Armed Robberies in Midtown

[Dustin89]

An excerpt from the Wayne State PD's e-mail:

Three [[3) Armed Robbery Incidents and one [[1) attempted Armed Robbery Incident were reported to WSU Police during the past weekend. All occurred in the area immediately south of main campus in the area bounded by W. Hancock, Third, Canfield and Cass Avenue.

[boneshaker]

Look... this area has historically been identified as the "Cass Corridor." Stop renaming it "Midtown"...This is Detroit.. not Chicago or New York....

[DetroitPlanner]

THis is nothing new for this area. To think that there is no crime in the Corridor is like living in dreamland,

[Dustin89]

Look... this area has historically been identified as the "Cass Corridor." Stop renaming it "Midtown"...This is Detroit.. not Chicago or New York....

The point here is to minimize the walking around at night, at least until the weather gets cold enough to keep the vast majority of assholes indoors. The number of armed robberies lately has been significant, and I hope it's not the beginning of a trend of more students being preyed upon. At least three have happened in the past month or two at 2nd & Hancock, which I pass through whenever I walk to the undergrad library at night. I don't think there have been functioning streetlights in that area since I've been spending time/living in the neighborhood.

D

[Gistok]

Look... this area has historically been identified as the "Cass Corridor." Stop renaming it "Midtown"...This is Detroit.. not Chicago or New York....

About once a year we have a thread about Midtown... arguably the most booming part of Detroit... some old timers seem to like the Cass Corridor connotation because it nostagilcally reminds them of prostitiution and drug addicts... Well that name has been relegate to the trashbin of history for the folks living in the area. Besides the Cass Corridor area is only about 1/6th of the Midtown area.... and is undergoing restoration.

Midtown is subdivided into 6 areas... 1) Museum District, 2) Medical Center, 3) Brush Park, 4)Wayne State University, 5) Orchestra Place and 6) Cass Park. Call it what you like... the new labels are picking up steam...

[Zacha341]

^^^^^ Well stated! Additionally, the name MIDTOWN is not new! There was a marketing company back in the late 70's that bore the word Midtown in their name.

[Hamtragedy]

I really don't care what you call the neighborhood, but since it is one of the few areas with any noticeable growth, and the one area that seems to attract the most non-Detroiters, the manner in which police and/or the administration address crime is going to be critical if this trend is to continue.

There was a stabbing this summer where the police all but blamed the victims, who have lived nearby for several years that received very little press, yet everyone seemed to know about it. There was an armed robbery at the entrance of a popular restaurant which seemed to garner almost no attention.

I use two examples not to indicate that, oh my god, there is actually crime, but how it is efficiently and effectively swept under the rug. Yet more idealistic and, dare I call them, naive youngsters keep arriving here, not knowing of the uncertaintly of the surrounding community, and yet, these idealists seem to keep coming and are actually throwing some weight around. Is it a lot of weight, no, but what happens when a bunch of them get held up on their bikes, and god forbid, something happens to them that does make headlines, and the police have no leads or suspects, and chalk it up to "girls riding where they shouldn't be?"

Shoot me down again, if you want, but hey, aren't the police still looking for the shooters who emptied out several rounds from a green minivan into a bus-stop full of Cody students? The mayor handled that wonderfully. Not.

Detroit is at a crossroads here. I'm one of those angry 40 something Detroiters that grew up in west-side happyland and spent the better part of the last 25 years cheerleading with the best of us. I'm not done, but now I know better. This new wave of non-detroiters is something we are totally not used to, and I'm all for keeping as many of them around as possible. I don't want to see that non-chalance from the mayor's office or from the police that the rest of us have grown accustomed to.

[boneshaker]

If you dont feel safe walking in "Midtown" at night... sounds like the name change might not be working....

[Django]

It will always be the Cass Corridor to me. Fuck a Mid, Its nice here now, town.

It is what it is, the Cass Corridor.

[jtf1972]

Still the Cass Corridor. Still needs to be cleaned up, and it should be. Fuck crime.

[Dexlin]

I really don't get this reflexive 'angry dude' response at someone calling it Midtown. For the millionth time, you can call it whatever you want, and you're all still right because the Cass Corridor is a part of Midtown. It'd be like someone getting pissed because Greektown is an area within downtown. Grow up.

[ScienceFair]

I really don't get this reflexive 'angry dude' response at someone calling it Midtown. For the millionth time, you can call it whatever you want, and you're all still right because the Cass Corridor is a part of Midtown. It'd be like someone getting pissed because Greektown is an area within downtown. Grow up.

Thank You.

[detroittrader]

I've always considered everything bounded by Warren, Fisher [[I-75), The Lodge and Woodward as Cass Corridor.

