Nolan Finley: A New Vision For Detroit

This Sunday, I want to take a moment to acknowledge Nolan Finley for a fine article about our city:

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100...on-for-Detroit

Last week, I spent the better part of my day running his piece about Detroit into the ground. Today, we see a different side of Nolan Finley's journalistic talent- one that provokes thought while promoting something positive in Detroit. There is certainly no shortage of positive content for journalists to write on, yet we see so few good-news articles.

Journalists play an important role in defining how people view the world. Our world is Detroit, and when it is defined as a forsaken, hell-on-earth, there is no hope of improvement because people will continue to write it off.

Finley's piece, "A New Vision for Detroit" covers Johnny Knoxville/Palladium Boot's documentary about the city. The thrust of the video, and Finley's article, highlight opportunity among the wreckage. It puts the spotlight on individuals- true outsiders- who are creating in Detroit. What are they creating? All kinds of things. The movement is grassroots and seems to have no concrete boundaries or requirements other than "doing it in Detroit."

To his credit, Finley points out a little-understood generational gap. That is, this is not your father's Detroit. My parents, who were born in the city, were taken away from Detroit to the suburbs at a young age by their parents. They were told to "stay away." Today, that mentality is being rethought by our youth. While I do not subscribe to the notion that these kids can single-handedly bring Detroit back to glory. They will till the soil, make it furtile, and lay the groundwork for other people and businesses to come back to Detroit.

These urban pioneers may have no "white paper" plan to rebuild Detroit, but they are making a difference when many others have already forfeited the match. Be the spokesman of progress, Mr. Finley. This chance is one in a million.

To say that I am stunned at what he wrote would be an understatement. Generally Nolan Finley has his head up his ass spouting right wing conservative crap and bashs almost anything to do with the city. There are a few times when what he says makes sense and at those times I start to wonder if maybe he has a split personality or something because it is a 180 from the stuff he normally talks about. With that said I like what he wrote and it really is spot on. I think too many of the old school people see what the younger generation wants to do as being foolish and ill conceived. The other problem that he hit on is the race issue. Detroit has really become paralyzed because of the racial bias not just by white against blacks but also by blacks against whites. After decades of racist policies and attitudes against the black community, the children and grand children of those policy makers are rebelling and wanting to come back to Detroit and help the city. But the attitude by those in the city is that they can do it themselves and they don't want the "man" coming in and doing it for them. Unfortunately what the city really needs is this outside investment, because for all the people who refuse the help and say they can do it themselves, little action is ever done and the community continues to decay.

The idea that there is a huge generational difference in perceptions of Detroit is key. Older folks see what is no more, and get depressed. Younger folks see what could be, and get energized.

I'm kind of in the middle age-wise, but my heart is with the young'uns.

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Originally Posted by mwilbert

Older folks see what is no more, and get depressed. Younger folks see what could be, and get energized.

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I like this.

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Originally Posted by ragnarok1981

To say that I am stunned at what he wrote would be an understatement. Generally Nolan Finley has his head up his ass spouting right wing conservative crap and bashs almost anything to do with the city. There are a few times when what he says makes sense and at those times I start to wonder if maybe he has a split personality or something because it is a 180 from the stuff he normally talks about. With that said I like what he wrote and it really is spot on. I think too many of the old school people see what the younger generation wants to do as being foolish and ill conceived. The other problem that he hit on is the race issue. Detroit has really become paralyzed because of the racial bias not just by white against blacks but also by blacks against whites. After decades of racist policies and attitudes against the black community, the children and grand children of those policy makers are rebelling and wanting to come back to Detroit and help the city. But the attitude by those in the city is that they can do it themselves and they don't want the "man" coming in and doing it for them. Unfortunately what the city really needs is this outside investment, because for all the people who refuse the help and say they can do it themselves, little action is ever done and the community continues to decay.

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I couldn't disagree more with your statement. The racial stuff on both sides is well documented, but to say the the [[presumably) white children and grandchildren of racist policy makers are the ones trying to come back and help the city is just plain wrong. Let's assume there were racist policy makers, how many of them were there? My parents certainly did not make policies or practice racism when they grew up in Detroit and "fled" to the suburbs. I certainly did not move to Detroit in my younger days as a way of rebelling against anything except perhaps my parents in general and the lure of the nearby but still unknown.

The biggest [[not only) reason for the backlash against those that Finley talks about in his article is, in my opinion, a bit of the boogeyman syndrome that has been pounded into the minds of many Detroiters over the past decades by politicians and pastors who have money and power and want to keep it.

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthread.php?t=7179

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Originally Posted by ragnarok1981

I think too many of the old school people see what the younger generation wants to do as being foolish and ill conceived.

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A two-way street, though, wouldn't you say?

For those who have not seen it, here is a link to the Detroit Lives documentary. Good stuff.

http://www.palladiumboots.com/explorations

When you can get a house for $10,000 perhaps with a few vacant lots next door to grow some organic vegies to sell to small specialty grocery stores.... surely someone with an open mind and a few creative thoughts who is willing to put in a bit of elbow grease can build some sort of a life. Street by street....

Nolan Finley's split personality.

Nice Nolan: How did we fall so far? We need solutions! Why can't we work together? We should listen to everybody and come up with the best answers. :o

Nasty Nolan: We can never blame the business community for what has happened! We can't listen to those pinko, commie, anarchist, left-wingers! Poor people are idiots, and don't know what's good for them! We must never take all this left-wing crap seriously! :mad:

My vision for Detroit:

1. Downsizing black and blighted ghettohoods. Have limited urban farming.

2. Downsize Detroit Public Schools into a better smaller classroom sizes and try to lure suburban kids.

3. There will be more slum clearance of poor areas.

4. Lure regionized businesses into Downtown Detroit.

5. provide better community police organization called "OPERATION WATCHTOWER!"

Bring ideas to the forum after each screening of "Detroit Lives" at the Burton on Wed. nite. You can r.s.v.p for 7 or 8:30 p.m. showings here:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/2vakvr5