Shirtless man jumped off of the Greektown parking garage

[jtf1972]

Ray... you forgot the part about police bonuses were better in the mob days!

[jtf1972]

Now that is an interesting tidbit of information. I've never heard of any suicides off, well to be honest, any major buildings downtown. It's too bad they don't reopen it with some sort of setup like the Empire State Building. The views up on the Penobscot must be amazing from the observation deck.

I heard about the suicides & the observation deck when I worked there. Talking to an old security guard who had seemingly been there since the original building opened.

[Gianni]

If this is true, how come I can't find it on one news outlet in Detroit for the last two days?

My point.

I checked all the news outlets multiple times but nothing.

I saw it and my 16 year old daughter saw it. At least 2 or 3 others on this forum saw it or know about it. It happenned yesterday about 6:30 pm. It is not on the news and it won't be because, my guess and it is only a guess and I get to guess about this sort of thing here, is that the casinos cover this shit up and it happens all the time. If I didn't have a day job and a night job already, I would be doing FOIA's to the coroner, and talking to the ER docs and casinos workers confidentially. I think it happens all the time. I hate casino's, just my personal opinion. I know they are here to stay, and we need their money but that doesn't mean I have to like it. But if people are killing themselves on a regular basis because of your business I think it is a newsworthy story. And if it were my business I would do whatever I could to keep it quiet.

[adamjab19]

...But if people are killing themselves on a regular basis because of your business I think it is a newsworthy story. And if it were my business I would do whatever I could to keep it quiet.

I really think you need to take a step back here [[no pun intended). I used to be a funeral director. The reasons people kill themselves and the places they do and the manner they do it in are not always correlated. Sure it's safe to ASSUME that this is casino related, but you just don't know the facts and you may never know, the family may never know, or the casino may never know. Do you know of any of the previous deaths being directly correlated with the casino? Maybe the news teams are taking it easy because this is such a personal matter, no doubt they are on the police blotters all the time anyway. and if it WAS happening all of the time I think we would hear about it.

If you feel so strongly about every news channel has an investigative group, let them know.

[grumpyoldlady]

My husband and I occasionally go to the casinos here in Minnesota. When we started going back in 1994 and would stay overnight, on nice nights we would enjoy opening the window and getting a cool breeze in. Now, at least at the last 3 big casinos we've stayed at, they have secured the windows so you can't open them. They said it is because of "jumpers". So sad.

[jcole]

They also lock the windows over the river in the Amway Grand in Grand Rapids and there isn't a casino within 25 miles of there.

[Detroitnerd]

I know of a journalist who wrote a piece critical of Greektown Casino's decisions.

Greektown immediately canceled all advertising with the media outlet.

'Nuff said?

[downtownguy]

Seriously what's a 20 [year old got] to be depressed about?

Wow, your sensitivity overwhelms me.

[downtownguy]

Maybe the news teams are taking it easy because this is such a personal matter, no doubt they are on the police blotters all the time anyway.

Yeah, just as they're so sensitive when someone in the inner city's kid just got shot and they shove a mike in their face.

I know of a journalist who wrote a piece critical of Greektown Casino's decisions.

Greektown immediately canceled all advertising with the media outlet.

'Nuff said?

I suspect you're right.

I think the only news organizations in town with a true firewall between the business side and the journalistic side of their operations are public radio and The Metro Times. Sounds to me like this would be a good topic for the Craig Fahle Show or Jack Lessenberry.

[daddeeo]

Let the funeral party begin.

[Alley]

Actually, I think I'm more concerned that someone leapt from the top of a 13 story building and no one in the news media said a word about it than what kind of building it was. Just because it was a casino parking deck doesn't mean that the person had even been IN the casino. That garage is used for Tiger games, people who work in the vicinity, concert attendees and, possibly, the very wedding the OP was attending. Oh, and employees at the 1st precinct.I don't really understand why the fact that the jumper was "shirtless" adds any importance to the event either.

Maybe it doesn't. Who cares?
From the 7th [[possibly 8th) floor of the Atheneum, you look slightly down to the roof the guy jumped from, so it wasn't 13 floors.

[Lou2818]

Maybe it doesn't. Who cares?
From the 7th [[possibly 8th) floor of the Atheneum, you look slightly down to the roof the guy jumped from, so it wasn't 13 floors.

We drove into Detroit Saturday evening to meet another family for dinner in Greektown. We parked at the garage around 5:40 and left on Brush St side to walk down to the restaurant. We were seated in the window and noticed an ambulance drive by about an hour after being there. My husband went back to the garage to get something from the car and said the street was blocked off and police cars everywhere. We said good bye to our friends and decided to check out the Casino never having been there. We were shocked at how depressing the atmosphere was and couldnt wait to leave. It was sad to see so many people looking so unhappy and down on their luck. No one seemed to be having a good time. We walked back to the Brush St. entrance we had come out of earlier and were told by a cop to leave and go back and use the elevator. When we got to the third level and near our car we unfortunately peered over the side where the incident took place and saw the after math in the street. A large pool of blood and plastic gloves and towels. A man in his car nearby told us he heard someone had jumped from the 7th floor. We hurried up and got out of there. We dont go into Detroit very often and are not in any hurry to go back any time soon. We left there with such a sad feeling for the terrible conditions in Detroit. We had the same feeling last summer after leaving the beautiful Tiger stadium to come out on the street after the game feeling afraid in the parking garage there because of all the bums on the street.

