Can we divest from Nolan Finley?

**ABetterDetroit** · June-29-14, 06:25 PM

Originally Posted by cla1945

I'm pretty sure he was referring to Riverdays June 21 and 22 when there were more than a couple fights that broke out with teens and gangs.

I was at Riverdays for 5 hours last Sunday had a nice time. It was very cool seeing so many kids having so much fun. I didn't witness any fights, but unfortunately they do occur sometimes. Lions game, hip hop concert, whats the diffrence? Young males having to much fun require a certain amount of law enforcment attention wherever they congregate. I remember being one once. Trust.

**unclefrank** · June-29-14, 08:04 PM

Originally Posted by ABetterDetroit

I was at Riverdays for 5 hours last Sunday had a nice time. It was very cool seeing so many kids having so much fun. I didn't witness any fights, but unfortunately they do occur sometimes. Lions game, hip hop concert, whats the diffrence? Young males having to much fun require a certain amount of law enforcment attention wherever they congregate. I remember being one once. Trust.

I remember being taught in college that the crime rate ebbed and flowed with the numbers of young males in the society. Now young woman are learning that they can be just as stupid and obnoxious. True equality.

**Lowell** · June-29-14, 08:16 PM

Originally Posted by mwilbert

I suspect that perhaps people are reacting to the piece differently just because it is written by Finley.

Let's summarize the article.

1) There are fewer teens hanging out on Belle Isle. [[no supporting data, but it seems likely given the changes there.)

2) More teens are coming downtown and behaving in a way that some people don't think is appropriate. [[quote from Harold Love)

3) These are teens who used to hang out on Belle Isle. [[again, that is what Harold Love thinks)

4) This is a potential problem for keeping downtown attractive to other visitors. [[logical conclusion)

In and of itself, I don't see the problem with this. Of course, Finley throws in a bunch of vaguely inflammatory words and details, just so we know it's him, but my actual issue with the is that it is stupid. I am willing to believe this is a problem, but the article doesn't actually talk about what is reasonable to do about it.

It seems to me that people should be able to go downtown and hang out if they want. If that is a problem, how do we discourage it without "harassing kids". If the problem is teens misbehaving, then presumably at least in principle we have ways of curbing misbehavior, but if the problem is simply people being downtown and young and in a group making other people nervous, then I'm not sure the problem is legitimately soluble. Really young people are subject to the curfew, and that is mentioned in the article, but are minors the big problem? Article doesn't say. What time of the evening is the problem? Article doesn't say. There just isn't much there.

Good analysis. The lack of substantiation also struck me immediately too. Trouble on the River Walk? It must be Belle Isle related. Not one bit of evidence offered.

What has happened is the expansion of the River Walk and it's becoming 'discovered' and becoming popular destination for young people. This is reflected in new sign ups for this forum. One question we ask is, "What is your favorite place in Detroit?" River Walk has supplanted Belle Isle in the last year or two particularly by under 20 new members.

Originally Posted by cla1945

Trying not to be labeled a racist and trying to just have a conversation here, what I'm seeing is a lot of white people doing their best to make Detroit a better place to be. I don't see a lot of black people getting out there, trying to improve it. Maybe I'm way off base here and if I am, sorry. ... All colors of people want Detroit back, but from what I'm witnessing, more whites are making the effort than anyone else.

Yeah I think you are off base. Do you still live here? These are not the black people I know who are doing so much to make a better Detroit place in the face of scorn and prejudice. But I will at least give you credit for not engaging in the code-speak Mr. Finley does in his opinion piece, which he could have spared me reading time by simply saying, "Black kids are creating problems, this time downtown and that makes white folk like me scared."

A couch burning, car-flipping beer mob in East Lansing? Just kids having too much to drink and doing what kids that age do. Nothing to be scared about.

**Honky Tonk** · June-29-14, 09:07 PM

The Riverwalk has had incidents since it opened. Last year, a group of kids went on a spree Downtown, closing Lafayette Coney Island, they've always been open 24/7. There also was an incident @ the Sacred Heart seminary Polish Fest. All this happened before the State started patrolling Belle Isle.

**Danny** · June-30-14, 06:23 AM

Take away spanking the children, and the children will spank the adults!

**Smirnoff** · June-30-14, 07:37 AM

Originally Posted by Danny

Take away spanking the children, and the children will spank the adults!

Except they are using guns, instead of paddles....

**iheartthed** · June-30-14, 10:45 AM

This said more about Nolan Finley being out of touch than anything else. Downtown Detroit was always "rowdy" on warm summer weekend nights, well before the state took over Belle Isle.

**Kevgoblue** · June-30-14, 12:13 PM

Originally Posted by Patrick

Nolan Finley is on a roll lately with his editorial pieces. He seems to have a problem with "Belle Isle rowdies" shifting to downtown. So, just who are these "rowdies" Mr. Finley is talking about? He needs to be more specific.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...shift-downtown

Well I for one am itching to read the article he writes this week. Apparently these "rowdies" he was referencing switched their attention to Lake St.Clair. Heard there was plenty of rowdiness, public intoxication and once again, they left the island a mess.
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/06/...ken-accidents/

**FbO Vorcha** · July-01-14, 05:28 AM

Originally Posted by Kevgoblue

Well I for one am itching to read the article he writes this week. Apparently these "rowdies" he was referencing switched their attention to Lake St.Clair. Heard there was plenty of rowdiness, public intoxication and once again, they left the island a mess.
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/06/...ken-accidents/

Those are boaters, and they should be second class citizens anyway. They're all just older married-with-kids guys who are looking to get underage pussy with their boats. They're cheap filthy bastards who shouldn't be allowed around polite company, let alone our daughters.

**emu steve** · July-01-14, 06:23 AM

Bet Nolan will have his chance on the Hobby Lobby case since he likes to comment on 'vagina politics.'

http://www.eclectablog.com/2014/04/d...-business.html

**Honky Tonk** · July-01-14, 07:12 AM

Originally Posted by FbO Vorcha

Those are boaters, and they should be second class citizens anyway. They're all just older married-with-kids guys who are looking to get underage pussy with their boats. They're cheap filthy bastards who shouldn't be allowed around polite company, let alone our daughters.

What kind of boat do you have?

**Lowell** · July-01-14, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by Kevgoblue

Well I for one am itching to read the article he writes this week. Apparently these "rowdies" he was referencing switched their attention to Lake St.Clair. Heard there was plenty of rowdiness, public intoxication and once again, they left the island a mess.
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/06/...ken-accidents/

Good link deserving its own thread, which it now is.