Newsweek: Motown Makeover - Hansen Clark

**Jimaz** · January-04-11, 05:11 PM

In a city whose politics have long been dominated by race, Rep. Hansen Clarke defies easy definition—in his person as well as his aisle-crossing politics.

For decades, the people of Detroit have been looked down upon by their more prosperous neighbors. But at the mission, Clarke had a startling message for his audience: in the face of economic hard times, they had something of great value to offer the suburbanites. “The people out there were making six figures a year and now a lot of them are in foreclosure,” he said. “They think this is the end of the world for them, but you and I know better. People like us are strong, not despite what we have been through, but because of it.”

**fryar** · January-04-11, 06:24 PM

I wonder how that went over. I think there's something to that, although I also tend to think about it in a less localized way.

I have been thinking that there is a lot of learning opportunity out there for others on the basis of Detroit's example. For example, I understand some Chinese cities are sprawling like mad in response to perverse incentives, and some of them may see some form of this as well. Will they know to start urban gardens in their abandoned factories, once the work has gone to Malaysia, or just resign themselves to decay? That sounds soooooo stupid, I know, but seriously.

**malmarson** · January-04-11, 07:00 PM

And, again, ruin porn pictures of the Packard Plant running along another Detroit story.

I swear, the way the national media uses the Packard Plant as ground zero of devastation, I'm going to tell everyone I'll meet outside of Detroit where I live-four blocks from the plant-and see how tough everybody thinks I am!