does it make you want to quit?

Hey, Detroit doesn’t suck, at least most of it doesn’t.
Ya just gotta get used to it.

Well, i guess, it depends on where you’re at specifically.

Detroit Does Not Suck it just looks crappy and dirty and has a lot of crime but if you smoke some pot it all looks good. Detroit Rocks no Cleveland already took that slogan. I guess all thats left is sucks. Yup detroit sucks.

Do you realize how sad that sounds? uhh…

Detroit is truly the most amazing city in the U.S. I proudly live there. Detroit will be the multicultural capital in the world in a few years, and in a few, you’ll be able to go downtown at night without being jumped.

Come here and tell us “Detroit sucks”—you’ll get beat.

Now, SEE? I think that’s fantastic. Standing up for your city, drawing a positive image to counter my very narrow and limited opinion.

And, I love that you pointed out Detroit’s multi-culti cred— I’ve been to ethnic festivals in the city when I was a kid, and I remember them being a lot of fun.

So, thanks.

The only thing amazing about Detroit is how it has more abandoned vacant lots than New York, Chicago and Philadelphia combined. 40,000 vacant lots… what a dump.

Sorry, Detroit does suck. Mult-cultural flavor is nice, but that does not apply to the city itself, only to the “metro-area” where there is large populations of people from everywhere. Detroit was on the come-back trail, but I fear under the mis-managment of Kwami, his high school buddies, and the notorious city council, the city stands a good chance of remaining in the “what-not-to-do” catergory. If it does come back it will take a couple decades. I just moved to Portland, OR from Detroit - and again I’m sorry but Detroit does suck.

I’ve been to New York, Chicago, Hong Kong and Shanghai. I live in Detroit, but after being in those cities, I realize that Detroit truly sucks. I can’t wait to get out of here now.

This town sucks! I’d rather live on the dark side of the moon. I lived the first 18 years of my life in Cleveland, and never thought much of it. But now that I’ve lived here for only a year, I can’t stand it. I’ve been lucky enough to go to cities like Boston, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, and I wonder, why the hell couldn’t my Dad have been transferred somewhere else?!!

Sorry dude!

Gawd…Detroit and it’s new Mayor stink as bad as the garbage they let come in from Canada. This Mayor Quammy is just as bad as Coleman A (i luv to steal the citizens tax dollars) Young! These two were cut from the very same cloth! As far as the city itself, pretend all you like but any intelligent non-blind person can see how terrible this crap-hole is. Yeha lets open some casinos so the crack heads can steal more suburbinite money when the ignorant come to visit. I don’t travel past Telegraph (the boardering road seperating the city from the civilized), I wish the same were true the other way around, but I guess the city scum have pillaged their neighborhoods and government so dry they have to come to the suburbs for fresh thievery!!! Be as proud as you like of this toilet, proud at how well the drive-by shootings are performed and how accurate their aim is when they kill a little 3 year old, or how good the Detroit thugz are at scoring with women, even when there is no consent. Be proud of the responsible citizens of Detroit who take care of their streets and houses (yeah they spend all the money that would clean up their house and neighborhood and spend it on the pimp mobile) nothin like a $10,000 set of wheels and low profile spoked tires (does that raise the property value?)! Oh and least we forget something else to be very proud of, when last year a guy was hit by a car in the city, while lying on the ground bleeding to death with internal and external wounds, the good and proud people of Detroit helped this man by getting rid of all the bulkiness in his pockets and on his person so he was comfortable…oh wait my mistake, they were actually stealing his wallet and personal belonginings to include his shoes. And this is just a very slight hint of how wonderful a city this is. A proud place indeed.

Detroit is a piece of shit that I had the good fortune to leave 15 years ago when I graduated high school. I lived in Southfield where the scum-bag city people just began to invade. I bet it is completely over-ran with the mindless welfare drones by now. Thank God for Chicago. If it wasn’t for Detroit Chicago would be even a better city, but because of the close proximity to that pile of shit Chicago gets a ugly name!

Hey lets get real and spell out the reason that Detroit is bad. IT IS THE BLACK PEOPLE!!!!! On top of that they have the largest Arab/Caldian population! I bet Osama Bin Laden is hiding out there.

Dear Detroit Native & Hater

You both are racist pricks. The reason Detroit sucks so bad is that middle-class (white) people abandoned the city for the worthless suburbs. And it’s your collective bigoted attitude that keeps cities like Detroit from improving.

GM, Ford, and Chrysler killed the city, and countless other American cities. Have you been to Indianapolis?

You fuckin’ pricks dont know shit about the beautiful city of DETROIT. DETROIT has a showcase of the most stunning early 20th century homes in the U.S. Plus the grande history of DETROIT overwhelms any historian. America got it’s start from DETROIT.

That’s what I want to read— someone that is willing to steer this infantile discourse back to a more positive read.

Both Presley and I are from Buffalo, another Great Lakes industrial city that has seen better days. We both left for careers and life on the east coast, but I love visiting my old city. Nice to see that some people haven’t given up totally on Detroit either.

Detroit a beautiful city!!!! BAAAAAHHHH HA HA HA!! What are you smoking??? That city is the lowest pile of shit out of all 50 states!!!

Hater, you must be part of the Brady bunch.No city in America is swell anymore. What do you expect when a mayor spends all of the people’s money on shit we don’t even know about. You’d be in the same position, and you probaly have never even seen DETROIT except on your couch watching the ten o clock news, so I suggest you keep your mouth closed about DETROIT allright sweetie! Give me a comment and i’ll school you on anything about the 313.

Ok ok ok
Somebody spouted some crap about the white flight a few posts ago.
Wife?s Grandparents lived in Detroit for many years and after the riots and subsequent break-ins on their block, swore they would not leave the city, or the house they loved. Well after being robbed 5 times they decided it would be safer for them to move out of the shit pile we now call Detroit (hey wait they called it that back then too) anyways, they were only able to sell the house for a fraction of what they paid for it.
This is very interesting to me because prior to the riots property values were not too bad, but after the volatile state of the environment after the riots and the value of the entire city took a crap.
In my neighborhood I have no idea how much my neighbors earn (they could be unemployed for all I know), but their lawns, yards, and streets are ALWAYS picked up, and the value of my property continues to increase. Point being?it costs almost nothing to keep the streets and yards looking nice. There is no pride in the residential part of the city.
If you tell me that poverty dictates how much people can invest in their neighborhoods I say how much does that Lexus, SUV, or Cady costs? How much are those low-profile chrome and gold rims and wheels cost? How much is that gold chain or 2 carrot diamond earring in your ear, or the latest Air Jordan?s? The priority?s of the majority of Detroiters is way out of whack. But hey we are talking about the same people that kept Coleman Young in office for so many years, he robbed the city blind, didn?t he?

Middle-class said why should I invest in a place where the unstable and unpredictable reside? As a businessperson in any society you want your business and residence to be in a place where there is stability, and that is not Detroit!
Realistically, how many riots do you hear about in the suburbs?

If Detroit wants to be seen as civilized, they need to act civilized. Responsible citizens active in their community are what makes a society strong, not a $50,000 vehicle.

if you don’t like move to Iowa City or Kansas City, damn..
and that arab-caldian comment was outrageous…you are a descendant of an immigrant too you crackhead

My decendants did not go around car bombing inocent folks.
I like middle easterners…if it were not for them…we wouldnt have party stores on every corner.

Thanks!

I have a poem for you all.

