Brewster Projects vs. the Train Station

**kraig** · April-21-09, 07:49 AM

A lot more people, when they drive down I-75, have to drive past and see the Brewster Projects than the Train Station. Why isn't City Council and the Mayor demanding that the Brewsters are torn down? After all, if they want to use tax dollars to tear down these eyesores then why not charge the government to tear down its own eyesores?

gravitymachine · April-21-09, 08:02 AM

great idea, but with one major oversight, that plan wouldn't benefit a billionaire who would kickback [[more) cash to the elected official's campaigns

**speddaddy4** · April-21-09, 08:09 AM

I agree completely. Those projects have been vacant over a year and the fencing that was put up around them has been completely removed and anyone can have unrestricted access to them. Squatters have taken up residence inside and have been causing trouble in the surrounding areas. I'm ready to see them down.

**kraig** · April-21-09, 08:30 AM

Originally Posted by gravitymachine

great idea, but with one major oversight, that plan wouldn't benefit a billionaire who would kickback [[more) cash to the elected official's campaigns

Matty Moroun is too convenient a target. There are things that the City should be doing all over. He gets the blame for everything that's wrong on the Southwest Side regarding air quality. All he has, for all intents and purposes, is a piece of road. There are over 50 factories in that area, some of which that have been cited for environmental vioaltions.

Heck, when you go to these hearings, you see a lot of parents testifying about how sick their children are. Yet, who's looking at the fact that a lot of those children have attended Beard elementary school which was built on contaminated land. This is well documented in court for anyone that wants to look it up.

That is my problem with Rep. Tlaib and former Rep. Toboccman. They use Matty Moroun and air quality as a way to get elected. Then they use the people in the area in an attempt to block or delay his projects. But, once the issue with his projects are over, then who's doing anything about the environmental quality in the area.

Where was the protests when the air quality monitoring devices were removed in from the Southwest side in 2007? What is being proposed as far as soil remediation in this city? Harbortown was built on toxic land. When all of those people living there get sick the blame is probably going to be placed on all of the boats going down the Detroit River.

We don't need scapegoats in this City, we need results.

**ndavies** · April-21-09, 08:51 AM

Half of the brewster towers have already been torn down. They consolidated the people into the towers that were left. They spent money on renovation of the remaining towers to try to save them.Their efforts were in vain. The towers were quickly abandonned, scrapped out and left in their current state of decay. This all happened within the last 5 years.

Efforts were recently made to save the towers. It hasn't been the 30 years of non ininvestment like the MCS.

**kraig** · April-21-09, 09:05 AM

Originally Posted by ndavies

Half of the brewster towers have already been torn down. They consolidated the people into the towers that were left. They spent money on renovation of the remaining towers to try to save them.Their efforts were in vain. The towers were quickly abandonned, scrapped out and left in their current state of decay. This all happened within the last 5 years.

Efforts were recently made to save the towers. It hasn't been the 30 years of non ininvestment like the MCS.

Good point. But, do we wait and leave the Brewsters to keep deteriorating for another 25 years?

**BShea** · April-21-09, 09:11 AM

I thought there was an active project to tear them down under way? I had heard or read somewhere that the towers were coming down this spring or summer. Maybe I'm wrong, but it was last year I looked into it casually for a minute. I see 'em out of one side of our office building.

**ndavies** · April-21-09, 09:14 AM

I'm sure they'll come down in time for the next Superbowl, final four or all star game at Ford field or Comerica park.

The council and/or mayor have a long history of tearing down buildings they own.

Lorax · April-21-09, 09:42 AM

I certainly won't be defending the Matted Moron, since his gargantuan wealth could go to stabilize, or indeed renovate completely the MCD.

There is still NO EXCUSE for that building looking the way it does.

There is plenty of money available- Matted Morons' money. Last I noticed, he was still the owner, and ultimately responsible for the MCD.

As far as the projects are concerned, it's a comparison of apples and oranges.

It will take some well publicized murder, drug deal, rape, etc, for the city or government to act.

Or perhaps continued pressure from surrounding residents, pickets, etc. You'd be surprised how an ongoing video of displeased citizens gets results.

Perhaps a viral video of marching citizens [[needs to be hundeds or maybe a thousand individuals) in front of city hall sent worldwide, and then you'd see some action.

**kraig** · April-21-09, 10:09 AM

Originally Posted by Lorax

I certainly won't be defending the Matted Moron, since his gargantuan wealth could go to stabilize, or indeed renovate completely the MCD.

There is still NO EXCUSE for that building looking the way it does.

There is plenty of money available- Matted Morons' money. Last I noticed, he was still the owner, and ultimately responsible for the MCD.

As far as the projects are concerned, it's a comparison of apples and oranges.

It will take some well publicized murder, drug deal, rape, etc, for the city or government to act.

Or perhaps continued pressure from surrounding residents, pickets, etc. You'd be surprised how an ongoing video of displeased citizens gets results.

Perhaps a viral video of marching citizens [[needs to be hundeds or maybe a thousand individuals) in front of city hall sent worldwide, and then you'd see some action.

The whole point of Risk Management is to do something to prevent murders, rapes, robberies and etc. from happening. I hope that what BSHEA said is right and something will be done with the projects this summer. Now, as far as it being apples to oranges, I beg to differ. Blight is blight, period. If I'm someone looking to move my family and/or business into the City how long something has been abandoned vs how long something else has been abandoned would be beside the point. I wouldn't want to relocate around either one of them. Now, if that's my thought process, where can I move to in the City where I'm not going move into close proximity of an abandoned house or structure.

That's what elected officials should keep in mind and not have a who is it beneficial to hate on mentality.