Your "White Flight" Story

[Chloe]

My parents left Brightmoor in 1956, because my father was told he would be transferred to the Ford Wixom plant when it was completed. My mother was not thrilled because she felt Novi was backward, which it may have been at that time. My Dad assured her that when he hit it big, he would buy her a "palace" in Rosedale Park. He advanced enough through the engineering ranks in Dearborn, but by the time that occurred, they no longer had an interest in returning. My parents felt the Detroit school system was not what it once was, and they did not want to pay for us to attend private school. The riots also sealed the deal, especially for my mother. The house in Brightmoor no longer stands obviously. It was a drug house in the early 1990's and was fire bombed. And although I never lived there [[born in late 60's), we were able to walk through it in its damaged state before it was demolished.

[56packman]

1969, my folks moved us from 7 mile/Evergreen to North east Livonia, 8 mile/Middlebelt.

The Detroit house was paid for, dad satisfied his 20 year GI bill loan two years earlier.
He was doing better at work, and the move was affordable to us at that time.

We could move, so we did.

That neighborhood today is much like others in parts of the city, abandoned /demolished houses.

[easternshorebird]

Newbie here, coming late to the, um, party. My folks did White Flight somewhat in reverse. After years of pleasant living in Pleasant Ridge [[Woodward & 10 Mile Road area in Oakland County) my Dad got all enthused about urban renewal, city-based culture, walkability neighborhood concepts, and all the rest that was becoming so "trendy" then. He announced we were leaving the suburbs and moving to downtown. Now, years later, with some perspective, think his motives for the move were much more practical than idealistic. More likely he had grown sick and tired of the long daily commute to his office in the Fisher Bldg. And the even longer car trip every Sunday [[albeit less traffic congestion) to get to our church services on Cass Ave [[Detroit Unitarian-Universalist Church)
So, approx. year and one-half later, here we were in 1300 E. Lafayette high-rise when the '67 riot broke out.
Not good. Being in a high-rise, we had to keep the lights off once it was dark, stay away from the windows. Sniper fire shot out the west-facing windows in apt a few floors above us 2nd night of the riots. 3rd night were told police had another sniper pinned down on roof of Lafayette Park A&P store, about 75 yards to the north of us. All the time we had almost front-row seats for the nightly horrific views of constant orange glows from the fires burning on the west side Detroit skyline.
TV in living room [[our only set) never was turned off. We depended on the 3 [[then) local stations. We clung fiercely, constantly changing channels, eager for any scrap of updated bulletins. They were our sole source of news, other than the security guards for the bldg. After being warned to stay away from windows and keep the lights off - decided it was prudent to crawl to the bathroom and kitchen instead of standing up. [[We were, um, enjoying, having these huge, extravagant, floor-to-ceiling type windows in living areas. Thanks to the world renown award winning famous architect who designed it all. Great for river views. Not so great for riots.
Six months later, grabbed my diploma [[January graduating class) from Cass Tech. Soon left to go way out West to begin college. Six months later, my liberal-leaning, idealistic thinking Dad informed me he and Mom were leaving the good life in Lafayette Park. Permanently. For digs in apartment complex way out in Southfield.
The End. Of what I later came to all "The Great Experiment"

[Zacha341]

^^^ Interesting story. I've often wondered what it would be like to live in a high rise with a high percentage of ceiling to floor windows in a situation like that. Very little area to retreat with solid walls. Thank you for posting and welcome to Detroityes!

[19162 StLouis]

^^ Remember that the mid 80s was the peak era for Devil's Night and also the Russell Street corridor fires. I can remember four or five at a time along Russell Street and literally full blocks of burned out hulks in between the active fires. In places there were only two or three unburned houses on a block and you pretty well knew they'd be gone in the next few weeks. So, the analogy is not all that far off from Dresden.

........except that Dresden was bombed by an attacking country and 25,000 to 100,00+[[depending on source) people died in a single bombing. Otherwise, not that far off. I'll give you that Dresden was like Detroit in being an industrial city.

[CassTechGrad]

My parents left after the 1967 riots because our old neighborhood was very hard-hit. Thats me in the buggy.

