150 Detroit Police Raid Most Problematic Building In City

**MizMotown** · November-15-13, 03:47 PM

Detroit Police have to keep up the pressure and stay legit and accountable and make it very, very uncomfortable for criminals in Detroit. At the same time the suburbs need to do the same or the problems will just move elsewhere...

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20131115/METRO01/311150073

**MikeyinBrooklyn** · November-15-13, 04:44 PM

A [[relatively) small number of people commit most of the crime. Raids like this can have a huge impact on crime. Way to go, DPD. Keep it up. Residents of this building: congrats, and don't hesitate to drop a dime if they return.

**compn** · November-15-13, 09:18 PM

they shoulda brought robocop.

150 police, sounds like THE RAID: REDEMPTION detroit style.

**compn** · November-15-13, 09:20 PM

why are violent carjackers out on tether?

because the private prisons prefer pothead prisoners. less troublesome than violent prisoners.
the jails are full of drug posession "criminals".

end the drug war, get violent criminals off the street and keep them off.

**MikeyinBrooklyn** · November-15-13, 09:35 PM

Compn, I agree that violent carjackers [[note: I have never, ever heard of a non-violent one) should be in jail. But knowing people who have been killed in overdoses, shot by a dealer thinking it was a bust, and losing more than one friend to another friend's drugged driving leaves me to conclude that drug crimes are not non-violent. I don't think someone busted with a joint should do a life term, but even casual users support the dealers and kingpins. This is to say nothing of the people who aren't killed who ruin their lives with drugs. Known a few of those as well. I think the harsh sentences should be reserved for dealers and kingpins. Buy a joint, and put a buck in the pocket of someone who uses a gun for a living. I know legalization is all the rage and I will be fried for this post, but hey, it's still true.

**DetroitPlanner** · November-15-13, 10:40 PM

Great news. Finally addressing crime in the hoods.

**mwilbert** · November-15-13, 11:41 PM

Targetting an area that has issues and arresting people they find there who have outstanding warrants is something that the DPD should do a lot more of, subject to their resource constraints--I am quite sure there is no shortage of people running around who could be picked up on that basis, without the need for resorting to more problematic and less efficient approaches like stop and frisk.

**MikeyinBrooklyn** · November-15-13, 11:52 PM

Starting in the early 90s, in NYC they began using very advanced computer programs [[CompStat I think is the name) that provided real time info on when and where crimes occurred. There are trends and patterns. It allowed the police to concentrate resources on the specific locations [[down to the block and building) at the times that crimes would likely occur, including weather conditions. The information is fed into the system 24/7, and it allowed the police to not only catch criminals, but also to suppress criminal activity from even occurring. Combined with "broken window" policing implemented around the same time, crime plummeted from more than 2000 murders a year [[2000!) to several hundred. I think Detroit could benefit immensely from such a system; if they already have it, it should be used more aggressively.

**Road_warrior** · November-16-13, 08:14 AM

What other buildings in Detroit need to be raided like this?

1. 473 Peterboro
2. King Homes

**sumas** · November-16-13, 09:22 AM

The police have those stats, we would get the monthly info for our community meeting. There are areas in my community that I just don't go and all are high density apartments.

Car jackings and robbery were going up on Jefferson with 3 that I know of recently via our grapevine.

I'd love for those places to get raided too. Mostly my neighborhood is quite safe. But those 3 hot spots I mentioned in our community would go a long way towards making it much safer. Be nice if landlords would do background checks too.

**Gannon** · November-16-13, 09:56 AM

Originally Posted by MikeyinBrooklyn

I don't think someone busted with a joint should do a life term, but even casual users support the dealers and kingpins...Buy a joint, and put a buck in the pocket of someone who uses a gun for a living.

Not all drugs come from thugs. The best ones most certainly do not. I avoid all non-local sources for my medicine completely.

You are myopic if you miss the fact that the prohibition of such CAUSES the things you wish to make go away. When alcohol was decriminalized/pseudo-legalized after the Constitutional Amendment causing prohibition was repealed...ALL of the gangland violence and black-market dealings simply went away.

Period.

So, yeah, end the drug war and everything you complain about will go away. Once drug use is completely above-board and no longer hidden by necessity...and people again learn how to use these useful substances in moderation with positive intent instead of the haphazard borderline abusive approach the last two generations have been 'trained' to perform...then society in whole will finally learn why the powers-that-be made them illegal in the first place.

They cannot risk having independent thinkers loose in the group they are trying to fully subjugate. Too dangerous to the status quo...