[guito13]

Yet another reason why law abiding folks should be able to conceal carry on campus. Why we keep giving the crimnals a free pass, knowing that the students are not equally armed baffles me.

[Trumpeteer]

Georgia Tech is smack in the middle of downtown Atlanta and has had a crime problem for years. This is an upscale high growth area but barely a week goes by that someone is a victim of an armed robbery, carjacking, etc. or area homes are broken into. No big deal but if that's Detroit EVERYBODY makes a huge deal out of it like it doesn't happen anywhere else but the D. Had a shooting here back in the summer where a commercial building security guard went over into the adjacent parking deck and randomly shot/killed a young female office worker getting out of her car after lunch. He then went to the street and shot two more strangers. National news? NO.

I guess my point is that Detroit gets a significantly bad rap for crime that is happening everywhere. Does that make it any better? NO but try to keep it in perspective if possible.

[1953]

Calling it Cass Corridor is like calling it Garbargeville.

Its Midtown old people. Get over it.

[j to the jeremy]

I'll avoid all the bickering and bitch-slap-fighting on here because I've lived in that neighborhood for quite some time now.

There are several problems at work over here that no one talks about, especially not the police, for reasons that boggle my mind.

First, the streetlights on Second and Hancock, as well as Second south of Canfield, and Third south of Prentis, have been out for 3 years. I'm not talking about on and off, some nights. I'm talking about the most busy pedestrian intersection between Third and Cass having NO streetlights for years. All the people I know who have been held up or mugged have been walking in these areas while the lights are off. PLD knows this, WSU knows this, and no one has done jack sh*t. What happened to keeping the lights on in densely populated areas?

Second, the vast majority of crime in this area comes from younger kids living in the low-income housing between Third and the Lodge. I almost don't blame them because of the way that growth and gentrification are happening along the Third St. corridor. You have WSU, who are only concerned with the "Midtown" image, pushing for affluent white kids to move into the Beethoven and University Club apts. You also have some older residents of mixed races in the Forest-Prentis area between 2nd and 3rd being replaced by a lot of young, affluent students.

The perception from the corner of Forest and Third when I lived there was that those less affluent kids, who have grown up on the "other side" of Third, are now seeing a hell of a lot more rich white kids walking around listening to IPhones at night, and carrying around big bags of weed like they're in fucking Ann Arbor. The crime will continue until WSU is honest with their students about crime, DPL fixes all of the streetlights, and the rich kids are honest with themselves about where they live. The only silver lining is that I have not heard from anyone who was robbed, that they will leave Detroit. Most of the people I know seem to have "learned their lesson" but are sticking around.

That all being said, the Midtown branding is a marketing ploy for affluent suburbanites. But I don't care because that has happened in almost every city in America for 100 years. North Cass will always be North Cass.

[DetroitPole]

[QUOTE=j to the jeremy;280050The perception from the corner of Forest and Third when I lived there was that those less affluent kids, who have grown up on the "other side" of Third, are now seeing a hell of a lot more rich white kids walking around listening to IPhones at night, and carrying around big bags of weed like they're in fucking Ann Arbor. The crime will continue until WSU is honest with their students about crime, DPL fixes all of the streetlights, and the rich kids are honest with themselves about where they live. The only silver lining is that I have not heard from anyone who was robbed, that they will leave Detroit. Most of the people I know seem to have "learned their lesson" but are sticking around.

[/QUOTE]

Unbelievable. Yes, I'm sure those innocent victims learned their lesson. That will teach them to get robbed.

People need to be street smart and people who move here from elsewhere often aren't [[newsflash, they aren't all white, either). However there is nothing to indicate that these people were white hipsters in skinny jeans with their heads in the cloulds flashing around expensive technology just asking to get mugged.

I'm not sure where you got your economic statistics from either [[now they're rich kids?).

Not sure what you're blaming WSU for. They have a top-notch police force which sends out regular, detailed crime reports. Maybe you'd like TV commercials on the crime?

I only agree with you about the streetlights, which is an outrage. And if you're such a Detroiter then you should know its PLD, not DPL. That's the library. Right in your neighborhood.

DPD needs to target the hoodlums that operate in the area you describe [[and I know it well). Bust people for outstanding warrents, pull them over for expired tabs and wreckless driving, and I'm sure plenty of other stuff will turn up in the process. Oh, and there is a year-round youth cerfew in Detroit. Enforce it.

[Detroitnerd]

It's called the Cass Corridor because Lewis Cass owned everything between Cass and Third, from Michigan north. So there ya go, one long strip of land [["corridor") owned by Lewis Cass: Cass Corridor.

