Revitalization of Detroit's North End

[renf]

This essay in the morning paper by John Eligon is the most informative one I have read about the efforts of the new mayor to retain population in a challenged but potentially valuable neighborhood. He clearly understands the impact that the restructuring of employment, the legacy of racial distrust and the appeal of the suburbs with their lower taxes, lower crime rates and better city services.

The maps are informative.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/07/us...hoto-spot&_r=0

[animatedmartian]

That was a great read. I really liked that they pretty much followed the day-to-day activities of a single long-time North End resident. Great article and great insight into the neighborhood. The best days of North End are ahead of it.

[313WX]

The best days of North End are ahead of it.

I wouldn't say its BEST days are ahead of it, Detroit and North End's entire history considered.

Could better days, relative to what's things have been like as a late, be ahead of it? Perhaps. Time will tell...

[animatedmartian]

I wouldn't say its BEST days are ahead of it, Detroit and North End's entire history considered.

Could better days, relative to what's things have been like as a late, be ahead of it? Perhaps. Time will tell...

If it's best days are behind it then it clearly wasn't too sustainable and therefore did not reach it's full potential. Clearly there were some flaws in the historical prosperity of the neighborhood and the city as a whole that allowed it to reach the point where it is today, otherwise, it makes no sense to say that the best days are long past.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

"There was a time when Inell Byrd felt as if people were trying to take advantage of her. That was last year, when, overwhelmed by her family’s precarious finances, she put her home up for sale for $100,000. But after getting only lowball offers mostly from white buyers, she said, she decided not to sell."

I recall seeing the Byrd's house listed for sale. I wonder, however, how they know that the offers were "mostly from white buyers", and why that is relevant to a decision to sell or not.

[Honky Tonk]

"There was a time when Inell Byrd felt as if people were trying to take advantage of her. That was last year, when, overwhelmed by her family’s precarious finances, she put her home up for sale for $100,000. But after getting only lowball offers mostly from white buyers, she said, she decided not to sell."

I recall seeing the Byrd's house listed for sale. I wonder, however, how they know that the offers were "mostly from white buyers", and why that is relevant to a decision to sell or not.

You know how white people are........

[animatedmartian]

"There was a time when Inell Byrd felt as if people were trying to take advantage of her. That was last year, when, overwhelmed by her family’s precarious finances, she put her home up for sale for $100,000. But after getting only lowball offers mostly from white buyers, she said, she decided not to sell."

I recall seeing the Byrd's house listed for sale. I wonder, however, how they know that the offers were "mostly from white buyers", and why that is relevant to a decision to sell or not.

Because white people = rich [[generally). Why sell out when you know the buyers can afford 10 times more than what they're offering? The chances are low that it would have been middle class blacks or some other minority looking to buy a home because they know the situation in Detroit. Blacks typically buy close to relatives and friends while other middle class minorities mostly buy when the area is more desirable. Whites are mostly the ones who buy wherever and for the lowest price.

I don't have any factual data to back that up, but it's not like you're seeing affluent Indians flocking into Detroit from Troy so...

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

Because white people = rich [[generally). Why sell out when you know the buyers can afford 10 times more than what they're offering? The chances are low that it would have been middle class blacks or some other minority looking to buy a home because they know the situation in Detroit. Blacks typically buy close to relatives and friends while other middle class minorities mostly buy when the area is more desirable. Whites are mostly the ones who buy wherever and for the lowest price.

I don't have any factual data to back that up, but it's not like you're seeing affluent Indians flocking into Detroit from Troy so...

My, there are some sweeping generalizations. Whites are "generally" rich and can offer 10 times what they do? So if someone offers $75,000 for a $100,000 listing he could really afford $750,000? I don't know a lot of those folks.

I don't think every white person who wants to buy a house in a historic neighborhood has really deep pockets. Many are just willing to put in a lot of sweat equity.

My point really had to do with fair housing laws, which prohibit the disclosure or discussion of race. So if the sellers knew the race of the potential buyers for a fact, something was most likely amiss.

[Jimaz]

You know how white people are........

No. How white are people?

Groan.

[animatedmartian]

My point really had to do with fair housing laws, which prohibit the disclosure or discussion of race. So if the sellers knew the race of the potential buyers for a fact, something was most likely amiss.

Well, yea then that would be the odd part. But my point is that overall, whites still have the better financial mobility in most situations simply due to socioeconomic statistics that haven't really changed much in many years.

[Honky Tonk]

No. How white are people?

Groan.

"Good Night DetroitYES!!!!!!!!"

[rex]

Because white people = rich [[generally). Whites are mostly the ones who buy wherever and for the lowest price.

White people = Rich?

What white people you're talkin about and define rich. She was asking 100K for a 100+ year old house in need of a roof, with cracks in the walls, a porch falling apart and massive holes in the ceiling. North end is not a nice area by any means. She said it herself. 1 or 2 nice streets surrounded by bombed out blocks. I dont think its worth half that. To get it back into good condition would cost more than the house would be worth when its finished.

