Farrakhan's influence in Detroit?

**night-timer** · July-26-13, 09:55 PM

Not much of a follower of religion or its leaders, but Louis Farrakhan has a lengthy speech on Youtube where he addresses Detroit City Council. He proposes a $1 donation per month from each Detroiter. If he can get $1 from 500,000 people, that's $2m after four months, he says. He proposes using the funds to buy Detroit's abandoned buildings, assuming they haven't become too structurally unsound and can be saved. Surely this is a simplistic answer, and how much ownership percentage of the buildings do I get with my buck contributions?

**Zacha341** · July-27-13, 06:16 AM

Umm, perhaps he can try some of that out in Chi-town to clean up the astronomical violent crime there! Didn't they have some 70+shootings and a number of murders [[including youth) over the last fourth of July?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_3561407.html

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2013/07...July-4-weekend

**Chicago48** · July-27-13, 06:29 AM

Originally Posted by night-timer

Not much of a follower of religion or its leaders, but Louis Farrakhan has a lengthy speech on Youtube where he addresses Detroit City Council. He proposes a $1 donation per month from each Detroiter. If he can get $1 from 500,000 people, that's $2m after four months, he says. He proposes using the funds to buy Detroit's abandoned buildings, assuming they haven't become too structurally unsound and can be saved. Surely this is a simplistic answer, and how much ownership percentage of the buildings do I get with my buck contributions?

Farrakhan is very influential here in Chicago and in Detroit. Long history. Black Muslims were the only group back in the day that took the winos and drug addicts and converted them.

Anyway, his idea is a good one. Not anything new. I believe HIS org. does something similar in Chicago and they own a lot of property and land. Quiet as it's kept.

But the idea is so simplistic you wonder why no one else thought about it. Truth is, Black Detroiters better start buying some land and holding on to it. Because the downtown will be spread out beyond Woodward and Midtown as it grows. It may be a long time coming but it's coming.

**Chicago48** · July-27-13, 06:32 AM

the Black Muslims own property and buildings in Chicago, but not a whole LOT of property. I believe they also own land in the south. Of course, they are a secretive organization so nobody knows. They got a lot of loans and support from the Saudis and Libya a few years back. The Black Muslims did a walk through the south side a few months back to show unity and to talk to people, but they're not really very "political" and they don't get involved in a lot of antagonistic stuff. They are a peaceful people, and this nonsense going on with their brethen, they have a hands-off approach. They take care of their own.

**Meddle** · July-27-13, 06:18 PM

Originally Posted by night-timer

and how much ownership percentage of the buildings do I get with my buck contributions?

See, there it is. No matter what gets proposed by who, everybody wants to know, what do I get out of it.

**JBMcB** · July-27-13, 09:27 PM

Originally Posted by Meddle

See, there it is. No matter what gets proposed by who, everybody wants to know, what do I get out of it.

That's the correct question to ask when the original request is "Everyone give us money and we'll do something with it."

**Cliffy** · July-27-13, 10:10 PM

Yeah but what about property taxes

**night-timer** · July-27-13, 11:37 PM

Originally Posted by Chicago48

Farrakhan is very influential here in Chicago and in Detroit. Long history. Black Muslims were the only group back in the day that took the winos and drug addicts and converted them.

Anyway, his idea is a good one. Not anything new. I believe HIS org. does something similar in Chicago and they own a lot of property and land. Quiet as it's kept.

But the idea is so simplistic you wonder why no one else thought about it. Truth is, Black Detroiters better start buying some land and holding on to it. Because the downtown will be spread out beyond Woodward and Midtown as it grows. It may be a long time coming but it's coming.

Vision and foresight, looking into the future, can indeed make people wealthy. Farrakhan's idea is mathematically simple, but I still don't know how the ownership structure works. Everyone is some sort of shareholder in all of the buildings, depending on how long they've been making monthly contributions? What if you can afford to give ten dollars a month? And ultimately, would it really work? Farrakhan doesn't have to ask Detroiters to help him buy up Detroit. He could ask his followers [[wherever they're from) to buy land all over the country or the world.

**sumas** · July-28-13, 05:36 AM

Originally Posted by JBMcB

That's the correct question to ask when the original request is "Everyone give us money and we'll do something with it."

I agree. The only time I don't ask that is from panhandlers.

**Meddle** · July-28-13, 05:48 AM

I don't see anything about ownership or even shareholding. This sounds like a program of donations. Everybody give a buck to a fund. The fund does something with it.

Kind of like the Salvation Army or Red Cross.

The donors/contributors get nothing personally.

**Cliffy** · July-28-13, 10:02 AM

Right but giving money for real estate is different than giving a coat and $5 to a homeless shelter. Property is a big can of worms because you need to pay property taxes and insurance at a minimum.

**Meddle** · July-28-13, 10:16 AM

Giving the money is giving the money. Doesn't matter where it goes.

Unless you're getting some sort of contract or terms of ownership in writing, there is no difference from giving it for any other reason.

**psubliminal** · July-28-13, 11:37 AM

Are these the well-dressed guys I see at the corner of Davison & Livernois trying to sell bags of fruit and something in boxes to people stopped at the intersection? I've wondered for years, ever since I started taking Davison to get to I-75 on my way to work.

**Gary** · July-28-13, 12:58 PM

Originally Posted by psubliminal

Are these the well-dressed guys I see at the corner of Davison & Livernois trying to sell bags of fruit and something in boxes to people stopped at the intersection? I've wondered for years, ever since I started taking Davison to get to I-75 on my way to work.

Yep. Those would be members of the NOI.