby Tuesdays, Outback Steakhouses, etc. In other words, the suck factor went way, way, up. But is living downtown a realistic alternative? Are your kids going to private school, Catholic school? The suburbs in many areas suck because of the plastic, franchised disconnect with any "sense of place, sense of history", but we still have to consider what kind of childhood our children will have. If I move downtown and send my children to private school, that seems so fake-ass. And I sure as heck won't send them to public school. So far what we have here is called a "non-starter".Quote:
Originally Posted by DetroitDad
Windsor Shane, amongst all the negative posts on a post thats trying to balance some positives, it was a good read,, Actually , I am a Detroit resident,. live in Lafayette Park and can relate to your positive experiences. There is no doubt a ton of negatives, crime , bad areas, etc.. but life in Detroit can show balance in certain areas. and no, it most certainly isnt the city it was 40 years ago..but, it isnt a total write off by any means either. When I run along the river front in the morning, or walk through downtown for dinner, sporting events, or jump on the Dequindre Cut over to the market on Saturday morning and talk with neighbors on the way back I have a hard time swallowing these comments that nothing good ever happens in Detroit. It does, albeit in only in some areas, but nevertheless there is a decent life for some of us here and our story needs to be told also.. When I visit other cities I vist, [[ or have lived) friends are always concentrating on living in certain areas of their city, and certainly not in other areas. They view that as part of life. We have alot of work to do here in Detroit and , yes, its up to many of us here to do our best to improve it.. and ,, there are a ton of us who do, For some reason some on here continuously want to negate that. We most certainly have some very real obstacles. but there is group of us here who are trying very hard to contribute. so please dont discount that folks.
When it comes to Detroit and its' resurgence, while some choose to look at it through rose colored glasses, others need to look at its' problems headon and do their best to fix them. I don't see that happening yet. What are you doing to change things in Detroit? I tried, as did many of my friends and co-workers. I spoke at school board meetings, I wrote letters to council members, I started a neighborhood watch, I petitioned for a street light on my block. Also, I served the City of Detroit. During a time when City workers were forced to live in Detroit, I had no problem with that. However, there comes a time when your family and their health and welfare are first and foremost. Even back then, my children had to attend a private school because DPS was so dangerous and corrupt.
I have a suspicion that most of the posters on this thread are residing either in the downtown high rent area or in other areas of Detroit that don't seem to have problems. Would someone be honest enough to post here and tell us that they live in the 7 Mile and Hayes area...6 Mile and Gratiot area...Cadillac and Mack area....Lakewood and Vernor area [[I would mention the West side but I am not familiar with that area) and be honest enough to tell it like it is?
Also, although some of my posts have been directed at thugs, drug dealers and gang members, most of my posts have not been directed at the taxpayers in Detroit...my posts have been directed at the corrupt politicians and corrupt movers and shakers in Detroit who have been/are taking advantage of the Detroit taxpayers every single day. I am amazed that there doesn't seem to be any outrage over that.
OK, having defended the suburbs and suburbia from another gratuitous, cliched attack, let's focus on the positive about Detroit. And it's all here, "hidden in plain sight". This very website. Who comes here? People who care, that's who. This is where anyone can be Mike Royko, Pete Hamill, Jimmy Breslin [[who's the Detroit guy? Maybe Bob Talbert, sometimes as sappy-ass as Mitch Albom, but at least there's roots. Maybe Charlie LeDuff?). What's positive about Detroit? You're looking at it.
"but at least there's roots."
Since my roots are in Detroit, that's why I'm here as well.
There is problems in suburbia, more than you are acknowledging, but we had a separate thread for that. Sometimes I think that parents in Michigan suburbs are committing child abuse, and don't care about their children, or providing the human habitat that would be best for their children. Then I realize that I have a daughter and live in Downtown Detroit.
Point taken. :[[
It's like I'm back at the polls again, choosing between the lesser of evils.
I think Buy American is right, it's time to get to work.
The problem for me is, I do what I can, but I was in a situation where I had to help myself before I could help anyone or anything else. I learned pretty early on that this city is full of rickshaws trying desperately to pull other rickshaws. In the time I've been here we've had posters try to put together various projects to clean up parks or to start businesses, and only a few actually happened, or they happened and then immediately failed. There are reasons that Wiggle Field is still a mess, a certain Woodward Avenue high rise still looks unfinished, our Brush park grocery center sits empty, one of our big Downtown coffee shops is never open, and the list goes on and on. Plenty of rose colored failures can be seen when we take off our rose colored glasses, and see what is dispersed amongst all the successes.