**MikeyinBrooklyn** · November-16-13, 12:26 PM

Gannon, I am not going to try to argue with you; I think we both want what's best for our community, we just have polar opposite views on this issue. I respect well informed and sincere arguments like yours, I just can't agree with them. We can probably agree that legal or not, the drug thugs and murderers need to be taken off the streets.

**Django** · November-16-13, 12:48 PM

We wouldn't have drug thugs if what they were selling was legal and regulated and in doing so would make street dealing most likely non existent . More people die over drugs than by drugs. 60,000 deaths in Mexico alone between 2006-2012. If you regulated drugs, overdoses would sharply decline. The illegal drug trade is exactly why there are so many drugs on the street.When a kid can make $600 a day selling rock on the corner theres not much incentive for him/her to work a McJob. Now big business is getting into the mix building privatized prisons which counts on the drug war to keep the prisons filled. You should know MikeyinBrooklyn that roughly half of the prisoners in the US are in for non violent drug crimes leaving less room for real criminals. If I want to smoke a joint, trip out on LSD, or shoot heroin in my own home and Im not hurting anyone who the hell are you or Nancy Reagan to say I cant. What are you smokin?

And...what Gannon said.

I'm not against raiding a building for violent felons and Im curious how many of the 2 dozen or so were wanted on violent felonies? Someone mentioned the 400 block of Peterboro, which is a known drug warehouse. Im sure you would catch some wanted men/women but how many would be violent offenders or thieves? You can squeeze the drugs but its going to wind up somewhere else. Maybe the question is can lock up every drug user?
I do not mean to knock the DPD but it kinda smells of a publicity stunt, 150 officers for 2 dozen absconders?

**stasu1213** · November-16-13, 12:58 PM

Now the police could raid the Martin Luther Kings projects on Lafayette and St Aubin. That place need a serious cleaning out. They need to become condos and coops

**Django** · November-16-13, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

Now the police could raid the Martin Luther Kings projects on Lafayette and St Aubin. That place need a serious cleaning out. They need to become condos and coops

Im vaguely familiar with that place and cant help but think they are in the same situation as the place on Woodward and MLK who was raided in the same way as the Jefferson apt building. That made me mad that the retired community was being hustled into letting dealers sell out of their residence.

**softailrider** · November-16-13, 01:57 PM

Originally Posted by Django

We wouldn't have drug thugs if what they were selling was legal and regulated and in doing so would make street dealing most likely non existent . More people die over drugs than by drugs. 60,000 deaths in Mexico alone between 2006-2012. If you regulated drugs, overdoses would sharply decline. The illegal drug trade is exactly why there are so many drugs on the street.When a kid can make $600 a day selling rock on the corner theres not much incentive for him/her to work a McJob. Now big business is getting into the mix building privatized prisons which counts on the drug war to keep the prisons filled. You should know MikeyinBrooklyn that roughly half of the prisoners in the US are in for non violent drug crimes leaving less room for real criminals. If I want to smoke a joint, trip out on LSD, or shoot heroin in my own home and Im not hurting anyone who the hell are you or Nancy Reagan to say I cant. What are you smokin?

And...what Gannon said.

I'm not against raiding a building for violent felons and Im curious how many of the 2 dozen or so were wanted on violent felonies? Someone mentioned the 400 block of Peterboro, which is a known drug warehouse. Im sure you would catch some wanted men/women but how many would be violent offenders or thieves? You can squeeze the drugs but its going to wind up somewhere else. Maybe the question is can lock up every drug user?
I do not mean to knock the DPD but it kinda smells of a publicity stunt, 150 officers for 2 dozen absconders?

My thinking was along the same lines. It was a real show, put on for somebody's benefit. Seems like they grabbed some low hanging fruit. How about going around the other 128 and 9/10 miles of the city and close down some of the open air drug markets.

**Django** · November-17-13, 07:10 PM

Originally Posted by softailrider

My thinking was along the same lines. It was a real show, put on for somebody's benefit. Seems like they grabbed some low hanging fruit. How about going around the other 128 and 9/10 miles of the city and close down some of the open air drug markets.

Why close down the open air drug markets? Because you will just squeeze them to a different area and not solve the problem. I can understand being a business owner of a gas station or low end apartment building and wanting that kind of shenanigans to go away but it will not. The drug war has given a burgeoning business to the inner city poor to do what they want. Its not going away until we regulate narcotics. I think the city needs a red light district until the powers that be finally realize that this war is going nowhere and start to take on drugs as more of a health issue than a criminal issue. I would rather have our police going after killers, rapists and thieves.

