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 as a ?normal down to earth? guy (a teacher of all things) and after winning the election, starts to sport a ridiculous oversized earring like some thug. Yeah yeah some will say it?s only a fashion thing, and an earring isn?t going to change his policies BUT, peoples don?t want they leada looking all ghetto ?G?. Shows that he is a trend follower, which plays out as wishy-washy.
Bottom line is there are to many issues, problems, and skepticisms for the leader to run around trying to impress with his bling bling!

These are very volatile times, and what the city needs is the down-to-earth guy that ran for office, not this watered down version of a bad MTV video.

I am born and raised in Detroit and it is the premier shit hole in the world except for maybe Calcutta and most of Africa. Everyone, start exercising your FREEDOM OF SPEECH and knock off the double speak. Say what everyone in Detroit knows but won’t say publicly. Can I tell you the reason why Detroit was destroyed….? Can you handle it……? The problem is the negro. These barbarians ruined a beautiful city with there violence, lethargy, and promiscuity. Sorry but the truth hurts. Did you know Detroit was once called the Paris of the Midwest? In the Fifties, Detroit had little crime, safe neighborhoods, and thriving stores. Yes, most whites “abandoned” Detroit after the black riots of the sixties. Whites voted with their feet and the vote was not to live with these savages. Do NOT believe the politically correct media about the oppressed beautiful negro culture. The Detroit blacks are not in poverty or oppressed. In fact, they have been making big money in the car companies since the 1920’s. The real issue is black people think and act differently from other races. They are all about the 3 F’s. Fucking, Fighting, and Fooling around. They have no morality about sex. They are prone to violence, LOUD, ugly, and uneducatable. The only solution to live in harmony with the negros was to impose white values (even if by force). When the academics and liberals (who by the way would never live in Detroit) promoted the Civil Rights (pro Black) movement, it only allowed the black people to finally be themselves. Complete fucking savages who have contributed nothing to the advancement of humanity through history. Come stay with me two weeks in the burned out bunkers of Detroit. Your ass will run screaming for the comfortable, quit, safe streets of white America. Don’t tell me I am wrong. I live it everyday and have seen it with my very eyes. I am a reformed ultra liberal who once believed black people were such victims (college liberal indoctrination). Now take your academic social studies books and stick them up your ass with the black bastards you love. They ruined my city while all along whites and other races bent over backwards to help them (still to this day).! Don’t believe the PC media. They lie! Things are what they are. Detroit died during the riots and has been on life support ever since. You can thank the black race for that.

I have lived in this city all my life and I find some of the comments made about my city to be horrible. Crime is every where and as far as I’m concerned the man people that is putting down the city either has never lived here or might have visited once true enough this is a tough city but it’s a fun city to.a few bad apples does make the city look bad but it’s not. The ones that I think that talk so bad about the city are just some mindless pricks that are scared of there own shadows. Lets get real crime and smoke is every where you scared pricks.

Bunkered: whatever, not even going to waste my time with a creep like you…

Shayt: Fine, live there all you want. I won’t argue with that. For me, I’d rather live in a safe place with nice schools and a city council & mayor, school board that looks after my well being. A place where I don’t pay ultra high taxes for my home & get really no very basic city services, if any sub-standard at best.

Do you own a home in the city? Do you have kids? If so, do you send them to public schools? Or if you plan to have children will you send them to public city schools?

i’m coming to Detroit for 1 night in August. what should i do, and what should i avoid? thanks.

john M

Avoid the city!

Anywhere in the subburbs is fine from Livonia West, Royal Oak North, and Taylor South. Windsor Canada is nice as well which is just on the other side of the river.

Anything closer than the cities I mentioned is a war zone, and you must enter at your own risk!

Good Luck John M. and enjoy the wonderful splendors that is Detroit… just not in Detroit.

PS…please post back after your trip and let us all know your fresh perspective on what you saw.

Back Again, John M should explore the city for himself. Really.

Now if he had seen any other large American city, he can judge if things are really bad (or good) as what we say it is & compare it to other cities.

Go in the afternoon, it’s a bit safer than night.

John, give us some feed back about the visit. You may see something we don’t & it could be not all that bad.