But, we all have been giving it a Hell of a go, haven't we? I think the successes might have, you know, been the failures that kept it up with that amount of fury. Maybe the rest of us will eventually be there too if we keep it up. They say failure is, after all, often a choice.
Then again, I also think most of us are fighting the wrong things. We have to look past the problems and see the solutions. Then again, I think that is really a discussion for another time.
Funny how all three examples of the "Detroit guy" were outsiders to the area.Quote:
Originally Posted by dharma4313
It's important to recognize the distinction. And how people rail on about "outsiders" is destroying the city.
My bad. Should have googled Talbert. But what the hay? Half the kids in school were from Missouri or Tennessee [[scrappy bastards), and back then outsiders didn't crap on Detroit, they stampeded all over each other just to get here.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stosh
Sorry, this is baloney. This whole green zone [[as in Downtown and other areas are not really Detroit, they are safe zones; this has been said a few times by other posters with the same views lately) talk around here is really starting to get to me. First, I will overlook the poor attempt at comparing my home to a war zone. Now, if you told me this as a campus student, or a young hipster or single Downtown professional, maybe this would hold water, as we wouldn't have to leave a whole lot for everyday life. However, it's a whole different game once you get married and have kids.Quote:
Originally Posted by Buy American
You really are forgetting how little these so called green zones have to offer. My daughter still goes to the same doctors, hospitals, and dentists as the rest of Detroiters. My wife shops at the same grocery and hardware stores as the rest of you. Meanwhile, my work takes me into the outer neighborhoods every day. How often do you visit all these places you mention? Because I do it daily.
As to living Downtown and schools, I am not 150% sure of what to do about my daughter's schooling yet [[I have several options), but I really don't care if my chosen option is viewed as "fake ass", as one of the above posters so maturely and eloquently put it. I am in an interesting place in my life. Generally, some people I know on Seven Mile and Wyoming view Downtown as an upper income area, while another person I know on Seven Mile and Haggerty calls it the rich area of the ghetto.
With people openly criticizing my chosen lifestyle, I probably shouldn't expect to win a popularity contest anytime soon. I really don't give a !#$%. This is our chosen lifestyle because we wanted something and decided to work for it, here, in Michigan.
Permit me to continue waxing eloquent and mature. What's the formula here? Move downtown and send your kid to private school? People have gone to hell for less, and believe-you-me, if I lived downtown, I'd be sending my kid to private school too, and I'd be asking you for tips. Ancient Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times". If you want to hammer stakes in the ground, downtown, and send the kid to private school, you have no beef with me.Quote:
Originally Posted by DetroitDad
Whooo here it comes....
While we are waiting, let's have a musical interlude, the words are appropriate:D
You're right Stosh, it's time to go to work for Detroit... and my family, I think.
By the way, it wasn't all about me. I'm not sure if you guys are aware that several of the buildings in Downtown Detroit have events or activities for children now, two built playgrounds, and I believe every building in the CBD has at least one or more families with young children. I am not sure if you were aware.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stosh
What buildings have playgrounds? Activities? And EVERY building has a child in it? Wow...Quote:
Originally Posted by DetroitDad
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stosh
Ha-Ha. You made a funny. And didn't answer the original statement, either.Quote:
Originally Posted by DetroitDad
More Detroit positives...
- Nice families who previously couldn't afford a home are able to purchase homes for bargain prices. A nice family moved into the house two doors down from my dad this past Spring that had previously been boarded up [[in the Hayes & Seven Mile area).
- There a number of community service programs in Detroit that provide services for a variety of needs. For instance, I worked with Franklin Wright Settlements to get the leaves of a handicapped senior citizen raked for free.
- There is a beautiful, well-lit, viable commercial plaza at the corner of Mack & Alter Rd. -- no graffiti, no loitering, fine service at the Rite-Aid, Aldi, Family Dollar, America's Best and Chicken Shack...
A suspected carjacker caught on the same night as the carjacking by DETROIT police? The police actually responded to a call in a timely manner where no shots were fired, no one was bleeding and found the car and the susupect? Now that's gotta be good news to anybody!
http://www.freep.com/article/2009112...ews01/91124033
Yeah... how about that?Quote:
Originally Posted by Stosh
Typical. Can't back up what you say. As usual. A manure truck full of....:pQuote:
Originally Posted by DetroitDad