The Brewster Projects Footages

[Danny]

Please take a look the gentrification of the Brewster Projects near Brush Park. The Home of Diana Ross once designed by the Detroit Housing Comission now became a institutionalized ghettohood for the poor and low-income families.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2oEYzNCkqY

What do you all think about this urban problem. Were the poor is going to stay the DHC close some the the 4 towers and several row homes.

WORD FROM THE STREET PROPHET

Neda Solatani: in rememberance

[crawford]

Danny, the poor can do what they've always done: apply for Sec 8. vouchers and then move to a middle class neighborhood.

The middle class homeowners will then flee for the suburbs, and the cycle can repeat itself.

Very interesting Youtube, BTW.

[Detroitnerd]

Well, the old Hastings Street neighborhood had a lot of problems. Not just social problems, like gambling and prostitution and poverty. The real problem was that all those black people, back in the day, all knew each other and lived among each other, rich and poor, legal and shady, old and young. They were too cohesive and knew each other too well. Police would go in there looking for criminals and before they could grab somebody [[anybody), they'd be hid somewhere. And with all the storefronts, lots of people had jobs in the neighborhood, which gave them legitimate income and places to spend it. And then there's all that political power that comes from knowing everybody in the community. That was starting to become troublesome in Detroit.

So, they rammed the freeway right down the middle and knocked everything down except the juvie detention center. And then they build those big buildings. No places to hide: Police could come right in and get you. No storefronts: No pesky jobs for people to have. And only the poorest: That way, the wealthy can go live somewhere else and not have an overly developed social conscience.

See, the freeway, those buildings, they were all the answer to the problems of the day. Now that Hastings Street is gone forever, those buildings have done their job. They can come down now.

[exdetroiter]

Danny, the poor can do what they've always done: apply for Sec 8. vouchers and then move to a middle class neighborhood.

The middle class homeowners will then flee for the suburbs, and the cycle can repeat itself.

Very interesting Youtube, BTW.

That was one of the four reason's I left the city.

[jtf1972]

Very interesting Youtube, BTW.

Better with the sound off.

[Khartoum]

Great. Another Suburban Crackers video

[Canute]

Mom's still letting them borrow the minivan for the trip in from Northville, I see.

[dfunkycity]

I had a crush on a girl named Tawana that lived there. God I loved that girl.
She always thought I was a just a player. She was wrong, I was just a real shy guy.

I wonder what she's doing now?

Great memories at the brewster's.

I used to pal around with Diana Ross's extended family by the way. Never got to meet her though because she forgot where she came from.

[Gsgeorge]

All history aside, Brewster needs to go away NOW. It's doing nothing but bringing crime & vandalism to the Brush Park/Eastern Market/Stadia districts, and its not like it's architecturally significant. It's a known hangout for criminals, drug dealers, vagrants and gangs.

[ScienceFair]

All history aside, Brewster needs to go away NOW. It's doing nothing but bringing crime & vandalism to the Brush Park/Eastern Market/Stadia districts, and its not like it's architecturally significant. It's a known hangout for criminals, drug dealers, vagrants and gangs.

I could not agree more.

What is the gentrification element to this clip? Did I miss something?

[davewindsor]

And with what money is the city gonna demolish it with? Belle Isle tolls? Has the city ever tried to sell it?

[Gsgeorge]

And with what money is the city gonna demolish it with? Belle Isle tolls? Has the city ever tried to sell it?

A good question, but I think the larger implication here is you gotta spend money to make money. If we built a mass transit system and rid the city of its pervasive blight, the returns on new businesses, new homeowners, new investments and more would pay for whatever it cost tenfold.

[RickBeall]

Hey Detroitnerd, you certainly describe one big nail in the cities self-made coffin.

[Rocko]

Were there any prime differences between the Brewster Project towers and the ones along the Lodge which have been revitalized and are now known as Woodbridge Estates?

[crawford]

Were there any prime differences between the Brewster Project towers and the ones along the Lodge which have been revitalized and are now known as Woodbridge Estates?

How are they revitalized?

If you're asking why the Jeffries Projects were renovated [[and occupied by Seniors only, to try and remove the thug element), it's federal HUD money; the exact same money that would be used to tear down Brewster.

But Brewster cannot be torn down until the city has the plan to rehouse all former residents, and Detroit has yet to submit a plan.

[ScienceFair]

No one lives there anymore, what residents are there to re-house?

[crawford]

No one lives there anymore, what residents are there to re-house?

The former residents need to be accounted for, and offered opportunities in whatever is planned for the site.

This is a precondition of any HUD-financed demolition.

[Blarf]

And with what money is the city gonna demolish it with? Belle Isle tolls? Has the city ever tried to sell it?

They didn't seem to have a problem coming up with the cash for the Lafayette Building demo.