Absurdity and influence in Detroit

[E hemingway]

So explain this to me? Every couple of days the Packard Plant burns. Every couple of weeks it's the main subject in an unflattering national story about Detroit's downfall. Everyday people trespass there doing God knows what, most of which is probably illegal. It obviously presents the biggest danger to citizens and firefighters in Detroit. And we hear nothing from Dave Bing or Ken Cockrell or George Jackson about tearing down this dangerous eyesore.

Instead the DEGC and city are spending millions of dollars tearing down the Lafayette, random Ilitch buildings behind the Fox Theater and Tiger Stadium. These buildings have never caught fire. They are not used as a dumping ground. They are [[were) not the magnet for illegal activity that the Packard Plant is or present the same fatal danger toward first responders that the Packard Plant does.

The Lafayette is in downtown and next door to the John Ferchill's Book Cadillac Hotel. The land the buildings stood on behind the Fox is still owned by the Ilitches [[even though they were torn down with taxpayer money) where the Ilitches pocket $20 for every car that parks there. Tiger Stadium had millions of dollars of federal money ear marked for it and a group of prominent backers working to turn it into a baseball tourism Mecca, but some influential people considered it competition for Comerica Park and a possibly place for a new home for the Red Wings. The Packard Plant and countless other old industrial ruins are deep in the neighborhoods, far from downtown's movers and shakers.

Someone please explain to me why the city, the DEGC, George Jackson, Ken Cockrell and Mayor Bing are prioritizing spending what little tax payer money the city has left on costly demolitions this way?

Tallying up Detroit's absurdities
http://www.freep.com/article/2009062...+s+absurdities

[ggores]

I was immediately drawn by the words used to describe the topic of your thread, E.H. And was also immediately befuddled to find that there weren't 14 or 15 replies to read through in order to formulate whether or not I had anything to say about the absurdity and influence in Detroit.

But you ask a question and it deserves open discussion, so I'll give her a go.

Looking from the ground up, up towards to highest levels of leadership and municipal responsibilty, it seems to me that, over the course of many, many years, a complete lack of respect for what Detroiters are, where we've been, what we DO, and what we [[the people, that is) value... that there is a severe disconnect, and the only way to fix the infrastructure of this crumbling bridge between business leaders and elected officials... unfortunately... requires intervention of the Federal Government.

It's a G-word damn shame.

No wonder this site gets so many hits.

Heh, after all, this is Motown.

[Stosh]

I could only explain the existence of the Packard Plant one way. It's not downtown, and it's on the eastside. A ward system would have probably had this cleared up years ago. But, no representation, no rehab.

[iheartthed]

I was immediately drawn by the words used to describe the topic of your thread, E.H. And was also immediately befuddled to find that there weren't 14 or 15 replies to read through in order to formulate whether or not I had anything to say about the absurdity and influence in Detroit.

But you ask a question and it deserves open discussion, so I'll give her a go.

Looking from the ground up, up towards to highest levels of leadership and municipal responsibilty, it seems to me that, over the course of many, many years, a complete lack of respect for what Detroiters are, where we've been, what we DO, and what we [[the people, that is) value... that there is a severe disconnect, and the only way to fix the infrastructure of this crumbling bridge between business leaders and elected officials... unfortunately... requires intervention of the Federal Government.

It's a G-word damn shame.

No wonder this site gets so many hits.

Heh, after all, this is Motown.

I agree that there is a big disconnect between the leadership in Detroit and the citizens. But I don't think the federal government will, or even that they should, step over the state to intervene. I'm one who believes that a lot of what is ailing Detroit right now is rooted with state policies [[or lack thereof), that encourage sprawl and land consumption, and discourage land reuse. But I don't get the sense that any of this is a high priority for any level of leadership in the state of Michigan, or that anyone in the leadership even understands how those policies are a drain on resources. So I'm not too optimistic anymore about what will become of Detroit in the near future. Ditto for many of its suburbs.

[kraig]

The City is reluctant to take on the Packard Plant because it's an issue they've already lost in court over. You see, beat the city one good time and they no longer want to fight. If the city beats you, they see you as weak every time.

Besides, there is no political mileage to be gained by going after the owner of the Packard Plant, even if you can find out who it is this week, like there is for someone like Matty Moroun.

If you want the Packard Plant down, make it political. Make it a topic of discussion at the candidate forums for City Council and the Mayor.

[bailey]

If you want the Packard Plant down, make it political. Make it a topic of discussion at the candidate forums for City Council and the Mayor

...and when the concerns aren't met, stop re-electing them.

[MIRepublic]

I wonder how much this one complex is costing DFD every month, how much time it's eaten up? I mean, this is like Cleveland's Cuyahoga catching fire every week for years.

[mwilbert]

It is probably costing the DFD a lot, and I hope no one gets hurt, but it would cost a huge amount to demolish.