Detroit sucks, Detroit blows,
It’s full of trash, and fat crack ho’s,
Eminem may be from there,
He has the talent of pubic hair,
they suck at football, but are great at hockey,
But nobody likes that sport, so don’t get cocky,
And by the way, have you ever noticed, when you ask someone from the Chicago are where they are from, they will always say “Chicago” regardless if they are from the city, the suburbs, or hell even Rockford? Yet, when you ask someone from the Detroit area where they are from, they will GO OUT OF THEIR WAY to point out the exact suburb. People would rather say “I’m from Romulus” as opposed to “I’m from Detroit”. Doesn’t this alone speak volumes about your shithole city?

I am really starting to hate myself for posting this…

Sorry, it’s hard to say anything positive about Detroit. I’m from Chicago originally, and when you ask somebody from Chicago what is great about their city, they go on for hours about fine dining, great sports venues, great shopping and so forth. When you ask somebody from Detroit what is great about Detroit, they say “The Renaissance” or “The People Mover”. Mostly they say “The Suburbs”. Anyone with half a brain has left the Great Lakes Region anyways. Those with a quarter of a brain have at least gone to Ann Arbor.

Apparently you tapped into something that people want to vent about.

My feeling is…the people of Detroit seem to want to ignore the fact that the city is a pile of crap…call it what you want but I think they are only dening the truth or the fact that they are responsibile for the city and it’s decline and downfall.

Why don’t the residents do anything to fix it…STOP WAITING FOR HANDOUTS OR HELP….you have to be responsible for YOURSELF!

Stop blaming everyone else for Detroits demise…you need look no further than your own backyards.

Detroit is killing it’s own plain and simple!

I am originally from downriver detroit (southgate specifically) My grandmother and two sisters live in detroit right now. when visiting them, the only problems i’ve had are from the schizophrenic homeless (thanks to kilpatrik), who still aren’t as bad as some of the homeless motherfuckers here in chicago. who despite being poor as fuck, feel the need to constantly state there superiority in the form of “fuck you, mutherfucker” when you don’t have an extra quarter. at least the bums in detroit will sit and talk like a normal person or share a swig of a forty, when you don’t have anything extra to give them. the bums here in chicago are arrogant and self-righteous. I always thought of detroit as a shit-hole, but now i miss the vacant streets and hospitable bums. I think it has a bad reputation from everyone who has “lived” in detroit through the news, movies, and lyrics. GIVE DETROIT ANOTHER CHANCE!

shit, i forgot, it’s devil’s night, better make sure my grandma and sisters houses’ aren’t burning to the ground.

See? I forgot it’s Devil’s Night. At least the criminals in Chicago have the decency to contain their immoral ways to their own neighborhood as opposed to the Detroit criminals. They seem to enjoy having a day dedicated to burning their city like a proverbial sack of poo on somebody’s front doorstep. Maybe one day they will succeed in burning the whole city down.

STOP IT RIGHT NOW!

The Mayor will not allow bad things to happen to Detroit!

He will harness the energy from his 2 carrot diamond earring to ward off all evil and crime.

Faster than a speeding drive-by shooting…

More powerful than a loco-crack-hoe…

Able to pee on a burned out building in a single try…

Hes…hes…Kwamy man…the overfed Mayor with an earring of gold and gems.

Detroit is safe my children!!!!!!!

people only bad mouth detroit cause it’s mostly black,they never talk about atlanta,it’s mostly black also but it’s down south and it’s a great place to live.detroit only has the bad luck of being up north and all northern cities are crappy,even the mostly white ones .and to the above post black people don’t need rims on there cars like white people don’t need $600,000.00 houses with tennis courts in the back yard.

I still want to know why everyone smokes in Detroit— everywhere I went, smoke!

Well for one, I would like to point out this is a Detroit sux forum not an Atlanta sux forum.
But if you must know…Atlanta does indeed suck!
Atlanta couldn’t handle hosting the Olympics, and crime and poverty runs pretty deeply there.

You said we are talking about Detroit only because it is mostly black, but we do not talk about Atlanta…because it is mostly black too…….? I dunno but I think you confused me.

Something about Detroit is in the north so we don’t like it that much more?

Ok…you totally missexd the point of the $10,000 rims on a $45,000 Lexus.

People who live in $600,000 houses, also have nice cars, yards, neighborhoods, BUT support the community.
While people who drive the $45,000 Lexus with the rims pretend they are rich, but live in shit hole for houses, with weeds growing all around, garbage and filth everywhere, and ZERO community!

You do the math…do you think it may be because the rich are living within their means?

If the people of the city do not put their prioritys in order, they will never be able to move forward as a society.
They will be nothing more than a people with their hands out waiting for someone to give them something or looking for a prime candidate to rob.
Either way to sum up, most city folks are not self sufficient and need (or take) from others. While taking what little they have received as a handout, instead of trying to turn it into more (investing in themselves as a people), spend it all on luxury items while still living in shit holes only perpetuating this lifestyle.

Where is Jessy Jackson to guide Detroit into a better place. Oh wait…he only comes out when it is about pointing the finger at others. Some leader he is.

How do you spell extortionist? ? J E S S Y

I’m sick of these ignorant clowns degrading my city like this. Have some fuckin’ respect. Trust me look at DETROIT by 2006 when the superbowl comes here, and I guarentee you will be jocking DETROIT. DETROIT just needs a little facelift, and believe me it’s going to be well worth it.

good post cjkyser,when your right they come back with some rambling post that makes no damn sence like the one from “me” usually coward’s don’t leave a name.what the fuck jesse jackson got to do with detroit, with detroit being 82% black can’t be hard to find one to express your views to,quit hiding behind your computer!

Mike, you suck almost as bad as the stinking city you defend!
I would tell you my feelings in person, up close, and face to face you freakin twit.
The city doesn?t hide it garbage, stench, filth and reversed racism, and I do not hide how disgusted I feel about the scum that dwells there.
The guy talking about Atlanta is a retard, and his comments made/make zero sense, much like the majority of residents of Detroit.
Constantly blaming the people of the suburbs for your problems of the city of Detroit only is a way to deflect the real reasons for the crap in the city.

Super bowl in 2006?…I went to a Wings game last week, not the Super bowl but a non-playoff Redwings game and the traffic situation was an absolute JOKE.

People will be shouting DETROIT DETROIT and then they will add, “SUCKS” at the end!

Now the city has the tax raising Kwammy Killpatrick mayor of the needy. With this guy in office the city can?t go wrong. When is this guy going to start living up to his campaign promises?

Face it people of Detroit, you need some help and there are no magic wands. Jessy, Sharpton, Farrakhan, they aren?t helping to rebuild community, but yet they are revered by communities like Detroit all over the United States. They breed hate more than the disgusting supremacy groups.

Clean your neighborhoods, streets, yards, and homes NOW, stop waiting for a night in shining armor to lead you to your salvation and atonement. Take care of your CITY!

me2 if you don’t like detroit so much WHY DO YOU GO THERE DUMBASS?

I think it’s interesting, this forum. There, like so many other things, are so many opinions. Which is pretty great. I will tell you a few of my own. Detroit used to be an incredible city. Industrial yes, but incredible. It was clean, the night life fun, people wanted to come to Detroit for jobs for “the life.”
I don’t know what happened or when things started to change. But Detroit became overwhelmed with poverty, crime, drugs, and homelessness. You often heard of fires on Devil’s night, families being shot, and yes there were drug busts, and the people who lived in Detroit no longer felt safe. It’s sad.
But in the years that I’ve lived in Michigan I have noticed some SLOW changes that will hopefully start to improve the area again. I think is is important to also know that Detroit does have culture and there is fun to be had. They have the Detroit Institute of Arts, which is a beautiful museum. I’ve been to wonderful cultural awareness events and great festivals that have all been in Detroit. I’ve been to football games (which are now recently held in Detroit) and Hockeygames. The Auto Show and the Woodward dream cruise. All of which are traits of Detroit.
It’s funny to see the casinos that are now there and the stadiums. One side of Detroit safe to go to for a game or a dance club you can even walk the street at night and the other side in destitude. Drug infested. Does Detroit suck? I guess that’s going to depend on who you ask. And I guess the real question I’d like to ask is, if you live in Detroit and you think it sucks…..what are you doing to help make it better?