Please Please Please would someone bulldoze the city and start over - including the people. I’ve been here for 4 years, and I’m now a negative fuck who is an asshole. I hat this god damn fuck shit fuck hole in satans asshole. Burn this place - including me because I am now a Detroiter.

wow…i was thinking of going to medical school in detroit, but after reading this thread i think not….i guess that is what i get for googling “detroit sucks”

no thanks:
I wouldn’t necessarily rule out Detroit as a place to go to school, in spite of my earlier post. I used to go to an art school downtown for a while. In fact, some of the Detroit Universities are highly rated. Avoid public transportation if you can. Commute from the ‘burbs if possible. But I’ve known people who lived down there for a few years and survived OK. It can suck though, because other than the usual blight/crime thing, simple things like buying groceries can be a chore ‘cause there aren’t many good stores. Usually the areas around the universities fairly safe, though if you do stray a few blocks away …

shayt: You are delusional. Detroit is not a happy place. People that live there (other than student-types) are hostile, lazy and weak. I’ve never experienced so much racism as I do in Detroit. Residents blame everyone but themselves for the state of the city. Until the population collectively looks in the mirror and takes action, nothing will change there.

johnm: If you’re actually near the city, and not in the outer ‘burbs, definitely check it out. Drive downtown. I’m not sure what you’re into, but the Detroit Institution of Arts is phenominal, and the main downtown areas are pretty safe. For fun, drive into the residential areas and you’ll see the underbelly. 90% is pure hell.

Im Back: While on first read you seem overly negative, there isn’t anything that you’ve written that can be disputed. Sad isn’t it? I do like to drive though the city and marvel at the destruction. I love to photograph old, once fabulous buildings. In my travels I’m surprised that there are a few people trying to improve things, but as I’ve previously stated, at the current rate, I don’t expect a renaissance in my lifetime.

spiralcity…funny thing is, I have been accused of being overly optimistic about things, a glass half full kind of person. Nonetheless, I am a realist. Putting these two traits together makes me think that there is hope for Detroit, but the people (citizens) have to do it.

I am also someone who thinks that we all put our pants on the same way, and presentation says that some choose not to.
In a nutshell…if the people of the D do not care for themselves, and stop waiting for others to carry them, nothing will happen.

It is time for all of us as a collective, to push the baby birds out of the nest and let them learn how to fly on their own, in urbia.

We have enabled people in urban areas for years to be helpless, to wait for others to clean up their messes, all the while they have a finger out to blame others, (much like a spoiled child) and the other hand out demanding more handouts and “stuff”.

Strange thing about the responses and thought process going on in this forum and others like it.
We…you…they…whoever it is, always have comments that say “not all places are bad in the city”, “there is a lot of cultural things to do in the city”, “there is a lot of history in the city” etc…But the funny thing is there is a disclaimer every time…you have to dodge this area or that, avoid this street or that… sort of like walking a minefield in my opinion.
Culture is everywhere, not just in Detroit!

I just as soon would like to avoid this war zone if you ask me; the risk is too great for my liking. (I am sure one could go to Iraq to find great history and culture and probably be OK, but does anyone really want to take that risk? and are they really safe?)

I can find plenty of things to do out of the city limits. Maybe not as much history involved, but far more desirable a place to take a family or go on a date, and the citizens take the time to clean up their own neighborhoods, not to mention the fact that visitors are far more likely to be welcomed out of the city limits. You won’t find any welcoming committees in Detroit!

All I am saying is, you have two choices: You can play the slot machine and have some entertainment with minimal risk and win almost every time (albeit a small jackpot)…or you can play Russian Roulette and have great “loss” risk with minimal return on investment and once in a while hit a jackpot.

It’s really personal choice. I choose life!

well, as far as education - sure there’s education in Detroit….. er…. uh….. Ok, well, maybe not. Let’s look at the facts. It is very expensive to live here. Everyone is very rude and inconsiderate. There is no “have a nice day” in Detroit. It’s more like “how are you going to screw me? ? So screw you!”. Sure, we have our auto-shows and such, but that’s it. I’m about to have a kid in Detroit and boy I can not imagine raising a kid here. You see, everyone here is so smug, so sinister, so murderous, so unfriendly.
I moved here for a job. I sincerely wish I would have worked at Wal-Mart in my previous town compared to this. Sure 9 bucks an hour sucks?. But you make so much up in sanity, safety, and quality of people & life. Trust me ? don?t come to Detroit.

