Are fire, threatening racial letters related? Eastpointe

**Zacha341** · July-09-10, 06:43 AM

Eastpointe police investigate

See related link re. threatening letters residents received:
Black families on street get threatening letters

http://www.freep.com/article/2010070...WS04/100707020

This stories link:
http://www.freep.com/article/2010070...e-investigated

By CECIL ANGEL
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Eastpointe police are investigating a Thursday fire at a house in the 15000 block of Sprenger Avenue where threatening letters with racial slurs were sent to residents this week.

Police Lt. Neil Childs said the fire was reported at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and that no one was injured and there was little damage in the mostly vacant house. He said police were trying to determine whether the fire was arson and if it was related to the letters sent Tuesday.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the FBI are working with Eastpointe police in the investigation of the letters, which had no return address. Most of the recipients have been African American, Eastpointe police Lt. Scott Bourgeois said.

Retroit · July-09-10, 07:20 AM

I wonder what constitutes a "mostly vacant house"?

It shouldn't be hard to find the idiot who wrote these letters. They were hand-written.

**Meddle** · July-09-10, 07:45 AM

threatening letters with racial slurs were sent to residents

there was little damage in the mostly vacant house

Most of the recipients

Lots of missing pieces here and things that don't add up.

How many letters?

How many different addresses received them?

Mostly vacant? Squatters? Or someone that purchased a place and was working on it?

**Zacha341** · July-09-10, 08:02 AM

Here are more details [[with link)... from what I gather several families on one particular fully occupied Eastpoint block received the letter including one white neighbor. See news 4 story and vid below:

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/24160200/detail.html

Racist Messages Sent To Families

Handwritten Letter Found In Mailboxes On Sprenger Street

POSTED: Tuesday, July 6, 2010
UPDATED: 12:05 pm EDT July 7, 2010

EASTPOINTE, Mich. -- Eastpointe families said they were hurt and shocked to discover messages of hate and racial slurs in their mailboxes this week.

Watch: Hate Mail Sent To Families In Eastpointe

A handwritten letter was sent to 18 addresses on Sprenger Street -- all of which are the homes of African-American families.

"You just need to move back across 8 Mile. We just need to start killin' you [[expletive) one by one," the letter in part reads.

It also lists each address.

"I've never experienced anything like this, ever. It's shocking, very shocking," said resident Darlene Foster.

Foster said as soon as she opened the letter, she called police."

As soon as I hung up the phone they were coming up the street," Foster said. "The police response time was great."

The mother of two said she's lived on Sprenger Street for seven years, and isn't planning on moving."

The neighbors I spoke to, we're here and we're not going anywhere," she said. "I know I'm know going anywhere unless it's my choice, not by choice.

"But Foster said she's still concerned about the neighborhood children, so she and other neighbors have stepped up their guard."I'm on guard. I was on guard before this but you have to be," she said.

Anyone who received the letter is asked to turn it in to Eastpointe police so it can be sent to the Michigan State Police crime lab for testing.

The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspectors Office are investigating.

Eastpointe police can be reached at 586-445-5100.

Originally Posted by Meddle

threatening letters with racial slurs were sent to residents

there was little damage in the mostly vacant house

Most of the recipients

Lots of missing pieces here and things that don't add up.

How many letters?

How many different addresses received them?

Mostly vacant? Squatters? Or someone that purchased a place and was working on it?

**Meddle** · July-09-10, 08:46 AM

You just need to move back across 8 Mile.

I'll admit my Metro geography has suffered a bit since I left, but isn't EP south of 8 Mile like Detroit is?

**Islandman** · July-09-10, 08:52 AM

It is not.

**gibran** · July-09-10, 06:00 PM

yes and I bet those who write and feel this stuff claim to have morals and values .... sorry to see stupidity is alive and well

**Patrick** · July-09-10, 07:08 PM

Whoops, my old neighborhood. We moved out in 1988 and even then it started to go to hell with white trash taking over. Lot of renters and dope dealing in what was once an amazingly nice area.

**terryh** · July-09-10, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by Patrick

Whoops, my old neighborhood. We moved out in 1988 and even then it started to go to hell with white trash taking over. Lot of renters and dope dealing in what was once an amazingly nice area.

Lol. I experienced 'ghetto' whites when I lived in Flint.

