I don't know whether more rigorous law enforcement would be a problem or not, but I think you put your finger on it when you said "capricious" and "arbitrary". I think people can adjust to and respect consistent standards for arrest and for prosecution; the problem is that those consistent standards do not appear to exist, and so people naturally think that they are being singled out, and poor and/or minority people correctly believe that they are not treated equally by the justice system.
My impression isn't that the population of Detroit wouldn't like it if there were less crime, or fewer criminals on the street. I don't think they have any problem with the principle of enforcing laws rigorously. My impression is that they don't have confidence that it will be done fairly and professionally, or that the laws being enforced are reasonable, and I'd say they are correct not to have confidence in that.
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