?but don’t take my word for it - come and visit and see for yourself. Just bring something to defend yourself with.

…and yes “METRO DETROIT” IS THE SAME AS DETROIT. DON’T KID YOURSELF - TROY, ROYAL OAK, SOUTHFIELD - ALL OF IT. Ann Arbor or Lansing is about where it starts to get decent again. Vomit, puke, ack. God I’ve got to get out of here.

The road system S-U-C-K-S

As I travel trough out the state of Mich.& the much of the US, I can testify that SE Mich. roads are THE WORST EVER FOUND!

Funny, go up to Flint or Grand Rapids area, you’ll come across a pot hole or two, but that’s about it. Go into metro D and the roads look like a 3rd world nation. Even the ‘upscaled’ suburb cities roads are CRAP!

Whoever is in charge of taking care of OUR roads should get their asses FIRED!

Forgot to add:
The road I take to work every day was just resurfaced 2 years ago. Today it’s worse than before it was resurfaced!

TOTAL CRAP!

Hey anon,have you driven in Massachusetts? I know that Boston was rated the worst-kept roads in the nation. And then there is the traffic… It’s horrible, (but at least we have good public transport).

When I visit Michigan (and Indianapolis), I’m struck by the amount of highways and urban sprawl — everything is so spread out. I think that fact alone makes it seriously expensive and difficult to keep roads in good repair… there is so much asphalt.

Also, there is such a car culture in Detroit — people love their cars and driving. And, given what I hear about the economy in the Midwest, I’m sure tax revenues are dwindling.

(I’d also like to apologize again for beginning this discussion…)

Ned, this is a good discussion, no need for an apology.

Heard it before, oh that other places has bad roads, so it makes it ok for us to have rotten roads.

Traffic sucks too, I live 5 miles from work and it takes avergae 20, sometimes 30 minutes to commute.

Can’t blame the weather, ever been to close by Toledo? They have just as bad winters as we do + same traffic volume and econ down turn. Their roads are all right.

Windsor, Ont is another city.

The MotorCity could have bragged about having the most awesome roads in America and showcased it as being the auto capitol of the world.

But because of sneaky politics & dirty corrupt contractors we get stuck with this mess.

I read that back in 1991, Detroit had 75% of the US road construction cones.

the problems in the city of detroit are no different then the problems we are having here at the other end of the lake at buffalo ny. people of all colors have to take back there streets and cities. the problem today in this world is ignorance. detroit is and old industral city the same as buffalo.these cities are where the industral age began.they may be old but thats why there worth saving. some day people will realize that running to suburbs is not the answer. in the long run it will hurt all of us.hopefully one day detroit will be the city it once was. thats what were trying to do here.so we can once again be known as the queen city of the great lakes.

The good people in Detroit are surrounded by bad people. You see, 99% of Detroiters are bad people, the 1% left over are just asking themselves: “what the hell were we thinking by moving here?”

I live in Royal Oak. The local residents call it “Metro Detroit”, but those of us who have lived elsewhere know that it’s still Detroit. I have to hand it to them though; it IS a positive way to look at living here by convincing themselves that it really isn’t Detroit.

The arrogance, the ME mentality, the unfriendliness, the pretentiousness. I was at a bar last night and I swear to god everyone was ready to get into a fight. Everyone was ripping on people they don’t know, everyone was pissed about unbelievably insignificant things. Oh my lord people.

Devil’s night is always nice too as the town sets buildings on fire to celebrate. In fact, this last 4th of July we celebrated by a random shooting at the fireworks show. But then again, we celebrate everyday by random car shootings on the highway (happened last week to a handful of innocent teenage girls) and random killings and other meaningless crap.

I don’t really care if Detroit gets better – I hope to be long gone soon. Someone should flush this city down the toilet.

Cha know what? You are exactly right!

The people in and around the metro area are very ME oriented.
Intresting thing is, people elsewhere don’t care about what they look like or what others look like either.
People in other big cities don’t care what kind of car you drive, how big your house is, or any of the other things that the Metro Detroiters care about.

Here it seems, what you have detrmines who you are.
And mine is better than yours creates a cut throat type of mentality.
A “how dare you pull in front of me” or “who do you think you are looking at” type of thinking.
Buying things for comfort is one thing, but here I see people spending their last few pennies to pretend they are something they are not.