[Jimaz]

My parents left after the 1967 riots because our old neighborhood was very hard-hit. Thats me in the buggy.

The image on the right was taken in Chechnya.

Lament for a Dying Field: Photojournalism

[Zacha341]

^^^ Eh-umm, perhaps it was suppose to be a parody or sorts..........

[cla1945]

My parents left after the 1967 riots because our old neighborhood was very hard-hit. Thats me in the buggy.

Really????

[Wesley Mouch]

The image on the right was taken in Chechnya.

Lament for a Dying Field: Photojournalism

Today's press prefers to tell compelling stories today. These photos do convey the essential truth of 12th Street, even if they are 'fake news'.

I laughed once I took a careful look.

[Jimaz]

... I laughed once I took a careful look.

Did anyone else notice the similarity between the shape of the tree on the right and the smoke plume in the background? I might be finding significance that isn't there.

That might explain why the photo was selected for a story about photojournalism. I wonder if Laurent Van Der Stockt consciously framed it to capture that symmetry.

“Photojournalism means the photographers can tell the story themselves in pictures,...”

"Life and death, coexisting" might be that story.

[xdet]

For me the story starts with my great grandparents and 'Farm Flight', with both grandfathers moving to Detroit about 1910. My mother's grandfather with the bakery wagon, Oil City, PA and one below that, with the two horses, also in Oil City, farming and sawmill work. The one with the wagon and all the kids, my dad's grandfather, with his 'city' kids visiting. And the bottom one, the only one already in Detroit, with his 1910 Cadillac, no farming background- he worked on the lake freighters first then at the Detroit Dry Docks running the pumps a few years after Henry Ford worked there.
So for 3 out of 4, it was 'Farm Flight' first- and Detroit was a great option for my two grandfathers who both came from farming backgrounds, only my dad's mom already from the 'city' [[Detroit).

[xdet]

On my dad's side this is the story of so-called 'White Flight' and I only say that because it wasn't so much that as that the neighborhood was becoming unsafe as home values fell and the new neighbors weren't keeping their homes up and it wasn't as safe as with the old neighbors they knew. In fact it was a single white mom who bought their place, too many kids to control and no money to keep it up. Almost all the homes around their place on Lenox are gone. Grandpa had come from Pennsylvania to Delaware with family then moving out on his own, came to Detroit around 1910. [[the photo of two guys on motorcycles is of grandpa, right and his brother-in-law, left c. 1917 behind the Gauss home on High Street. That entire street is gone now.

[scarecrow]

What the hell are "black immigrants"?

I think they meant migrants. Since there was a mass exodus from the south at the time.

------

My great grandfather owned an AMC dealership on Greenfield back in the day. He kept it there the entire time until the neighborhood fell apart around it where it was eventually sold.

They left Detroit and went to Farmington Hills when it was still farmland so I'm assuming around 55 or 56 since it was right before Greene's was opened.

[bartocktoo]

I think they meant migrants. Since there was a mass exodus from the south at the time.

------

My great grandfather owned an AMC dealership on Greenfield back in the day. He kept it there the entire time until the neighborhood fell apart around it where it was eventually sold.

They left Detroit and went to Farmington Hills when it was still farmland so I'm assuming around 55 or 56 since it was right before Greene's was opened.

What blows my mind is that we moved to Rochester Hills when I was young in 1979 [[where I grew up...full disclosure I've lived in and out of the city and currently in an inner-ring suburb)...farmland there too. 40 years later the sprawl north from where I grew up near Oakland U is arguably another 11 miles, north east and north west much further. And the area's population has stayed the same...

[pjbear05]

Born in 1950 @ St. Joseph Mercy, lived in 48205. Dad was originally from Rogers City, mom from Chene & Palmer Poletown. I started working full time for City of Detroit in October of 1970. Dad died in '82. Mom died in late '85; during that time I was having multiple problems trying to get work promotions due to Coleslaw Old's affirmative action policies. After three consecutive such denials, all within the department I was working in, I finally got the message. Made the flight, married and moved to South Florida in August of '86. Hooked up workwise with Uncle Sam in June of '87 and retired in 2018.