[downtownguy]

I recall the garage in the 333 W Fort Building had some odd counting of it's garage floors, too. I think it has something to do with how they zig zag and criss cross over one another that what would normally be one floor gets counted as two.

[downtownguy]

We left there with such a sad feeling for the terrible conditions in Detroit. We had the same feeling last summer after leaving the beautiful Tiger stadium to come out on the street after the game feeling afraid in the parking garage there because of all the bums on the street.

Keep in mind, Lou, that many of the folks that patronize the casinos come from north of 8 Mile. It's a regional problem, not just of the city proper. Oh, and Tiger Stadium doesn't exist anymore.

[Gannon]

Maybe it doesn't. Who cares?
From the 7th [[possibly 8th) floor of the Atheneum, you look slightly down to the roof the guy jumped from, so it wasn't 13 floors.

Actually, it still could've been the 13th floor of the parking structure...they need less height per floor.

[Lou2818]

Oops, meant Comerica, just shows how little time I spend there. I have a client who drives at least once a week from Lake Orion to Greek town casino and brags about the comps they give her, free rooms and food etc. very sad. She has stories of winning only once in a great while. An addiction will have people willing to drive the distance.

[adamjab19]

Yeah, just as they're so sensitive when someone in the inner city's kid just got shot and they shove a mike in their face.

You know you are right...

[Ray1936]

Excuse me, gang. Suicides happen every day, everywhere, for any one of ten thousand reasons. Health, finances, family.....there are many many more than you ever read about. Unless the ''victim" is someone otherwise noteworthy, you won't read about it in the paper or see it on the tube.

Jumpers occasionaly make print, but that's because of the rather spectacular means. Those who put a glad bag over their head or tie a noose get no mention.

But most of you on this forum sure hate casinos! Interesting.

[EastsideAl]

I never had the casino force me to gamble. It sounds like from some comments its the casino fault. But at the end of the day its the person fault.

Should we blame Ford, GM, Chrysler, UAW and MDOT for deaths in car accidents?

You do not understand the disease of compulsive gambling, and the degree to which the casinos encourage the disorder and profit off of the money generated from its sufferers. I would say that well over half of their regular repeat patronage comes from compulsive gamblers.

[jcole]

I received this message in my inbox, and after I replied, she asked that I post it on here.

blakesmom

Join DateJun 2012Posts0

He Had A Name, Soul, Family, Friends And A Son...............

It appears all of the Blogs are starting with what witnesses saw. Not sure how much is true.

The Only thing I’m sure of is that his life was ended way too soon at age 29. He was a wonderful child that grew into an amazing, strong, handsome intelligent man and exceptional Father. However, he never really knew how much he meant to us and how much he still had to give to the world. A light has gone out that can never be replace or forgotten.

My hope is someone that if someone is experiencing this type of desperation they will think about how much they are cheating their family and friends and the suffering that will never leave our hearts. Please know there are always options, and whatever you are feeling will pass. This way is not an option.

Gambling or losing money had nothing to do with it. The cause of this was a feeling of hopelessness, nothing more. He just wanted the hurt to stop, never had even gambled.

He had a name, He loved the outdoors. He had bluest eyes that sparkled liked diamonds, a sweet soul and spirit, a dedicated Mother who did more than anyone to try and help him, an amazing older brother that is devastated, family and friends that loved him dearly and are heartbroken and, the saddest I feel, is a young son that will only know him through our memories.

We are sad you are no longer with us, but know you are with God and he has an Angel with the bluest eyes that he has ever made.

[thecarl]

Truly heartbreaking. Thanks to the mother who was able to share this information after such a devastating tragedy, and thanks for passing it along, jcole. As far as the importance of the young man not having a shirt on, it could point to a state of mind, since being shirtless is definitely not the norm for that place.

The note also serves as a reminder that folks should be thoughtful about what they post, because aggrieved friends and families often search all venues for information in times of great difficulty, and can come across comments that range from insensitive, to downright cruel.

[adamjab19]

Thank you jcole. I was on vacation and just saw her message and asked her the same question... how sad and how far most were off about their assumptions. Well said thecarl.

The guy was the same age as me...

[G-DDT]

I have to resurrect this.
Yes, Pam, it did happen before [[a thread in 2009 touched on it). While dignity for the deceased demands that some things don't get sensationalized [[when has that ever stopped the news?), media has always been swayed where huge and powerful industries are involved.