Tommy?I go there as rarely as possible ?dumbass? but sometimes it is unavoidable. That does not negate my right to speak my opinion about it. (You know?the whole free speech thing and all) ?dumbass?!

Crystal, I absolutely agree with you. Whether or not it sucks does indeed depend on where you are.
That is not always the case though.
A few years back while heading to the Masonic, only a few blocks away (3 I think), I was sitting at the light when all of a sudden this guy runs out of a building right there on the corner. Following closely behind this man was another man; only the second guy had a shotgun and was shooting at the first guy. Holding the rifle at waist level and blasting off one round after another, all while we were sitting there in our vehicle at the light.
On either side of the steps leading from this building were about 5 to 6 people. Not one of those folks even budged when this bizarre occurrence happened. In fact, there were people that started heading over to the building where the shotgun blasts were. Sort of like moths to a flame. This was to me one of the strangest things I ever saw!

This may be part of the problem, they (the city folk) don?t even see the filth and scum that they dwell within, they are numb to it.
Ahh is this the classic chicken and the egg? Does poverty breed filth and scum, or filth and scum breed poverty?

If the people of the city would simply take a little pride and clean up their neighborhoods, 75% of the problems would disappear! Constant sponging off the system without any return only drains this society mentally, emotionally and physically.

Many different points of view here…but overwhelmingly people seem to have admitted Detroit’s numerous shortcomings.

I myself, have never been to Detroit and can only go by what Detroit natives, past or present, have said about it; so I won’t make any judgment of my own beyond what I’ve heard from other sources. But I will say that I believe that Detroit, like any other city, has the potential to improve over time. To say that it will always be a cesspool or a dump is in no way forward thinking, for history has proven that the fortunes of cities can and have changed over time. To say that there’s no hope left for Detroit now is the same as saying that New York had no hope back in 1980; or that Rome would always be the world’s greatest city at pretty much any time between 80 B.C. 350 A.D.

Rebuilding from the hell that Detroit’s been through for the past 40 years is by no means an easy task, but in all likelihood in coming years Detroit might regain most of its former glory. I for one hope that that becomes the case.

The real deal is, the city has been in a steady decline ever since Coleman Young took over as mayor back in the sixties. Dennis Archer made an attempt to change that in the 90’s by bridging the gaps between the city folks and the subburb folks. Brought in new life, new growth, and new possibilities to the downtown area that had been neglected for 30 years. And the whole while was accused of being a sell-out or “Uncle Tom”, no wonder he left.
The real sell-out was Coleman Young who stole millions from the city and taxpayers of Detroit. From the secret police fund to the Kugarands his hands were deep in the cookie jar, as were most of his administration.

Funny thing is, this guy is and will be reveared for many years to come.
Oh well…go figure!

The fact that suburbanites actually go to Detroit is heartening, though. There are obviously still problems; I’m not denying that. But in this day and age I’d say that though Motown has seen better days, it’s also seen worse ones.

Admitting there is a problem is the first step to rebirth.
If Detroiters do not accept and embrace the fact that they have huge problems, and take responsibility for those problems and correct them. They will never enjoy the rebirth that will truly set them free.
Remember…Malace Green was NOT a victim, rather a victimizer!
PUT YOURSELF IN THAT CAR, THAT NIGHT, ON BOTH ENDS OF THE MAGLIGHT AND REALY THINK ABOUT HOW YOU WOULD FEEL IN YOUR GUT IF THAT WERE YOU! (There were no angles in that car!)

Call things for how they truly are, and lets get on with the rebirth.

maybe you people posting haven’t been outside the country,if you think detroit is so bad try isreal where you can’t ride on a city bus or go sit in a eatery without worrying about some nut coming in with a bomb strapped on his back, come on people grow up! there are places ten times worse than detroit if you don’t think so you have been in the subburbs to long.

Well since this is a discussion about Detroit, I guess that?s why people are talking about it! Duhh

I imagine that you watch a lot of CNN to justify your statement but that?s okay.

I am here to tell you that…most of us here have been out of the US, why I was in Windsor Canada just last week. The traffic was a real hell.

Just know that it is okay to have a discussion, no matter if you think others have it worse.
If we stop trying to figure things out here, because the middle east are a bunch of half crazed desert dwellers that don’t understand the concept of bathing, that blow themselves up to be martyred, then we know things are truly messed up in the US.
I choose to try to understand ourselves and work on the things that will create a harmony between the city and suburbs. I choose to discard 3rd world countries that fail to understand….anything.

The city needs a facelift and a serious adjustment. It will all come in time. It is going to be extra difficult for revitalization in this area because the impoverished areas (and respectfully the persons within) are going to eventually have to move out to make way for the folks with money. Question is: where will they go?

I’m beginning to see the area around Grand Circus improve with the new ballpark and stadium. Hopefully these gems will help spread and improve the commonwealth.

What causes one to be a successful & productive member of society and another to be impoverished & a drain on society?

What causes one to give back or add to the growth of the community, while another takes away or adds to the destruction of the community?

These questions when asked to able bodied persons (not those who are mentally or physically handicapped or have cause self destruction) can be answered very simply, MOTIVATION.

It is amazing what one can do when motivated; take for example the great pyramids, or the Sistine Chapel.

The power of motivation should not be underscored. It does not cost anything to be motivated, it comes from within, will result in success, production, growth, and most of all, a great sense of self-worth!

Do the math; many great things were created from nothing.
Detroit has it easy, the foundation is there, the work has been done, now it?s on the citizens to pull it together get motivated and clean it and themselves up.

Come on Detroit?game-on; stop proving that you need to have your hand held by suburbia!

Detroit area has a whole host of problems. Mainly corruption, several mafia groups still operates in the area, politic styles from the 1920s and 1930s,
and really evil and stupid people due to the toxic waste, emessions, and bad environment. So many businesses and people there are very corrupt and they will destroy you if they can get away with it. Trying to get anything or do business there is often like trying to deal with communists in Russia or corrupt bastards in Mexico. ENTER THE DETROIT AREA AT YOUR OWN RISK! Any horror film is pale in comparions to the ugly reality of Detroit.

The whole city including some areas outside the city need to be bulldozed, or completely abanded for like 50 years, or use a nuclear bomb. It is a area controlled by EViIL CORPORATE WARRLOARDS and SORCEERS, THE MAFIAS, EVIL SOUL EATING ZOMBIES, and ABUSED SLAVES and TORTURED ECONOMIC PRISONERS. If you need some horrific real life experiences and are possibly interested in either going insane or dying, then go to DETROIT.

Well put.

Now instead of the “real” mafia, Detroit suffers from the pseudo mafia…better known as “gangsta’s” or thugs.

A pop cultures way of promoting a loser activity by trivializing or celebrating it, through song or print.

Imagine the “real” mafia making up music with lyrics like “I’m a mafia cat and im gonna break your knee cap” (perspective to the era)

Point is…the wanna-be tough guys are nothing more than whimps trying to pretend they are empowered by force and violence rather than by education.

Hell, even the real mafia guys were smart enough to open business’s to become legit. The pseudo gangsta’s can’t count past ten I bet.

Im glad I was smart enough to leave, I urge all the rest of the civilized to do the same, then put a fence around whats left and make it a prison. If your stuck…your stuck!

Detroit & corruption?

Well let’s just say I know of a retired Detroit police officer & he say’s Detroit city government has to be the most corrupt in the nation.