[Detroitnerd]

You can describe race in a wonderful story in the New York Times, but you can't mention it on this board. All the white Al Sharptons will start yapping.

For a racial majority with more than its share of the nation's wealth, white people sure seem thin-skinned about perceived injustices.

[nain rouge]

That overhead shot of North End is a fascinating angle. The article did a nice job revealing some of the racial issues involved in Detroit. Neither side - black or white - is completely in the right IMO, which makes it easy for both sides to come up with reasons for why nothing can change. We have a lot of healing to do before Detroit can truly recover.

[animatedmartian]

White people = Rich?

What white people you're talkin about and define rich. She was asking 100K for a 100+ year old house in need of a roof, with cracks in the walls, a porch falling apart and massive holes in the ceiling. North end is not a nice area by any means. She said it herself. 1 or 2 nice streets surrounded by bombed out blocks. I dont think its worth half that. To get it back into good condition would cost more than the house would be worth when its finished.

A white guy can come in to the city and make a farm and say he's doing a good deed so he can feel good about himself. A black woman might do it because she can't afford to buy groceries because they took away her food stamps and she has to pay medical bills for her husband because he got injured on the job while his company gave him reduced health benefits and private health insurance is too expensive.

And now her house is falling apart and she puts it up for sale. Let's say the buyer is a white guy with a house he lives in with a modest mortgage. He buys this house in Detroit and wants to flip the house to rent it out for additional income assuming he can afford the renovations. Not that it's a bad thing, but it's what he's capable of doing. The black woman doesn't have the same capabilities even if she'd like to.

That's what I mean by rich.

[ABetterDetroit]

You can describe race in a wonderful story in the New York Times, but you can't mention it on this board. All the white Al Sharptons will start yapping.

For a racial majority with more than its share of the nation's wealth, white people sure seem thin-skinned about perceived injustices.

100% correct. I think it's obvious that a majority of white people lack experience on being prejudged based on their skin color and are "thin skinned" when it happens.
It is long overdue for all of us in the greater metro Detroit area to get over it get a little thicker skin and move on and compete with the rest of the USA for the benefit of everyone in this area to have a better life with more opportunity for all.

[renf]

Nain Rouge,
Good comments. That author in the NY Times understands the complexity of the legacy of
racial conflict in Motown.

[FlyOnTheWall]

For a racial majority with more than its share of the nation's wealth, white people sure seem thin-skinned about perceived injustices.

For a racial majority with more than its share of Detroit, black people sure seem thin-skinned about perceived injustices.

I think that fixes things

[FlyOnTheWall]

Because white people = rich [[generally).

You have got to be kidding. Unless you believe something I read a long time ago. The person that has 1 dollar more than me is rich. If this is the case, I do feel sorry for you.

[Neilr]

Here are a couple of old threads on which p69rrh51 and I and others discuss the architecture and social dynamics of the North End Neighborhood.

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...ight=North+End

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...ight=North+End

[Detroitnerd]

For a racial majority with more than its share of Detroit, black people sure seem thin-skinned about perceived injustices.

I think that fixes things

Yeah, um, cool story bro.

[animatedmartian]

You have got to be kidding. Unless you believe something I read a long time ago. The person that has 1 dollar more than me is rich. If this is the case, I do feel sorry for you.

But 7 times out of 9 a white person will have 1 more dollar than a black person. Are you saying you feel sorry for more black people even though the population of whites are higher? What's Al Sharpton's number?!

[FlyOnTheWall]

But 7 times out of 9 a white person will have 1 more dollar than a black person. Are you saying you feel sorry for more black people even though the population of whites are higher? What's Al Sharpton's number?!

Nope, What I am saying is that if I should work $1.00 harder than you, I should have $1.00 more than you. And vise/versa. I should not be considered rich because I have a dollar more than you. If you believe that I'm rich because I have a dollar more than you, I feel sorry for you because of the way you THINK!

You need to both rethink what rich is, and what it takes to be rich. You probably have more $$$ than me but maybe not. It doesn't matter because what I responded to was, "Because white people = rich [[generally)."

I know that I ain't rich. I could count the ways that I ain't rich but that would never convince you as in your words, "WHITE = RICH! That sentiment is 100% wrong.

I did NOT say that I feel sorry for the black people. I said that I feel sorry for YOU for thinking that way. BTW, I don't know if you personally are black, white, yellow, brown, or polka-dotted, and I simply don't care. I assume you are a human and you seem to have this thought pattern and I feel sorry for YOU!

[KJ5]

This essay in the morning paper by John Eligon is the most informative one I have
read about the efforts of the new mayor to retain population in a challenged but potentially valuable neighborhood.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/07/us...hoto-spot&_r=0

To those of us that live here, there is no "potentially" about it. The North End IS valuable.

[mwilbert]

The article was very interesting, and the neighborhood is in a location that makes sense to preserve/redevelop/rehabilitate, but I really wonder if there is enough demand for housing in the periphery of Midtown to make that happen, at least as of now.