MCS cleanup?

[detmich]

I read the thread, the posts to the volunteers basically asked what Chub asked. Why does it have to be volunteers helping a rich guy. Why not helping some poor folks? Clean up their houses and do some repairs?

On another note, what exactly is so architecturally amazing or significant about MCS? It gets a lot of attention because it is EMPTY, not because it is the North American Acropolis. Stop being so gullible and thinking this helps the cause of Detroit. All it has done is given Matty Moroun more arrows in his quiver.

[gazhekwe]

Maybe we all think the owner of this site should bear the responsibility for cleaning it up. Well, he isn't, and the City isn't making him.

Does that mean people in the neighborhood must live with an eyesore? No, it does not. If one can raise volunteer muscle power and donated resources to improve the appearance of a major area in the neighborhood, it improves the area's image and gives it a big lift. Those who contribute can feel that they have done a great thing for their community. More power to them, and may it profit them much.

The grumbling naysayers, who do not have to live in the shadow of the ruins, can continue to make ugly about it, but their approach accomplishes nothing.

[davewindsor]

I don't see how it's gullible to volunteer to clean it. It's not like an organization like Habitat that's donating materials and bringing the property up to code through their efforts. Obviously, spending the hundreds of millions bringing it up to code should be his problem if the Detroit market ever turns around. But, they're just cleaning up the trash. I guess you prefer living in areas with garbage surrounding you? That's just sad, bud.

From what I heard, millionaire James Scott who donated the money to build the Scott fountain on Belle Isle in 1910 was hated by a lot of Detroiters, yet they built the fountain and a statue of him in honour of him with the money he donated for it and still the public cleans and maintains it to this date. What's the difference? The building and the fountain are works of art meant for all to see and appreciate. I guess you should be starting your protest against the public maintaining the Scott Fountain too.

Any cleaning effort helps the cause of Detroit, even it's it just picking up a piece of garbage on your neighbour's sidewalk.

I read the thread, the posts to the volunteers basically asked what Chub asked. Why does it have to be volunteers helping a rich guy. Why not helping some poor folks? Clean up their houses and do some repairs?

On another note, what exactly is so architecturally amazing or significant about MCS? It gets a lot of attention because it is EMPTY, not because it is the North American Acropolis. Stop being so gullible and thinking this helps the cause of Detroit. All it has done is given Matty Moroun more arrows in his quiver.

[Bearinabox]

How does cleaning junk out of the inside of the station make it any prettier to look at from the outside? All it really does is allow Matty to say "hey, I'm doing something!" when people call him out on having done nothing whatsoever for as long as he's owned the station. And if City Council really is dumb enough to knock it down and try to send him the bill, he can pull out the publicity shots of Dan Stamper shaking volunteers' hands and say "think of the children!" Methinks he's playing these kids like violins. If they don't mind, I guess that's up to them. Personally, I have no interest in becoming part of Matty's PR machine and contributing to the further neglect of the train station.

[Andrew in Windsor]

Personally, I have no interest in becoming part of Matty's PR machine

Matty's PR machine has a first name,
It's D-A-N.
Matty's PR machine second name,
It's S-T-A-M-P-E-R...

No shit. A multi-gajillionaire has "volunteers" cleaning up his decrepit mess... That takes the cake.

[daddeeo]

Too bad more people don't clean up their own neighborhoods in Detroit. Blight Busters is a start.

[Fury13]

On another note, what exactly is so architecturally amazing or significant about MCS? It gets a lot of attention because it is EMPTY, not because it is the North American Acropolis.

It's a pretty nice example of Beaux-Arts/neoclassical architecture, actually. It was a handsome building in its heyday.