No one in their right mind would open up a major business in the city, unless they are ‘connected’ with the right people.

This why there is no real growth in the city.

[EDITED -ned]

Side note:
The Superbowl is going to be a huge joke. Someone is getting wealthy & real quick off of this scam. Notice how the city is attempting to pretty things up for 2006 SB? A lot of construction work going on…

Notice where the dressing up is happening only along major highways & attractions to make the city appear good looking. Eastern Market is another place, all highway bridges & overpasses getting a redo…

Step 2 blocks out of the sight & your back into the real city.

Are things going to grow after the Bowl? Hope so, but I doubt it.

Isn’t it the fault of the residents of Detroit that the city is so crappy?

It’s easy to blame everyone else, but come on, the “Original” residents of Detroit kept it very nice and clean prior to being run out by the current residents.
And they weren’t wealthy people.

Becaue of this clean enviornment, business flourished.

This is not the case now, no appeal. If you open a businees in Detroit, you will get robbed, talk about shooting themselves in the foot!

Yes, really the city is shooting themselves in tho foot. They easily blamed the white suburbs, as they did for the past what 30 or so years now.

Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy going down & checking out the Eastern Market or Mexican Town… But I will not go back to work or live there.

Far as opening a new business in the city, good luck with getting basic insurance coverage. Not too many insurance companies will touch the city without charging ultra high $$$ premuims.

Its very unfortunate how much ignorance is being displayed in this forum right now. Detroit, like any large urban area, does have its crime problems and its areas of blight. However, to say that the only way to fix the city is to bulldoze it and start again demonstrates a complete lack of knowledge of the city and its resources. For those who have a negative perception of the city, I encourage you to go to such neighborhoods as Palmer Park, Boston-Edison and Indian Village. Research the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, Campus Martius and Tricentennial State Park for a better view of things to come in the near future. Detroiters are not Diamond encrusted, gun-toting, lexus driving thugs. By accepting mere stereotypes and not seeking to understand all sides of the city you are doing yourself a disservice. Furthermore, it seems somewhat ironic that Detroiters are often criticized for not doing more to better their community by those people who merely drive into the city for a red wings game and then race home as quickly as possible. How exactly are these individuals helping? In reality, they are simply using the city for its positive aspects, but refusing to strenghten its less desirable aspects.

Openmind, you’re probably the only other sane person reading this entry.

I keep cringing everytime I have to purge these comments of racial epithets…. I should just close the entry to addiitional comments, but then I never would have received your’s. So thanks…

Been to and lived in many large urban American cities. Have to say, the big D is pretty darned awful.

Just read in the Free Press the other day how the 3 casinos are actually costing the city millions of dollars per year more than expected, for fire & police services. Another example of a typical city blunder.

But oh, thought that the casinos were to fix the problems as promised.

Ned & Openmind: yes there are nice spots in the city. Matter of fact, world class gems that I enjoy going to. Like the Scott Fountain at Belle Island, DIA, Eastern Mkt, Boston/Edison area…

But for most of the remaining parts of the city is pretty vacant, empty & dumpy. You have to drive through the junk to find the diamonds. Not true in say Cleveland, Chicago, Ann Arbor & other nearby cities.

FYI, I live in Detroit. It’s got a high crime rate and a lot of smokers, but if you live here you’d know why I like a lot of it. The Fox Theatre, Joe Louis Arena, Comerica Park, they’re all cool. Along with my favorite place, Eastern Market, Detroit’s cool. You just gotta find the places and parts of Detroit you like.

Guys wake up here.

You have people who pretend that all is well because of a few landmarks, you have the moderator talking about purging and editing posts (so much for free speech and thought), and you have folks trying to address a serious problem that continues to get worse.

For those that pretend all is well, if you bury your heads in the sand it appears to go away, but cha know what…when you decide to come back up for air guess what…it is still a pile-o-scum.

You know…there are folks in prison that actually like it…or at least think its not that bad….of course they are only disillusioned into thinking it is ok because they know no better.
Point is, when your in the scum its hard to see the “real” world, and tend to think that is the norm.

There are many people that use being poor or being black a crutch, a crutch to be rude, lude, lazy, or non-willing to join the masses of normal people that care about making the little they have nice.

Yeah maybe this city was nice once, then again so was Bosnia, or Baghdad at one time, but now they are war torn much as is the city of Detroit, the difference is, the residence of the last 35 years or so are the guilty destroyers.

Being black is certainly not a disability; it is a blessing to be of the very people who were part of the biblical beginnings of the world. These ancient ancestors built themselves up to greatness; I only hope that black people of Detroit today, can find their true roots, the ones far prior to Alex Haley.
Stand proud and strong, and find what makes you great, not what gives you a crutch or an excuse.

And to the MODERATOR, let it be heard good or bad?.if you don?t know your enemy, then you are bound to be stomped.
Assuming you are white I must say, although it may seem the right thing to edit or sensor peoples thoughts, and while it may give you a sense of power, understand that black folk do not wish to be sheltered from the haters, it is better to know the bigots face to face and out in the open, rather than quietly in a hidden manner. The KKK hide under sheets, without the sheets they are mice, so hearing it although unpleasant is preferred to the mice.

Thank you.

I am a young resident of Detroit, who has seen the beauty of cities such as Chicago, San Francisco, Cleveland, New York, etc. Meanwhile, with every traveling experience, my expectations and hopes for Detroit grow. The Detroit of the 1950’s was once a powerful, thriving community, 1.8 million residents strong, but we must live and respond to the present-day concerns. Surely, I have seen the oppression of the inner city. I have observed blight, trash, and communities of despair. I have stared into the “hell-hole” and have lived in a self-destructive city. However, I have also witnessed the city’s resurrection from its “hell-hole.” Over the last several years, I have proudly watched the residents of Detroit quit the “pity-party” and reclaim their communities. Residents have demanded a livable, suitable, and safe environment. Yes, the city will always endure crime, just as Chicago, New York City, or Los Angeles. However, while those three cities’ attractions are placed in the spotlight, Detroit’s crime is consistently highlighted. Detroit’s central business district, Downtown; and entertainment district; Foxtown are the first and main areas to be revitalized. However, minor revitalization projects have been executed in residential communities throughout Detroit. There is stereotypical stigma that blankets Detroit, but hopefully the Super Bowl XL will showcase the city’s prized possessions and rich culture.

MAYOR KWAME M. KILPATRICK,
Mayor of Detroit

Text courtesy of the
State of the City Address
- February 24, 2004:

Madam President, Members of City Council, Distinguished Guests, Citizens of Detroit. Good evening.

This is the third time we have gathered in this elegant hall, the third time I have stood before you to report on the year that was - and the year that will be.

But tonight, the State of our City demands more.

It demands we do more than celebrate our success and reflect on our challenges. It demands we look deep within ourselves to reach out and rise up. It demands we set aside personal agendas and stand together to Grow Detroit.

My message tonight is about how we do that, how we build on the solid foundation we have laid in the past two years to Grow Detroit.

There is much to report tonight about the State of our City and the strength of our community.

There could not have been a more dramatic example of our strength than last August when the entire Northeast was plunged into darkness - and the City of Detroit was a light to the nation.

Thanks to our Homeland Security Plan we knew what to do, better than New York City, Cleveland, or Buffalo. While our Police and Fire Departments mobilized, citizens stepped up in heroic ways. Neighbors helped neighbors. We reached out and pulled through.

The world took notice as the story of Detroit’s shining moment was broadcast on TV around the globe. The United States Senate called me to testify about our success. When they inquired how we did it, my answer was simple: We were ready and we are resilient. We always pull together in difficult times.

We proved that again last week in one of the most horrific and heartbreaking losses a city can suffer. While united in our grief over the senseless deaths of two Detroit police officers - Jennifer Fettig and Matthew Bowens - we are galvanized in our resolve to end the violence in our streets.