They were very loud rude miserable and overall very disagreeable, on occasions being comical and bufoonish. The skinny scroungy blue collar guy and his piggish wife, after whipping their young children with a belt, sold my tickets to the Journey concert at Atwood Stadium so we could go to the movies...OUT COLD! I was a young teen at the time, I think they were relatives of a friend....I witnessed a stakeout of the neighbors house [[burglary ring);violent fistfights; smash and grab burglary;grab and go [[grab a couple cases of brewskis and head out the door)Shifty and shady, sneaky and creepy, burnt out and bedeviled, they were a motley bunch. The Outlaw bikers that lived across the street were actually very cordial and helpful at times, when they werent getting into drunken brawls with one another. Some of the motorcycle mamas were pretty tough dames themselves....

Stosh · July-09-10, 08:12 PM

Something isn't quite right about this whole thing. Just sayin'.

**Meddle** · July-09-10, 11:31 PM

Another national black eye: http://abcnews.go.com/US/racist-lett...ry?id=11126464

Ravine · July-10-10, 12:54 AM

Originally Posted by Stosh

Something isn't quite right about this whole thing. Just sayin'.

You're referring to Terryh's post, correct?

Stosh · July-10-10, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by Ravine

You're referring to Terryh's post, correct?

Actually, I wasn't. But that's a valid point to consider as well.

Any number of them, really.

**MCP-001** · July-10-10, 02:36 PM

I have my suspicions that these two stories are related.

These events happened too closely together, especially at a home that was not always occupied.

That and the last time I checked, Eastpointe had something like 25% of it homes foreclosed on.

With numbers like that, along with many homes being "underwater", and insurance job can't be ruled out.

**Danny** · July-10-10, 03:13 PM

Race has played a factor in the suburbs of Metro-Detroit area and it determines which race get the those new and improved cookie cutters and McMansions.

Eastpointe [[ Formally East Detroit) had went from a simply ALL WHITE bedroom community to a mostly white community. White folks has experience an influx on blacks moving into area north of E. 8 Mile Rd/ Gratiot Ave./ Kelly Ave. and up to Toepfer Rd. This is because of the luring plan of various real estate brokers and mortage companies. Another reason that lots of Blacks moving to Eastpointe neighborhoods because of problems in the Detroit ghettohoods. Black folks are moving some Eastpointe neighborhoods and for those who are currently living there have two options adjust or move.

Eastpointe's black population now stands at 25% in 2008 by 2020 it would be over 50%. By the time being white folks will be long gone and ghetto-ization of Eastpointe will begin.

Stosh · July-10-10, 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by MCP-001

I have my suspicions that these two stories are related.

These events happened too closely together, especially at a home that was not always occupied.

That and the last time I checked, Eastpointe had something like 25% of it homes foreclosed on.

With numbers like that, along with many homes being "underwater", and insurance job can't be ruled out.

My thoughts exactly. Perhaps letters as groundwork?

**East Detroit** · July-10-10, 07:42 PM

Originally Posted by Danny

Eastpointe's black population now stands at 25% in 2008 by 2020 it would be over 50%. By the time being white folks will be long gone and ghetto-ization of Eastpointe will begin.

Ghetto-ization? What does that mean?

**MCP-001** · July-10-10, 09:33 PM

Originally Posted by East Detroit

Ghetto-ization? What does that mean?

Don't ask....

**313WX** · July-11-10, 07:10 AM

Originally Posted by Meddle

You just need to move back across 8 Mile.

I'll admit my Metro geography has suffered a bit since I left, but isn't EP south of 8 Mile like Detroit is?

Easpointe [[and Warren) were the first suburbs to make it well known they were north of 8 Mile and had nothing to do with that hellhole south of 8 mile.

**Meddle** · July-11-10, 07:23 AM

Guess I was thinking of Harper Woods. Oh well.

**ja!mz** · July-12-10, 08:00 AM

I agree, there is more to the story I'm sure....someone on the street needed to throw the race card for their own gain...insurance scam more than likely....the truth will out....maybe it was the person who started the face book page about the incident...what was it "It takes a village y'all?" or something? .pretty lame....it was probaly the only white person they showed on the news clip who did it...the one that was handing out drinks...LOL...

**Danny** · July-12-10, 03:20 PM

Originally Posted by East Detroit

Ghetto-ization? What does that mean?

That's when the middle income blacks move out the low-income blacks move in. It is by the way from the various real estate companies, banks and mortage companies and landlords. Eastpointe, Harper Woods, Oak Park, some parts of Southfield, Inkster, Romulus, Highland Park, Pontiac, Some parts of [[Warren in the south end) Royal Oak TWP. will be the targets.