It's history, baby. You can't deny it.

[Wesley Mouch]

'Midtown' is just a conspiracy by the Third Avenue folks to take over the neighborhood.

Viva la Cass!

But seriously, folks. I always thought the name-change here was lame. Its a shame to see so many people sheepishly follow some PR agency towards blandness. We had such a great, unique name for a storied area -- and we're tossing it out in favor of this generic moniker. That's sad.

I'm quite heartened to see many other's who share my lament.

[Ravine]

I thought j to the's post was pretty good. Just a guy trying to be honest about how he sees it.
Wow, back when I lived down there-- yes, Buddy Holly already had died-- the Beethoven was a place where you tried to get an apartment if you couldn't get a good one.

And "wreckless driving" is considered to be a Good Thing, here in the state of Michigan. I dunno how they see it, beneath the M-D Line. They have some funny ways, down there.

[j to the jeremy]

Unbelievable. Yes, I'm sure those innocent victims learned their lesson. That will teach them to get robbed.

People need to be street smart and people who move here from elsewhere often aren't [[newsflash, they aren't all white, either). However there is nothing to indicate that these people were white hipsters in skinny jeans with their heads in the cloulds flashing around expensive technology just asking to get mugged.

I'm not sure where you got your economic statistics from either [[now they're rich kids?).

Not sure what you're blaming WSU for. They have a top-notch police force which sends out regular, detailed crime reports. Maybe you'd like TV commercials on the crime?

I only agree with you about the streetlights, which is an outrage. And if you're such a Detroiter then you should know its PLD, not DPL. That's the library. Right in your neighborhood.

DPD needs to target the hoodlums that operate in the area you describe [[and I know it well). Bust people for outstanding warrents, pull them over for expired tabs and wreckless driving, and I'm sure plenty of other stuff will turn up in the process. Oh, and there is a year-round youth cerfew in Detroit. Enforce it.

I meant PLD obviously.

I'm not blaming all the victims, I personally know several of them however, and I know that they were not being smart.

Also, I'm not saying they're ALL rich and white. Obviously that's a generalization. I don't have time to carefully construct my rants. It doesn't change the fact that those people I know who have been robbed, all grew up in the suburbs.

I am very grateful for the WSU police. They retrieved my girlfriend's stolen car and do wonderful work much of the time. However, the university's pushing of the Midtown moniker, combined with apathy or disdain for many of its less affluent neighbors, is a problem. I attend WSU as an Urban Studies major and have done research on their development policies. There has historically been a gulf between the WSU administration and the surrounding neighborhoods, "Midtown, INC." is the exception, of course.

In addition, the crime reports are great but when I lived on campus several years ago, I never got any additional information as a freshman besides "this campus is safer than Troy" and "buy a club for your car from our police"

As you suggest, DPD should be doing sweeps between 3rd and the Lodge. But they're not. I talked with some WSU cops when I was helping my girl get her car back, and they said that they were pretty much the only cops in town over there.

[ScienceFair]

I can understand some of the eye-rolling regarding the Midtown branding, but for someone who lives in the area it is far more convenient to tell someone who is not from the area that I live in "Midtown" [[an area that has built up an identifiable public image) rather than "North Piety Hill, just east of the Cass Corridor." This is isn't the 1800s.

Furthermore, there is a unifying element to the residents of Brush Park, WSU, etc. under the umbrella of Midtown, that we're all in it together. We all face issues with broken streetlights, crime and whatnot but we also share a sense of community that crosses the borders of individual neighborhood.

So if you want to talk about the Cass Corridor, that's fine but understand that Midtown encompasses more than just that area.

[Detroitnerd]

So if you want to talk about the Cass Corridor, that's fine but understand that Midtown encompasses more than just that area.

Well, I'm honestly not trying to wade into battle here, but ...

Yes, Midtown encompasses more than Cass Corridor, and not ALL of Cass Corridor. And that's a complaint I've heard that makes sense. Whenever there's new development, or investment, Midtown INC. claims it as part of Midtown. Whenever there's a shooting, however, that happened in bad old Cass Corridor.

It seems to me that when we attach names to places, we should have clearly defined boundaries, not appellations that are conveniently used to glom onto places where the money is, and conveniently not associated with poor areas.

But, as others pointed out, it's a branding effort from a PR agency, so what do you expect?

[7miledog]

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/2-bodies-found-in-field-on-detroits-east-side-20111024-ms

While this didn't happen in Midtown, the article indicates that the victims were apparently transported there before being executed. Tragic.

[[Note: I put the link here due to the armed robbery link, as opposed to the geographic location link).