Officer Fettig and Officer Bowens made the supreme sacrifice for each of us. As we pause for a silent tribute I encourage everyone to reflect on what you can do to honor their memory.

I also want to pay a special tribute tonight to the more than 4,000 men and women of the Detroit Police Department who put their lives on the line for us every single day. You are our heroes. And to each of you - on behalf of a grateful City - I say, Thank You.

I also want to acknowledge the families of Officer Fettig and Officer Bowens. The parents of Officer Bowens are with us tonight. On behalf of the citizens of Detroit, please know we love you, we pray for you, and we will continue to wrap our arms around you as you deal with the profound loss you have suffered.

Over the past week, through our tears, we have all grappled with how and why two officers were gunned down in the line of duty. Coming as their deaths did amid a rise in shootings, there are those who believe the City is under siege with streets full of danger and despair. Nothing could be further from the truth.

As Mayor of this great City, I vow that we will continue to work aggressively to stop the violence. But I will not allow this issue to define our City.

I look out in this hall tonight, and I see Detroit.

Detroit is Eleanor Josaitis, who teamed with Father Bill Cunningham 37 years ago, to form Focus: Hope and who is still on the job dedicated to her mission today.

Detroit is Shirley Stancato, who built a highly successful career in the banking industry and then, instead of retiring, took over the leadership of New Detroit, the nation’s oldest urban coalition.

Detroit is the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council, 30 remarkable high school students who have pledged to make a difference in our community.

Detroit is Cedric Redus, Michael Travis, and Latoris Shepard who rescued a man from a blazing inferno on I-75. Cedric Redus could not be with us tonight because he has joined the Army to defend our country.

Detroit is Frank Stella, who has combined a successful restaurant supply business with an equally successful record of civic involvement and who proudly lives in Detroit to this day.

Detroit is Carmen Harlan of Channel 4, Charles Pugh of Fox 2, and Rod Liggons of Channel 7 - journalists who live in, and report on, our City.

Detroit is Belda Garza, a leader in our Hispanic community, a former State Representative and member of the Detroit School Board.

Detroit is Tommy Ruffin, the hero who spotted two men running across Jefferson on Sunday night – two men who had just vandalized one of America’s most renowned pieces of public art, our tribute to the great Joe Louis.

Tommy Ruffin followed the suspects through three cities, calling in the police along the way. Tonight, those men are in jail – and our City is grateful. Thank you Tommy Ruffin.

Detroit is Maryann Mahaffey, who continues a lifetime of dedication to helping others today as President of our City Council.

Detroit is Kwame Kilpatrick, who grew up here, went off to college and then came back with a dream he could serve this city.

I am Detroit. You are Detroit. We are Detroit.

These challenges we currently face do not define who we are. Detroit, we are on the threshold of a new era – an era of growth, hope, and opportunity.

I love Detroit. Together we will Grow Detroit.

PUBLIC SAFETY
The most fundamental building block to our Growth is strengthening homeland security and public safety. Because we have been working together we are making neighborhoods safer than they’ve been in decades.

The Detroit Fire Department, under the leadership of Commissioner Tyrone Scott, has made dramatic progress in protecting citizens and providing more efficient emergency care. In the past year a realigning of EMS has cut response time to 6.3 minutes per run. That’s down from more than 10 minutes when we took office. The Fire Department has also stepped up its public safety programs and the impact has been stunning. In 2003, the number of fires in homes dropped by 30 percent.

The Detroit Police Department is also making history. Across Detroit, violent crime was down last year. Thanks to the hard work and commitment of the Department, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries and larcenies were all down. Our homicide total dropped more than 8 percent to the lowest in 36 years.

Under the leadership of Chief Ella Bully-Cummings, the Department is poised to make even greater strides to keep our city safe in 2004.

Given that Detroit is one of the world’s busiest border crossings and home to our nation’s most important industry, homeland security is paramount. Last year, thanks to the determination of Chief Administrative Officer Derrick Miller, the federal government awarded us an additional $25 million in homeland security funds. Tonight I request that the Governor and leadership in Lansing cut through the bureaucracy and forward the funds we need to keep our City, our State, and our Nation.. Safe.

In the wake of September 11th, every big city in America has been forced to re-evaluate how police, fire, and EMS personnel communicate with each other.

Under the guidance of Chief Information Officer Dave Rayford, radio communications for public safety and public works are being modernized and converted to a powerful 800-megahertz system. This will allow all personnel to talk to each other no matter where they are in the City. The Water Department will be using the system in June. Police, Fire, and EMS will be on-line in the first quarter of 2005.

Last year the Water Department also took a giant step in ensuring our water is safe for decades to come, when it opened a $250 million state-of-the-art treatment plant. Director Victor Mercado also kept operational costs flat for the third year in a row.

CHILDREN & FAMILIES
We have helped children and families Grow and flourish in neighborhoods that are safer and more secure.

One of the most dramatic examples is the improvement we have made in Head Start, a program that increases school readiness for children. When I took office we had more than 1,500 vacancies in Head Start programs in Detroit - 20 percent of the seats were never filled. 1,500 children were being denied an opportunity to succeed - and our federal funding was in jeopardy.

Today, thanks to our Human Services Department and increased outreach efforts in the community led by Director Dwayne Haywood, we have more than 7,300 children enrolled in Head Start programs. The federal government is now praising our program as a national model. Right now there are only 150 empty seats left in the entire City and parents are eager to enroll their children.

For school-age children, a window to the world has been opened at four computer clubhouses around the City. Last year I stood before you and unveiled a partnership with the Intel Corporation to bring computer centers to neighborhoods. I’m proud to report the centers are open and busier than ever.

Our children are also finding new educational opportunities at the Detroit Zoo - which under the leadership of Ron Kagan has recently broken ground on the $9-million Ford Center for Environmental and Conservation Education. And - for the second year in a row - the Zoo was recognized for the best new exhibit in the country. It’s one of my boys’ favorites - the Arctic Ring of Life.

While we are giving children a head start in education, our Department of Health and Wellness Promotion headed by Dr. Noble Maseru is giving citizens a boost. Our family primary care centers served more than 38,000 uninsured residents last year. And the Department’s pharmacy filled more than 180,000 prescriptions for 60,000 uninsured and underinsured residents.

CLEAN DETROIT
To clear the way for our neighborhoods to Grow.. under the leadership of Chief Operating Officer Carolyn Williams Meza and thanks to our dynamic City workforce.. we have been literally clearing out and smoothing out our City - block by block.

Last year when I reported to you, every single City union was operating without a contract. Tonight, thanks to the leadership of my Chief of Staff Christine Beatty and Director of Labor Relations Roger Cheek, I can report we have settled 16 contracts covering nearly 12,000 workers. That’s more than two thirds of our work force.

Also in 2003, we resurfaced 160 miles of streets in the City of Detroit. Never before in the history of our City have so many miles been resurfaced in a single year. And we’re not done. In the next two years, another 180 miles of streets will be resurfaced.

Many people are riding on those streets in brand new D-DOT buses. Thanks to efforts of Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick 60 new buses have been added to our aging fleet - and by the end of the year we expect to receive another 120 new buses.

As the ride around Detroit is getting smoother, we are transforming the places where our children play. Last year I stood before you and pledged our Parks and Recreation Department would cut the grass in all of our 391 parks on a 10-day rotation. We did it. Some parks were even cut every 7 or 8 days.

You have also noticed the 1,150 new litter containers we have placed along major roads, commercial strips and bus stops to keep the city clean. You have clearly noticed because people are using them. Our City is cleaner.

