Suspect Charged in Corktown Beating/Dragging

**econ expat** · November-19-10, 08:47 PM

Originally Posted by Stosh

How about the city calling together all the homeless supporters in a room and getting them to agree to shift support services to a single location/area to better service the homeless population? I would think that concentrating the services within a given area can reduce the possibility of waste, increasing the chances of a better outcome toward the homeless population of the city. I'm sure that there's spare DPS properties that can be reconverted with donations to make this happen?

Of course, I will let you all choose the neighborhood..

What's the use? The property values will go down, the investment value will attract the trendies, etc. and then gentrify....
But I still won't call Cass Corridor midtown.

**Sparky** · November-20-10, 02:43 AM

Originally Posted by econ expat

What's the use? The property values will go down, the investment value will attract the trendies, etc. and then gentrify....
But I still won't call Cass Corridor midtown.

Don't let Rev. Bill and Jeff DeBruyn know about that. I can only dream that would happen here someday.

**brandon48202** · November-29-10, 01:19 PM

In reponse to chitaku, no it's really not a dangerous place to live. I think it's safer than Woodbridge. Corktown residents tend to look out for each other and the area has good police response times. I'm hoping Steve Diponio is going to be taking a long vacation [[prison), the neighborhood wil be much beter without him.

**tiredcheerleader** · November-29-10, 03:19 PM

Originally Posted by chitaku

Yikes this thread is making me think twice about purchasing a home in Corktown. Is it really that bad there? I always understood Corktown to be pretty good. At least better than Woodbridge as far as dealing with BS is concerned. Are the Clement Kern Apts a problem in the area? I've lived in Woodbridge and never really had a problem.

Corktown is a very good neighborhood. I bought my house here 8 years ago and am glad of it! I lived in Woodbridge for 7 years prior to that. Don't get me wrong, I still have a lot of love for Woodbridge too but Corktown is a tighter knit neighborhood with less issues [[crime) than Corktown. In my 8 years in Corktown, I have only had 1 issue; my car was broken into [[not stolen). Crime happens anywhere and of course it is more abundant in inner-cities. When I lived in Woodbridge, I had friends mugged [[& since), my car broken into a couple of times, and things stolen off of my porch.

I choose to live in the city and yes, it can come with a little more hassel at times but I still choose live where my surroundings are diverse than bland and cookie-cutter. That's just my choice. Apparently, SPARKY doesn't feel the same and needs to take his bitter self to the suburbs!

**Sparky** · December-01-10, 10:07 PM

Originally Posted by tiredcheerleader

Apparently, SPARKY doesn't feel the same and needs to take his bitter self to the suburbs!

Wow, I was wondering what took so long.

I'm glad that you and others love living here in Corktown. But face the facts. To an average, middle class American this is not a nice place to live. Maybe it's better than Woodbridge, but it would not be considered a nice neighborhood in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago or any other major city. It's sad that our standards are so low here.

As far as the bland and cookie cutter comment, I trust that you are aware of the vast swaths of the city that were designed in suburban fashion and are nearly 100% black. Are those areas bland and cookie cutter to you? As far as the suburbs, is the population of Southfield not diverse enough for you? is the historic architecture of Northville not interesting enough for you? I'm not exactly sure what you mean.

**Sparky** · December-05-10, 11:29 PM

Corktown Community Members:

Please join us for the Corktown Residents’ Council meeting on Tuesday, December 7, 2010 at 6:30 – 8pm at 1366 Porter St. Detroit, MI 48226.

At this meeting the regular agenda will be slightly set aside. The crime / safety and community building initiatives will be merged into one topic: Our Community.

One topic: please join us to talk about Manna Community Meal soup kitchen, the Manna guests in our community and recent alleged crimes performed by them in the community and against them. We will discuss open spaces and their uses, justice issues, Corktown's history and more. We need everyone's voice heard.

Guests? Are you kidding me? I can hardly wait for this discussion.

**East Detroit** · December-06-10, 12:15 AM

From a non-Corktown point of view, it sounds simply like St Peters has a soup kitchen that the residents feel attracts homeless people who stick around after/between eating to defecate and harass people.

If these people had a bathroom and a place to sleep, then everyone would be fine?

The church can not provide that?

**JStone** · December-06-10, 11:40 AM

I like this Sparky guy. "It's sad that our standards are so low here" Couldn't agree more.

Do we know each other?

**Sparky** · December-09-10, 09:23 PM

http://metrotimes.com/news/looking-f...tice-1.1074246

In case people hadn't already seen this article by the pastor of St. Peter's. Needless to say, he and I don't see eye-to-eye on much.

