Detroit vs Grosse Pointe.

**Gannon** · October-22-10, 04:47 AM

I've been over here since June and cannot explain it.

Merely one block from the devastation of Detroit, and kids are playing in their front yards as if it were Maybury...or Stepford. It is QUIET here. Eerily quiet.

There is the strangest sense of security and safety the moment you cross the city boundary.

The cops keep an eye out, but are not heavy-handed.

Heck, one night during the summertime, one unmarked car pulled over a Vespa-driving lad around two in the morning directly in front of my friend's home...if I hadn't been awake I would have never known it.

The Vespa was left on the street, with the helmet hung on the handlebars, until later that next afternoon. Untouched. It wasn't impounded...which it clearly could've been.

They do keep a close eye on Mack Avenue, and I've heard of people getting pulled over for only driving five over...and the cops ARE very sneaky during morning rush hours, hiding with two wheels parked up on the sidewalk on the Detroit side to be just out of sight. [[they should be spanked for THAT one!)

But even the national chains, including CVS and the hardware store, have SUCH greater service compared to their sister stores throughout the city...it is simply mind-boggling to ponder the depth of causality. People are just civil here...and the ones I've met are REALLY into the city. Just not into it enough to throw their money into the leaky sieve of the politics of the town, beyond their significant 1.5% income taxation without representation for continuing to keep their offices downtown.

The race down Jefferson in the morning, along with the parallel circuits down Kercheval and Charlevoix, are pretty damn funny to watch and participate in, too. If these folks had the 'power' that some of my conspiracy friends attribute to them, the lights on Jefferson would be timed properly. Ahem.

Cheers and a bit more...here's a tip of my morning tea to GP [[and its fractional derivatives) and whatever weirdness is hidden just beyond plain sight. There is more to this place than merely white people on parade...which is the only thing I could think of while scanning this past Sunday's complimentary issue of the Grosse Pointe Times. I cannot remember any person of color in any of the photographs. Twisted to the extreme.

**Goose** · October-22-10, 08:39 AM

Originally Posted by Gannon

There is more to this place than merely white people on parade...which is the only thing I could think of while scanning this past Sunday's complimentary issue of the Grosse Pointe Times. I cannot remember any person of color in any of the photographs. Twisted to the extreme.

that's bs, as I recall persons of color are over-represented in the newspapers pictures, so as to not offend and stay in line with the liberal PC.....

twisted to the extreme? white people on parade?? take a drive by mack and vernier when school is getting out... white people on parade?? the diversity in the schools on a white to black ratio is probably greater than the "diversity" in the detroit schools on a black to white ratio....

DetroitPole · October-22-10, 08:57 AM

Originally Posted by Goose

that's bs, as I recall persons of color are over-represented in the newspapers pictures, so as to not offend and stay in line with the liberal PC.....

twisted to the extreme? white people on parade?? take a drive by mack and vernier when school is getting out... white people on parade?? the diversity in the schools on a white to black ratio is probably greater than the "diversity" in the detroit schools on a black to white ratio....

Correct. However, rather than say probably, you should back it up.

http://www.greatschools.org/cgi-bin/...e/569#students

http://www.greatschools.org/cgi-bin/...e/346#students

5% difference. Not terribly significant.

What is most striking is that you have a 80%~ black school district in a 80%~ poor black city a stone-throw away from a 80%~ white district in a 90%+ rich white city. That is some serious 21st century segregation. Something to think about, or, in the case of many people on this board, something to not think about but instead just saying, "well they don't work hard so they r poor!!!1"

**bailey** · October-22-10, 09:11 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPole

Correct. However, rather than say probably, you should back it up.

http://www.greatschools.org/cgi-bin/...e/569#students

http://www.greatschools.org/cgi-bin/...e/346#students

5% difference. Not terribly significant.

What is most striking is that you have a 80%~ black school district in a 80%~ poor black city a stone-throw away from a 80%~ white district in a 90%+ rich white city. That is some serious 21st century segregation. Something to think about, or, in the case of many people on this board, something to not think about but instead just saying, "well they don't work hard so they r poor!!!1"

Ok, since you seem so concerned about this "injustice", what is your solution? seize GP and relocate everyone to balance them out?

**johnsmith** · October-22-10, 09:33 AM

Originally Posted by bailey

Ok, since you seem so concerned about this "injustice", what is your solution? seize GP and relocate everyone to balance them out?

The scary thing is, that a lot of posters here would answer "yes."

Bearinabox · October-22-10, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by johnsmith

The scary thing is, that a lot of posters here would answer "yes."

Keep punching those strawmen, dude...

**jt1** · October-22-10, 10:24 AM

Regardless of how you feel about GP [[and I think GPers are much more interested in the city improving than most of the region), without GP residents many of the cultural places in the city would not exist or would have went under years ago.

Another thing that jumps out to me is that people in GP support cultural activities remaining in the city as opposed to many people in the region that would prefer they just be moved elsewhere.

**Hermod** · October-22-10, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPole

What is most striking is that you have a 80%~ black school district in a 80%~ poor black city a stone-throw away from a 80%~ white district in a 90%+ rich white city. That is some serious 21st century segregation. Something to think about, or, in the case of many people on this board, something to not think about but instead just saying, "well they don't work hard so they r poor!!!1"

Those school district lines and city limits lines were drawn long before Detroit became a 80%~ poor black city. They were not drawn with any racial intent.

Bearinabox · October-22-10, 01:10 PM

Originally Posted by Hermod

Those school district lines and city limits lines were drawn long before Detroit became a 80%~ poor black city. They were not drawn with any racial intent.

I'm not sure how this is relevant. Of course those lines weren't drawn to wall off black people; the lines used for that back then encircled small sections of the inner city. As de jure segregation started to be struck down by the courts, and the city's black population increased to the point where small sections of the inner city could no longer contain them, de facto segregation along political boundaries became more common.

**beachboy** · October-23-10, 11:45 PM

Detroit Pole wrote:

What is most striking is that you have a 80%~ black school district in a 80%~ poor black city a stone-throw away from a 80%~ white district in a 90%+ rich white city. That is some serious 21st century segregation. Something to think about..."

Interesting discussion ... stimulates my [[failing) memory ... anybody posted a link to Eric Fisher's racially geotagged maps?

General info: http://www.flickr.com/photos/walking...7624812674967/

Detroit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/4982034696/
[[GPs partially covered by two popover boxes near right-hand side)