Citizens have also embraced the new refuse and bulk trash collection system that was engineered by our Department of Public Works. Collection has become far more efficient and far reaching. Again, I know it is working because our City is cleaner.

To clean up neighborhoods we have begun aggressive enforcement of laws requiring homeowners, tenants, and landlords to keep up their property. We have taken people to court for everything from excessive debris to rats to overgrown weeds. Many people have been fined and at least one has landed in jail.

A great deal of responsibility also falls on those who do business in our neighborhoods.

We are unwavering in our commitment to clean up liquor stores in our community. Already our police have inspected 388 of the nearly 750 stores in Detroit - and found approximately 1 out of every 4 stores sold alcohol to minors.

That is outrageous behavior and we are going to put a stop to it.

We will also stop stores from selling single cigarettes and expired food.

We will stop the sale of illegal drug paraphernalia including crack pipes and items used to weigh and sell drugs.

If we are going to change the spiritual nature of our community, we must stop the practices that show no respect for our community and the people who live here.

There are, of course, many responsible storeowners who contribute to neighborhoods and respect customers. Right now we are working with them and the associations who represent them. In the coming weeks we will announce a partnership to remove those giant liquor signs from stores. This can change the messages our children see everyday - and help nurture the spiritual growth and transformation in our neighborhoods.

BUILDING GROWTH
By strengthening public safety, by lifting up our children and families, by cleaning up our neighborhoods, we have been laying the foundation for the Growth of our economy and the creation of jobs.

Last year we issued 783 permits for new construction. That’s nearly double the number issued in 2001.

We also issued more than 6,000 building permits for people who wanted to improve their homes or businesses. Demand for permits is so great we have opened permit offices in two Neighborhood City Halls to speed up the process.

We have 4,400 new housing starts underway in Detroit right now. It’s the biggest building boom in 50 years. And that does not include a major housing development that is set to rise on the east side.. a development I am announcing right now.

Twelve hundred acres of our City - bounded by Jefferson, Conner, Mack, and Alter - are poised for an historic transformation. Amid the area’s disinvestment and disrepair, we see Growth, hope, and prosperity. And to that end we have assembled a blue-chip team of two national companies and two local developers to essentially build a complete neighborhood from top to bottom.

The national companies are Kimball Hill Homes out of Chicago, the largest privately owned homebuilder in the country, and American City Vista, which is headed by Henry Cisneros who served as HUD Secretary under President Bill Clinton. The local developers are Phoenix Communities, headed by Mel Washington, and U-SNAP-BAC, a non-profit on the east side that has a strong track record and is headed by Linda Smith.

The focus of the project will be on rehabilitation and revitalization, not on displacement. We will not use eminent domain or condemnation proceedings to force current residents out of the neighborhood. We will work with residents to fix up their homes as we fill the vacant lots between them.

At the same time we are not just having these developers build houses. We want them to build a community. We want a mix of retail, housing, churches, recreational facilities, public spaces and perhaps even schools. We want a complete neighborhood.

It will also stress mixed income. We want a range of housing options from market rate to affordable and mixed use in terms of townhouses, attached units, rentals for sale, all of the highest quality.

We expect the first models will be up in the first quarter of 2005. And when the project is finished, we expect between 3,000 and 4,000 new or renovated homes will be located in this area. It will be the largest project of this kind we’ve ever undertaken in the history of Detroit.

Other new housing projects are already Growing. Projects launched in 2003 include St. Anne’s Gate in southwest Detroit, Jefferson Village on the east side, Core Cities Community in Midtown, continuing development of Brush Park and Merchants Row, and the renovation of the Kales Building in Grand Circus Park.

To achieve real long-term economic development, we must Grow businesses here in the City of Detroit.

To do that I have issued executive orders that give credit in the City’s bidding process to businesses that are headquartered in Detroit. The executive orders are patterned after similar orders that were issued by the State of Illinois.

They are based on the idea that if we are going to spend our tax dollars, we want to re-circulate those dollars in our City.

Contracts are still based primarily on merit and other factors related to the specific proposal. No one is being shut out of the process. But if your headquarters is in Detroit, you will receive extra points in the process.

We are also helping small businesses, especially those that operate in our neighborhoods through the Mayor’s Office of Commercial Revitalization. We have made grants to five community organizations to help them develop retail shops near the citizens they serve. These grants have leveraged $4 million in private sector projects.

In our industrial areas, money is pouring into Brownfield projects. The City’s Redevelopment Authority has approved 64 projects totaling $1.4 billion dollars in private investment. These funds will go for a mix of uses ranging from residential to retail, commercial, some health care and even turning some old industrial uses into new industrial uses. When these projects are completed, they will represent 8,000 new jobs and 1,600 units of housing.

One of our crowning accomplishments in Brownfield redevelopment is the I-94 Industrial Park, located at Van Dyke and Huber, where our goal is to build a suburban-like industrial park right in the middle of the city. The first tenant, a supplier to Daimler Chrysler, has already been secured. This company will take over 30 acres of the site, invest $26 million, and bring 300 jobs to the City.

Among the most dramatic signs that Detroit is growing can be seen in the Lower Woodward Corridor which is undergoing a $100 million overhaul thanks in large part to the leadership of Detroit Renaissance and its chairman Tony Early.

The reshaping of Woodward, Broadway, and Washington is well underway.

New storefronts are quickly emerging. That big red structure on Washington is being cleared out and a true boulevard is coming alive.

Eleven new businesses have opened their doors in the area and seven more are on the way. These include businesses like Borders, Mavericks, Small Plates, the Detroit Beer Company, Hard Rock Caf?, Julian Scott, Bookies, and others.

We continue to attract new corporate workers to the downtown area as well.

In addition to Compuware and EDS, we have just signed an agreement that will bring 900 employees of OnStar downtown.

These workers will set up shop in the Renaissance Center and watch the Riverfront develop and Grow. In the coming months we will begin construction on part of the Riverwalk and bike bath that will go around Chene Park. In addition, we will begin construction of the new Port Authority Building at the foot of Bates where cruise ships touring the Great Lakes will be able to dock.

People who live, work, or visit here will also enjoy the wireless world like never before, downtown.

Tonight I am pleased to announce we have started wiring downtown Detroit for the use of wireless devices. The meeting rooms in Cobo Center will be wireless at the end of this month, Hart Plaza will be wireless in July, Campus Martius in October and Grand Circus park - and the area within the boundaries of the People Mover - by the end of the year.

So by the end of 2004, when you bring your laptop downtown, you can leave all the cables and cords at home.

In the downtown area we have three major projects in the works.

A new convention center remains a top priority - vital to our long-term development and economic strength. We must build to be competitive in attracting conventions and exhibitions. I will report back to you in the coming months on how we can get that done.

To all the naysayers and hand wringers concerned about the Book Cadillac Hotel I have this message: Please relax. We will get the deal done. Walt Watkins and George Jackson from the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation are working with the new developer, the Ferchill Group, to close the financing gap. It’s a complicated deal, but we are very close.

Now let’s talk for a moment about the casinos.

Tonight as I stand here, casino developers are ready to put shovels in the ground and invest more than $1 billion in our City as they build permanent casinos. They are so eager to get started and put thousands of people to work that they have already pledged crews will work two 10-hour shifts - 20 hours a day - to get the casinos done. We’re talking about real jobs, real money, right now. We’re talking about putting Detroiters to work as architects, electricians, carpenters, ironworkers, and plumbers, just to name a few.

But for that to happen we need the help of our City Council.

Late last year we announced a settlement had been reached between two of our casinos and the Lac Vieux tribe from the Upper Peninsula that said the casino selection process was unconstitutional. The settlement cleared the way for construction of permanent casinos, but then City Council said it wanted to take a closer look at the deal - and filed an objection with the court.