**softailrider** · November-17-13, 08:02 PM

Originally Posted by Django

Why close down the open air drug markets? Because you will just squeeze them to a different area and not solve the problem. I can understand being a business owner of a gas station or low end apartment building and wanting that kind of shenanigans to go away but it will not. The drug war has given a burgeoning business to the inner city poor to do what they want. Its not going away until we regulate narcotics. I think the city needs a red light district until the powers that be finally realize that this war is going nowhere and start to take on drugs as more of a health issue than a criminal issue. I would rather have our police going after killers, rapists and thieves.

For openers, there are family's with kids living on those same streets. They shouldn't have to live with drug activity - why should children be exposed to that? I'm fine with the red light district you suggest, I'm fine with legalization too, I could care less what drugs people do, as far as I'm concerned give adults anything they want. The problem is the open air drug markets are a huge quality of life problem for people who don't do drugs.

**night-timer** · November-17-13, 09:02 PM

.... hang on, didn't drug dealing make all those kids rich so they could move to a place in the sun? You tellin' me they're still on the street hussling? I can't understand why they keep going at it. Maybe they just enjoy the work.

**night-timer** · November-17-13, 09:09 PM

... oh, and judging by the news video of handcuffed kids being led to the "mobile police station" bus, they sure make for cheery arrest-ees.

**nain rouge** · November-17-13, 10:00 PM

Django, don't even bother arguing. You're dealing with useful idiots. Back during prohibition they would've carried on about how you deserved to go to jail for drinking a glass of wine. It's a lost cause.

**Django** · November-18-13, 03:54 AM

Originally Posted by softailrider

For openers, there are family's with kids living on those same streets. They shouldn't have to live with drug activity - why should children be exposed to that? I'm fine with the red light district you suggest, I'm fine with legalization too, I could care less what drugs people do, as far as I'm concerned give adults anything they want. The problem is the open air drug markets are a huge quality of life problem for people who don't do drugs.

Kids shouldn't be exposed to drugs being sold on the corner but they can live next to a liquor store? You are right, kids shouldnt be exposed to open air drug markets with thugs running game, the drugs should be regulated and dispensed properly. Im trying to expose the big picture here. You cant lock everybody up because they shot a dime bag or smoked a rock. Im trying to get people in the mindset that the war on drugs will never win and should be taken off the streets. Drugs could be a legitimate taxed business while rehab/prevention could be the norm instead of locking people up. Can we at least agree that the drug war will never be won and that it has been a waste of time?

**Django** · November-18-13, 04:21 AM

Originally Posted by nain rouge

Django, don't even bother arguing. You're dealing with useful idiots. Back during prohibition they would've carried on about how you deserved to go to jail for drinking a glass of wine. It's a lost cause.

I know what your saying nain but the drug war is my soapbox. The war on drugs has cost us soooo so much. We now have privatized prisons making money by locking people up, and now we put them them to work making bras for Victorias Secret and a thousand other companies who want cheap labor.
I've been ranting about the War on Drugs since I first came to Dyes 12 or so years ago and I've noticed a distinct change in peoples attitudes toward the WoD. People are finally realizing that your not going to stop supply and demand, Im trying to get folks to focus on drug addiction as a health issue and not a criminal issue. Jimminy Cricketts I could go on and on about how the USA has more people in prison than any other country in the world by far, 50% of them for non violent drug crimes, and how more people die.... oh never mind.
Legalizing weed seems to get all the headlines these days but weed is only a small part of the equation. Hard drugs need to be dealt with and they will not go away.

**canuck** · November-18-13, 06:47 AM

My only problem with the legalized drugs argument is that the non-Lance Armstrongs of this world will need to get with the program.

How will you be able then to tell someone they cant operate machinery or just plain work and consume drugs at the same time. How can you tell athletes they cannot do performance enhancing drugs?

**Honky Tonk** · November-18-13, 09:57 AM

I've had my eye on that place for years now. The "open air market" atmosphere of activities there was unbelievable. I drove by the Colony Arms last Saturday night. Not to be a poop, but it was a warm evening, and it sure looked like business as usual going on. Cars were double parked, people hanging out, a few loud confrontations were going on as I drove by.This raid might have picked up some of the more hard core offenders, [[a good thing, of course) but it's going to take more then a one time dog & pony show to seriously affect crime in that place. I hope they keep leaning on these offenders, because it actually IS a nice area with lot's of potential.