The gambling industry is huge. Detroit isn't the only major city that acquired a casino in or near it's vicinity. In my travels, there wasn't a city that didn't have one recently created near it. Many of the figures cited of those checked into Gambling Recovery situations [[the "powers-that-be" thrive on glutting folks on the very things that will run them aground, so they can sluice them into other industries that will remold and engineer and process them to it's liking. We'd be fools and doing the observance of history a great disservice to not grasp that control is the great Holy Grail of all empires and power-mongering concerns.) are accurate. So, I do agree-it is a "See, I told you so" sort of outlook.

To remedy the doubts caused by the initial obvious damage occurring, the "powers that be" had to paint gambling in a more positive light than what it was in the '90s [[how Scorsese, Tim Burton, the Simpson, and yes, that scene in Vegas Vacation). So, Lo and Behold we had a glut of "Celebrity Poker" shows on T.V. for a while there, but wait!....what if we resurrected a film put out by Vegas mainstays from the '60s that made it look super spy cool-that you can infiltrate and "win against the house". That's where the stupid, slickly made "Ocean's" films come into play. That, and you might as well throw in "Casino Royale" [[and not the goofy '60s one that had themes about mind control, eugenics, and phony flying saucers).

That behavior is endemic to that situation. I have only set foot in casinos at least three times, and I saw ugly, desperate behavior there. Our freeways are congested with tall billboards for the hype and glamor of casino gambling. With that much influence and with the way the media is swayable and biased, it is not unreasonable to assume that cover-ups about the tragic and unattractive side of casino gambling is occurring.

Let me tell you about another huge industry that's a lot like gambling. It happens in an eastern state that esteems education the way we do cars. At one very popular college [[where the locals joke it has "the best grades money can buy".) that hosts every diversity [[except Blacks and Latinos) and claims to be liberal [[yet is everything but-), I witnessed an event at their "square" where ambulances converged on a scene. Seems an Asian student at his wit's end couldn't handle the "shame" of poor grades, ran into the square screaming, and popped his head off with a handgun. There was no media coverage on it. I was told by many that that happens a lot more commonly than folk's outside of the area know, and yes, it is actively covered up by a facility that huge. Obviously the facility I imply is Harvard, and the same thing occurs cross town at MIT.

Now, we must compare gambling with college education and see what obviously shines better. but wait folks, there's more...

I love libraries, and not from nothing, but unless one is some sort of comptroller for nationwide libraries or does a lot of the deliveries or installation work done to the libraries from coast to coast, I can safely boast that I've been to more libraries than anyone on these forums [[keep in mind, I've been a homeless man who has wandered through many cities in 17 states). Not being proud-it's just a matter of fact.

One bizarre library is the Cincinnati [[Hamilton County) Public Library on Vine St. It has a huge genealogy department, and impressive religion area, a dining atrium, a nice art showcase, but two restricted floors where many items can only be accessed by filling out forms and getting clearance from staff [[like say, if you wanted an anthology of Robert Crumb or artwork by Hans Bellmer, and this is coming from a town that boasts a Hustler Hollywood). The Library is a tall five-ish story block with a lobby being overlooked by a surrounding balcony from each floor. It is a common spot for despondent folks to commit suicide. This is due to the fact that it is within the Over the Rhine region [[the Cass Corridor equivalent), which is ridden with crime and drugs [[I never witnessed garish, loud street corner pushers until I lived there). That and Cincinnati has a long history of racist abusive cops and a lot of mistreatment of the poor.
http://citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-
7109-suicides_and_silence_why_is_the_public_library_wit hholding_information.html

-also, I should add, when Cambridge has places like 240 Albany [[the worst "wet" shelter in the area next to the Pine St. shelter), has an phenomenal mass-consumption of "scratch-n-win" tickets [[more than any state I've been to-Massachusetts is by far, the worst in that area of gambling. I once knew a guy who made two hundred a week scouring certain spots from Woburn on down where he'd collect bags of discarded tickets, proof-read them, and blacken his hands re-scratching them for winners overlooked by the medicated masses who were "just going through the motions" of buying, scratching, and littering them in blurry-eyed robotically-programmed zombie-fashion), encourages [[or is permissive towards) pharmaceutical usage and is ambivalent towards Listerine drinking and Fentanyl usage, and the ever widening economic gap present in trendy Boston it becomes very common to see many homeless folks throw themselves in front of an oncoming Red Line car.

I've witnessed too much, not to speak up about this. So, what is it?-gambling, drugs, ever-growing exploitation and genocide of the poor, or is the the "evils of poor-library design", subways, and "weird Asian honor systems" as it applies to education "status". Or do we all just create an overbearing demand of progress with unrealistic illusions of security, sex appeal, and family values that victimizes many and kicks them to the wayside. I can tell you where I've been in that last equation....

[Gpwrangler]

I never had the casino force me to gamble. It sounds like from some comments its the casino fault. But at the end of the day its the person fault.

Should we blame Ford, GM, Chrysler, UAW and MDOT for deaths in car accidents?

apparently.

[canuck]

Excellent post G-DDT. The misery is created ans sustained by those who profit from it. Your last paragraph could easily include détention centres as an industry that thrives on misery.