I have talked with members of Council and I am hopeful they have examined the deal and realize it should proceed so we can put thousands of Detroiters to work. If Council withdraws its objection, we can have shovels in the ground and cranes in the air within 30 days. Tonight, I urge Council to withdraw the objection so our City can move forward, people can get to work, and Detroit can Grow.

This could change our economy overnight.

THE YEAR AHEAD
As we build on the foundation we have laid I want to talk about a few of the challenges before us this year - and new initiatives we are developing to Grow Detroit.

The first addresses one of the bigger headlines of the year - and a critical reality. If we are going to thrive as a city, we must be a healthy city.

I think we all winced a bit when Men’s Fitness Magazine rated Detroit as, “the fattest city in America.” I’m not sure I agree with their criteria, but it didn’t help much when I showed up on television.

As we have looked for health initiatives, our intent has been not to replicate what’s already out there. Rather we want to coordinate and collaborate with existing programs to create a sustainable initiative that has all of those in the health and wellness community at the table.

Tonight I am proud to announce my ‘Movement for Life’ health initiative.

The goal of this yearlong program is to motivate and inform our citizens about health and wellness and to promote healthy lifestyles.

We’ve created four key areas of focus: preventative health care, physical activity, nutrition, and sleep. This program will bring together many existing health and fitness programs in the city of Detroit under one umbrella to provide easier access to our citizens.

This would be the first time anything like this has been done. We think it can have a major impact on the health of our residents.

We have several key partners to announce tonight including the Detroit Medical Center, Henry Ford Health System, St. Johns, the Greater Detroit Area Health Council, and partners of ‘Cover the Uninsured Week.’ We will be kicking off our initiative in March by providing free health screenings for every City employee. The initiative will extend this same opportunity to all residents of the City of Detroit via four community health fairs, the first of which will be in May at Ford Field in conjunction with ‘Covered the Uninsured Week.’

As we Grow Detroit, we recognize everything we have.. we owe to our seniors.

One issue related to our seniors that has disturbed me greatly this past year was the revelation that seniors in Detroit are dying faster than seniors in the rest of Michigan.

This troubling fact was uncovered by the Detroit Area Agency on Aging and the Detroit Senior Citizens Department. They found the death rate for older adults between the ages of 50 and 59 in Detroit, is 122 percent higher than the rest of Michigan. Seniors between the ages of 60 and 74 are dying 48 percent faster.

To address this crisis I am appointing a “Dying Before Their Time Task Force” to develop a blueprint for action to reverse this trend and save our seniors.

To address issues of security for seniors who live in the 9 Detroit Housing Commission buildings, I am announcing tonight an innovative partnership with Comcast, and others. Beginning next month we will begin the process of installing cameras at key outside doors that will be wired into the building’s cable system. When you want to see who is outside or who is ringing the front bell, all you’ll need to do is turn on your TV. This can enhance security and make seniors safer.

Also on the technology front we are going to build on the success of the Intel Computer Clubhouses - and bring even more opportunities to our neighborhoods. Again in partnership with Comcast we are leveraging $750,000 to create four Kids, Cops, Clean Computer Centers loaded with the latest technology.

If Detroit and our neighbors are going to prosper in the 21st Century, we all know we must work together. For too long, inter-regional battles have held us back while other parts of the country have leaped forward.

As Mayor of Detroit, I am reaching out to my fellow mayors tonight in a way that has not been done in at least a decade.

I am initiating the formation of a Tri-County Mayor’s Conference to meet quarterly to work on issues of common interest to southeast Michigan.

I believe the problems we face are very similar. If we are going to compete with the rest of the world, we have to join hands and work together, not fight with one another. We have to focus on what we share, not dwell on old differences.

I have already reached out to some of my colleagues and we are talking. In fact two of them are here with us tonight. I’d like to recognize Pontiac Mayor Willie Payne and Sterling Heights Mayor Richard Notte. Please give them a hand.

To truly move forward and Grow Detroit we must rebuild the Detroit Public Schools.

In the short run, that means reaching a consensus around a governance structure that will produce the educational atmosphere our children deserve and desperately need if they are to learn.

Much of the debate over the past few years has revolved around the means of selecting members of the Board of Education.

The right to vote is sacred. My ancestors fought and died for the right to vote. But I hold other things sacred as well. One of them is the right to read. My ancestors also fought and died for the right to read.

As we reach a consensus on this issue we must keep our focus on our children and on their right to read, their right to learn math and their right to acquire the skills that are absolutely essential to make their way in the 21st Century.

If we do not do this, we will continue to fail them. If we get preoccupied with personalities and power struggles, we will continue to fail them.

I fought against the State takeover of our schools when I was in the Legislature. I bitterly resented, and still resent, the way the Legislature took from us our right to vote for school board members. I know many of you feel the same way.

But if we are going to be honest, we also have to admit that the old system did not work. Board members were involved in the day-to-day operations of the schools. They were involved in decisions ranging from approving the tiniest contracts to ratifying staff promotions to selecting curriculum for which they had no specific expertise. And the constant political turmoil on the board forced the superintendent to spend too much of his or her energy keeping the support of a majority of board members rather than focusing on improving our schools.

Parents knew the system wasn’t working. That is why enrollment dropped from 300,000 in the 1970s when I started in the school system to 150,000 today. Parents voted with their feet. They are still voting with their feet. Despite signs of improvement today, enrollment is still dropping.

Last October, I proposed a new model for education, part of which dealt with the issue of governance. My goal was a structure that would provide stability to the system. It would restore an elected board, but would not allow it to micromanage every aspect of the day-to-day operations the way it has in the past. It would allow educators to educate.

My plan generated a great deal of debate and controversy, both here and in Lansing. I appreciated the support of seven House members of the Detroit delegation. But tonight, the only senator from our delegation with a new alternative is Senator Buzz Thomas.

He has come up with an alternative governance plan that I support. I urge the leadership in Lansing - and the Governor - to make it a reality for the sake of our children and our City. We have to get past this issue so we can focus together on that which is truly education: academic achievement, community and business partnerships, and the most important factor - parental involvement.

Our City cannot Grow if our public school system is not fixed.

One of our major concerns in the year ahead is the City’s budget that I will present to City Council in April.

Certainly, there are some tough times ahead. We are not immune to the global economic pressures that are squeezing cities around the world - especially urban centers in America. Chicago, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh have each laid off hundreds of city employees. Cleveland cut 252 police officers and 47 fire fighters.

Since we’ve been in office, we have committed ourselves not to layoff a single police officer or firefighter. Even though we face tough financial times now, we will not waver in that commitment.

One major pressure point on the budget is the consent agreements we reached with the Department of Justice last year to reform our Police Department.

In 1999 the city administration requested the Justice Department come in and investigate the Detroit Police department. The end result of that investigation came last year when we entered into two consent agreements to make a series of changes in the way our department is operated.

While the Justice Department told us to make these changes, it did not give us a single penny to do it. Over the next three years, to comply with the orders, we will spend close to $100 million of our own money. It all has to come out of our budget. We are even paying about $1.5 million per year to the court-appointed monitor who is overseeing our progress.

In the end, the Detroit Police Department will be a department that has institutionalized best practices in law enforcement from around the country. But it will come with a steep price tag that we must bear all alone.

Even with the budget constraints we face, we will continue to make major improvements in neighborhoods.

Under the leadership of Parks and Recreation Director Charlie Beckham we will upgrade 10 parks in 2004 with new facilities, play equipment, and restrooms. The 10 parks are: Dad Butler, Martz, Stockton, Tolan, Piwok, Schultz, Mallett, Stoepel #1, Peterson, and Comstock.