FWIW, the riots in '67 only started the flights. My work with the City had me being mobile from '73 through '83, and I was everywhere from Twin Pines and Rosedale Park to SW Detroit, or as we used to say, "down in the hole." It wasn't, imho, until the so called "mistake of '74" that the excrement impacted the ventilator.

[jcole]

Born in 1950 @ St. Joseph Mercy, lived in 48205. Dad was originally from Rogers City, mom from Chene & Palmer Poletown. I started working full time for City of Detroit in October of 1970. Dad died in '82. Mom died in late '85; during that time I was having multiple problems trying to get work promotions due to Coleslaw Old's affirmative action policies. After three consecutive such denials, all within the department I was working in, I finally got the message. Made the flight, married and moved to South Florida in August of '86. Hooked up workwise with Uncle Sam in June of '87 and retired in 2018.

FWIW, the riots in '67 only started the flights. My work with the City had me being mobile from '73 through '83, and I was everywhere from Twin Pines and Rosedale Park to SW Detroit, or as we used to say, "down in the hole." It wasn't, imho, until the so called "mistake of '74" that the excrement impacted the ventilator.

Actually, flight started in the 1950s; just look at the population counts as they fell from then on.
BTW, my brother lived in Rogers for several years. Spent a number of vaca's there.

[Smirnoff]

In our neighborhood you could have called it "black-flight", they [[neighbors) left way before the others [[white) finally got the message.....

[Zacha341]

Yes my parents, black, migrated from the south etc. Both sides bringing their siblings with them. They came in the late 50's. A family elder working on the construction of Cobo Hall, another Uniroyal Tire on Jefferson, an aunt a school teacher, one the US Post Office, etc. They lived their entire lives in Detroit.

I think they meant migrants. Since there was a mass exodus from the south at the time.
------
My great grandfather owned an AMC dealership on Greenfield back in the day. He kept it there the entire time until the neighborhood fell apart around it where it was eventually sold.

They left Detroit and went to Farmington Hills when it was still farmland so I'm assuming around 55 or 56 since it was right before Greene's was opened.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Born in 1950 @ St. Joseph Mercy, lived in 48205. Dad was originally from Rogers City, mom from Chene & Palmer Poletown. I started working full time for City of Detroit in October of 1970. Dad died in '82. Mom died in late '85; during that time I was having multiple problems trying to get work promotions due to Coleslaw Old's affirmative action policies. After three consecutive such denials, all within the department I was working in, I finally got the message. Made the flight, married and moved to South Florida in August of '86. Hooked up workwise with Uncle Sam in June of '87 and retired in 2018.

FWIW, the riots in '67 only started the flights. My work with the City had me being mobile from '73 through '83, and I was everywhere from Twin Pines and Rosedale Park to SW Detroit, or as we used to say, "down in the hole." It wasn't, imho, until the so called "mistake of '74" that the excrement impacted the ventilator.

So you're salty because CAY gave opportunities to blacks, they wouldn't have normally received? We all know whites would freeze them out, every chance they got. Did mayors before him, Cavanagh, or Miriani promote affirmative action? Hell naw. Sounds very disingenuous to me. I bet you still did alright in your career, regardless of the perceived snub.

[Colombian Dan]

It started much earlier. My grandfather arrived in Detroit in 1915 and left Detroit for Lincoln Park in 1927. By the way, Detroit's oldest abandoned building is likely the Gary Inter Urban Terminal....

[Honky Tonk]

So you're salty because CAY gave opportunities to blacks, they wouldn't have normally received? We all know whites would freeze them out, every chance they got. Did mayors before him, Cavanagh, or Miriani promote affirmative action? Hell naw. Sounds very disingenuous to me. I bet you still did alright in your career, regardless of the perceived snub.

Yup, that was the only problem with CAY, he gave opportunities to Blacks. Read a little further.

[Richard]

I thought ones white privilege protected them from having to take flight?

It did not work?

[archfan]

I thought ones white privilege protected them from having to take flight?

It did not work?

No, one's white privilege allowed one to flee to a sundown town.

[Honky Tonk]

Still here...