**JStone** · December-10-10, 10:27 AM

Wow, detroityes.com isn't quite what it use to be. I thought posters would be all over this [[metrotimes article).

Where are the alleged "Conquistadors" to rebut these alegations?? They certainly were not at the community meeting last Tuesday.

**j to the jeremy** · December-10-10, 12:34 PM

Disappointing to find out Cooley's stance on the issue, but quite unsurprising. Bailey, he basically just wants all the homeless as far from Slow's as possible. Surprise! It would be harder, but maybe more rewarding, to both help develop the neighborhood AND help the homeless. What does Slow's do with its food waste? Do they donate to any shelters?

I think a larger issue is at stake here, the homeless in Detroit are everywhere, and they are not necessarily to blame for their situations. You'd think in a city with so much economic hardship, we would be more understanding of those without the resources to care for themselves. Now nobody likes finding piss and shit on their porch, but the fact that support services are sparsely spread out through the city and the winter is cold as f*ck will cause this to happen sometimes. Beating someone half to death and tying them to a truck is never acceptable, and he should be charged as if the victim were a rich girl from the suburbs. All humans are humans.

**DetroitHabitater** · December-10-10, 01:32 PM

Originally Posted by East Detroit

From a non-Corktown point of view, it sounds simply like St Peters has a soup kitchen that the residents feel attracts homeless people who stick around after/between eating to defecate and harass people.

If these people had a bathroom and a place to sleep, then everyone would be fine?

The church can not provide that?

Nailed it....

**bailey** · December-10-10, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by j to the jeremy

Disappointing to find out Cooley's stance on the issue, but quite unsurprising. Bailey, he basically just wants all the homeless as far from Slow's as possible. Surprise! It would be harder, but maybe more rewarding, to both help develop the neighborhood AND help the homeless. What does Slow's do with its food waste? Do they donate to any shelters?

I think a larger issue is at stake here, the homeless in Detroit are everywhere, and they are not necessarily to blame for their situations. You'd think in a city with so much economic hardship, we would be more understanding of those without the resources to care for themselves. Now nobody likes finding piss and shit on their porch, but the fact that support services are sparsely spread out through the city and the winter is cold as f*ck will cause this to happen sometimes. Beating someone half to death and tying them to a truck is never acceptable, and he should be charged as if the victim were a rich girl from the suburbs. All humans are humans.

Seems like another problem is that the city allows the shelters to operate and or hand out food where ever and how ever they please with no accountability for nuisances they attract to the neighborhoods or parks in which they choose to operate or set up their distribution trucks.

Seems to me st. peters is not being the good neighbor the reverend is demanding everyone else be.

oh yea...and p.s. referring to the homeless as "guests" is flat out ridiculous.

**preserve** · December-10-10, 02:06 PM

Corktown has always been a refuge for the down and out, back when Michigan Ave. was "skid row". Unfortunately there are many, many more down and outers now and some of them are career pan handlers and some are in need of medical attention that is no longer available. Other neighborhoods need to step up and provide some help and
alleviate some of this traffic. And what was said about St. Peter's providing food and nothing else is true. People need
to have bathroom facilities and places to rest. Food just seems to be the easiest way to feel good about helping out.

**hogz** · December-10-10, 09:15 PM

The people in corktown should stage a protest outside that soup kitchen. Just make it clear the protest isn't about closing the kitchen and isn't some whacky anti-homeless protest, but instead a protest against them not having bathroom facilities or beds. If people actually show up, and do it over and over... the problem should get solved. I hope.

Another option would be for someone who lives in corktown to write an article about this, and get it published in either metrotimes, real detroit detnews, freepress etc. Could even get numerous residents to sign it.

**DetroitReds** · December-11-10, 09:11 AM

Originally Posted by tiredcheerleader

Corktown is a very good neighborhood. I bought my house here 8 years ago and am glad of it! I lived in Woodbridge for 7 years prior to that. Don't get me wrong, I still have a lot of love for Woodbridge too but Corktown is a tighter knit neighborhood with less issues [[crime) than Corktown. In my 8 years in Corktown, I have only had 1 issue; my car was broken into [[not stolen). Crime happens anywhere and of course it is more abundant in inner-cities. When I lived in Woodbridge, I had friends mugged [[& since), my car broken into a couple of times, and things stolen off of my porch.

I choose to live in the city and yes, it can come with a little more hassel at times but I still choose live where my surroundings are diverse than bland and cookie-cutter. That's just my choice. Apparently, SPARKY doesn't feel the same and needs to take his bitter self to the suburbs!