And to give our children yet another opportunity to Grow, we are in the process right now of seeking companies to build two new “Family Fun Centers,” one in Rouge Park on the west and the other in Farwell Park on the east side. These centers will include activities such putt-putt golf, laser tag, go-karts and video arcades. One will even include a golf dome.

I also am announcing, effective immediately, we will no longer charge for memberships at city recreation centers. We should encourage residents of all ages to use our centers. The membership fee did not produce any significant revenue for the department, but it did serve as an impediment for some children to use the centers. It is no more.

I want to focus on how we can work together to keep our City safe, restore our collective conscience, and effect a spiritual transformation that can change hearts and help prevent violence like we’ve seen in recent weeks. This is a problem that’s rearing its head across the country as most major cities from New York to Phoenix, Baltimore to Salt Lake City report a surge in violence.

As Mayor of Detroit, I am leading our response, but I cannot do it alone. The Police Department has a major role. But the Police Department cannot do it alone. They can solve these crimes. They do a very good job of that. But they need each of us to stand with them and do our part.

The Police Department is doing its part. Chief Ella Bully-Cummings has increased patrols and is placing a renewed emphasis on stopping trouble before it starts. She is re-establishing the Department’s Police Community Services Unit, which will be responsible for crime prevention activities such as neighborhood watch and organizing block clubs.

The Chief will also report to the media and the community every Wednesday at 3 p.m. – beginning tomorrow – about the progress we’ve made in keeping our City safe and the partners in the community who are helping. You can see these briefings on Comcast Channel 10.

Among the partners working with Police will be our church community, which is the bedrock of our City. I met last Thursday with a group of ministers to seek their involvement. I proposed that they join me in a church-community covenant.

At the top of the list of the ways they can help is organizing church neighborhood patrols similar to what is done every Angel’s Night. With more than 3,000 churches in this city, just one patrol per church per week can have a significant impact.

Among my other challenges to them were to participate in religious alliance meetings at their local precinct - and to attend a Ministers Police Academy that’s being assembled now by the Department. This will give religious leaders a greater understanding of the Department and how it works. This is critical to strengthening partnerships between law enforcement and the community.

CONCLUSION
Finally tonight, I have an announcement about a building that has for years blighted our skyline – and stood as a monument to urban decay.

This building has a tremendous, storied history. But I have never known this building to be much more than an empty shell.

Tonight I see it full of potential.

I am pleased to announce that the City of Detroit has reached an agreement to purchase the Michigan Central Train Depot and transform it into the new headquarters of the Detroit Police Department.

This deal is possible thanks to a man who is with us tonight.

Mattie Maroun is Chairman of Cen-Tra Incorporated, the long-time owner of the building. Mattie has agreed to do this deal because he is committed to Grow Detroit and he knows what this means to our City. We will hold a press conference next Wednesday to announce all of the details. Please give Mattie Maroun a round of applause.

The foundation to Grow Detroit has never been more solid than it is right now. We are standing on the threshold of a new era of growth, hope, and opportunity.

I see it in children like those I read to on Saturday at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American history. The world is before them. Everything is possible. It was in their eyes. They didn’t have to say a word.

Those children - and their potential - reminded me of the challenge Theodore Roosevelt put forth more than 100 years ago to “Dare Mighty Things.”

Detroit was built by people who Dared Mighty Things.

Henry Ford, Will Durant, the Dodge Brothers, Alfred Sloan and others all Dared Mighty Things. They built a great industry that changed the world. And they built a great City.

Detroit Dared Mighty Things in World War II, and became the arsenal of democracy, providing the armaments and materials that defeated tyranny.

Detroit cannot be a great City today, unless we Dare Mighty Things.

This administration took office tackling issues and problems that have plagued our City for more than 30 years.

Building thousands of new homes.. transforming neighborhoods.. restoring the Train Depot.. rebuilding the Book Cadillac.. revitalizing our public school system.. reclaiming and redeveloping our Riverfront.. rebuilding the Lower Woodward Corridor, Washington Boulevard, Broadway, and the rest of downtown.

These are Mighty Things.

Mighty Things are not easy. Mighty Things take time.

But I believe we have the energy, the character, the knowledge, and the ability required to achieve Mighty Things.

This year - 2004 - will be a defining year.

Together, we will Dare Mighty Things.

Together, we will Grow Detroit.

Together, we will be the City God intended us to be.

Thank you and God Bless.

Give me a break. Anyone who cannot concede that Detroit truly is a pile of crap is fooling themselves. I live 1/2 mile north of 8 mile and laugh when I hear of the “great qualities” Detroit posesses. While it does contain a few gems, has a great underground music scene, and a truly unique apocalyptic landscape, it is being run by morons and inhabited by barbarians. At its current rate of development, it will be a vital city by the year 2100. The residents do not care about the city. It is one huge pile of trash, and not because of white flight. People that live there don’t and won’t take care of the trash on their own properties, let alone their neighbors.

The only thing that makes the region livable is Oakland County to the north, and the civilized suburbs to the west. They offer all the necessities for daily life, and Detroit offers a few nuggets for occassional excursions.

I definitely give kudos to the businesses willing to invest in the city, and would love to say it’s a great place to live. But the reality is that the residential areas are basically third world, which is sad because of all the wonderful architecture that could be showcased. Even the major roadway, Woodward Ave. is littered with burned out buildings and overrun with crack whores and drunks and drug dealers. This is the main drag. Go figure.

All in all, though, I think the “Detroit area” is a good place to live. Cost of living is good. Employment opportunites are good. There is a lot to do. And that includes a trip downtown Detroit now and then. And every trip reminds you what a steaming pile it truly is.

Detroit has it’s purpose for the state of Michigan. Without Detroit, michigan would be a oversized version of Maine. It provides culture,nightlife, and entertainment. True it has a high crime rate but it is decreasing. I know everyone just wants to focus on the negative parts of detroit. One major reason for Detroit’s blight is drugs. Not the use of drugs in Detroit or abuse in the city, it’s all the suburban crackheads that come to the city trying to buy drugs. The young blackman in Detroit has two options work part-time in a low-skilled manual labor job or sell drugs to white people. More often then not they choose the latter. Then causing violence because people are competitive with their “blocks” and they either wind up dead or in jail or stuck in a preputual cycle of poverty. It’s easier to call these people scummy or trash,but if you where in their shoes what would you do and how would you react? Solution is instead of mandatory drug sentences the goverment(local or federal) needs to set up organizations to help with drug abuse and maybe try and get more job traing and education into the inner city. In the meantime detroit has taken steps to improve it’s image. It will be hard to overcome the sterotypes and ignorance of the suburban masses. But it’s on the right track.

Spiralcity has nailed it right on the head…

What else can be said?

Oh I know…nice job Detroit…you can’t even get together for a firework celebration without trying to kill a few people.

And for what…a pair of stupid sunglasses.

Way to represent!

In rebuttal of the State of the City copy/pasted speech:
Text courtesy of
Me Again
- June 27, 2004:

Politicians will never fix a communities problems!
They say they will, but it is impossible for them to.
Oh they may take on a small project or two but that will be it.

Kwhammy is the farthest thing from being a savior to the city of Decrap.

A politician that did help a great deal was Dennis Archer, who was the closest thing in many years to being a savior to the city.
Unfortunately he received little support from the residents, some of which felt he was a sellout or an uncle Tom because he worked with the suburbs to bridge gaps created by the previous administration, and make business deals that would help revitalize the city, unlike the previous administration who chased businesses away.

With Archer, it took a while but businesses felt that he was solid, and that they trusted the fact that the revitalization was happening, and that he was stable. Many had dealt with the instability and corruption of the Young administration for years and years, and Archer was a great sigh of relief.

With the current administration, business owners and potential visitors are once again spectacle.
It is hard to take a mayor serious that runs a campaign