My partner and I talked for a long time about this very sad and frustrating board 'discussion' last night. We have happily been renting in S. Corktown [[SoCo) for a while and have begun to look at houses to buy in this neighborhood.
We talked at length, not about how we're bothered by the Manna Meal guests [[we're not) or the the crime [[we're not), but how we don't want to have such violent, judgmental, and cruel neighbors as represented by many of the comments in this thread.
I appreciate Tired Cheerleader's breath of fresh air, but we're still seriously reconsidering. We were unable to attend the CRC meeting this week- any insights on if it began the process of restorative justice, or was it more of the same bs on this thread?

**oldredfordette** · December-11-10, 11:50 AM

JStone, the Conquistadors fought it out on these very pages a couple of years ago. It wasn't pretty.

**Sparky** · December-11-10, 12:44 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitReds

We talked at length, not about how we're bothered by the Manna Meal guests [[we're not) or the the crime [[we're not), but how we don't want to have such violent, judgmental, and cruel neighbors as represented by many of the comments in this thread.

Wait until your house gets broken into a few times or you have to clean up after one of the "guests" a few times.

**Pam** · January-03-11, 08:03 AM

Rehash of some of the stuff covered on this thread:

http://detnews.com/article/20110103/...376/1409/rss36

**begingri** · January-03-11, 12:11 PM

As the area revives, poor say they are being pushed out

George Hunter / The Detroit News

Detroit— Delbert Stinson has lived in Corktown for 15 years without a home. When it's cold, he sleeps in shelters. On summer nights, he sometimes crashed on a bench in Dean Savage Memorial Park — until this year, when vandals ripped out its benches. Gone, too, are nearby tree branches that used to provide Stinson and his companions with shade; someone sawed them off.

"Some people don't like having us around," said Stinson, 46.

And some blame newcomers.

As Detroit's oldest neighborhood has suddenly become chic again with new restaurants and developments, some fear there's a concentrated effort to drive away the homeless. Such tensions aren't uncommon in neighborhoods in transition — the Cass Corridor experienced similar issues in the late 1990s.

But they're magnified in Corktown after a homeless man was beaten with a baseball bat and dragged behind a pickup truck on Oct. 6. The accused assailant, Steve J. Diponio, allegedly told police he was tired of homeless people sleeping near his house. He pleaded not guilty Dec. 3 to the attack on Charles Duncan, 42.

"There's an effort by some developers and residents to get rid of the homeless people in Corktown," said Jeff DeBruyn, who helps run the Manna Community Meal soup kitchen at St. Peter's Episcopal Church on Trumbull. "We've definitely seen an increase in hostility toward them."

Concern is so great that 40 neighborhood residents recently met to discuss their concerns. Some of the homeless, including Paul Gibson, blame Philip Cooley, the co-owner of Slows Bar BQ, who has gained national attention for his efforts to redevelop Corktown.

"It's a culture clash," said Gibson, 50. "This neighborhood has a lot of [[social service) agencies; that's why there's a lot of homeless people. It's been like that for a long time, but some people want to get us out of here."

Cooley acknowledged he's heard the accusations but said he's baffled by them.

"This is coming from a bunch of crazy people who just like to complain," said Cooley, who also is co-owner of O'Connor Development.

"Look at my track record: A homeless guy lived with me for eight months. I hired a homeless man for the restaurant, but I had to fire him when I caught him shooting heroin in the bathroom. I hired another homeless guy [[for his construction firm), but he stole all my tools. When I caught him, I didn't beat him up — I tried to get him help."

Stinson said he's never felt any animosity from Cooley. "Phil's my man," he said.

Continued at: http://detnews.com/article/20110103/...30376/-1/rss29

**Planner3357** · January-03-11, 12:19 PM

I have to deal with bums...err..homeless people all the time. Always asking for change, food, booze...it gets really annoying. But, I think they deserve to be treated like humans. It's not like they have Leprosy.

While they may not be pleasing to the eye, always crowding around the fountain in GCP...they are a part of the norm of living downtown. That's all I got.

**gazhekwe** · January-03-11, 12:22 PM

These are the standard anti-gentrification arguments. New people coming in are trying to get rid of prior residents who do nothing to add to property values. There is a solution somewhere, but I don't believe the two will ever mix comfortably, the responsible homeowners/improvers with the non-productive, who live off the community largesse while adding nothing to its enrichment.

The main problem as I see it, is there is nowhere for them to BE, so they hang out all over the place. They have nowhere, so everywhere is their spot. They are non-standard users of public property. If there were a way to promote more standard behavior, I would love to see it.