I have met many like this, they are the kind who by happenstance get lucky enough to get a first class plane ticket, and once there look down their noses at people as if they really belong there, or as if they are royalty. A truly snobby area for a bunch of phonys.
And in the city itself, you have a thug or his girl, who drives around in a $40,000 vehicle with $10,000 worth of sound and wheels, all the while they live in a $5000 shit hole of a house with kids running all over town causing problems for the good people. Talk about misplaced priorities.

Thats all for now!

minus the racism, that’s pretty funny, because it’s true :-).

YupYup:
Talk about misplaced priorities.

People wearing $1,000 sunglasses.

Some people having cell phones & acting like hot shots business giants when it looks like they can’t even afford the freeking phone in the first place.

Then they talk on the thing at the most RUDE times like at a movie theater. Or driving their crappy cars.

Material whores, all of them. Whatever!

Knew this would happen after my last post.

As traveled around America I just can not stop to notice that metro Detroit really has the worst junk pieces of crap cars on the road anywhere.

Rusted out hulks of metal. A lot of other states have safety inspections for a good reason.

Normally I wouldn’t say much, but guess we are like the motor-city or at least we think we are…

To believe that the problems of Southeast Michigan are limited to the City of Detroit is the result of short-sightedness or the refusal to accept facts. Metro Detroiters tend to neglect their communities. Detroit was long ago abandoned, followed by the neglect of inner-ring suburbs, and the more recent neglect of outer-ring suburbs. Developers continue to push and extend the boundaries of Metro Detroit, while the ecosystem and precious natural resources of Michigan are destroyed. Residents flee aging infrastructures and seek marshlands and forests. However, the most feasible, sensible, and ethical option would be to utilize the land of Metro Detroit that has already been urbanized. Revitalize Detroit and historical, inner-ring suburbs. Stop neglecting your history.

Reasons why Detroit sucks the BIG ONE!!!!
#1—-Kid Rock is the biggest piece of white trash besides maybe Eminem or Ted Nugent——Thanks Detroit for giving the nation these losers to listen to
#2—-Every car manufacturing job has left the city—-which in turn makes Detroit a city with no good paying jobs
#3—-Tigers and Lions are the worst teams in sports every year
#4—-Every year the population of the city drops by thousands, pretty soon Detroit will have about 100,000 people—-if people are leaving your city by thousands every year you might wanna get the hell out of there—-
#5—-Detroit is in Michigan——Has anything cool ever come out of Michigan—I mean after all Michigan is the laughing stock of the USA

I could go on and on about how shitty Detroit is but I have a life to live so im not gonna waste anymore time on a city that is a has been

detroit rockers are the phoniest bunch of cool freaks ever. just because its a friggin ghost town, people think its cool. go live where its warm and people are groovy, everybody here is fat and mean.

HMMM…The thread is really starting to tank here isnt it?
Maybe just the IQ or the maturity level I spose.

• Kid Rock isn’t from Detroit.
• 62% of the auto worker jobs are held by detroit residents.
• Tigers are playing pretty good this year, and the Lions pre-season is looking pretty good.
• The census rating for Detroit doesn’t show thousands less each year.
• Anything good do you mean from the city or this area in general?
  Additionally I guess that would depend on what you like or don’t.
  Motown
  Tyco
  Ford
  Chrysler
  GM
  K-Mart
  Kellogs
  JUST To name a few…

And to the other guy…if its so “groovy” elsewhere why the hell are you here.

You two kids need to speak on what you understand and know about. You certainly should have your facts straight before you open your mouth to alow the spew to come out.

Quit tryin to front, and go back to watching TRL & stop waisting our time.

Detroit is the best example of a decaying American city. It was once a glorious example of a successful post WWII industrial city. Its economy was booming due to union strength and a diverse population. That all ended due to corporate greed. Automakers decided to ship jobs elsewhere (overseas, Mexico) and the entire city went downhill. You gotta feel for the people whose lives were decimated due to corporate greed. Now Detroit has thousands of vacant homes and bad crime due to the extreme economic hardship. I am 100% confident that Detroit will never be a booming city again. The sad part is that most large American cities like Detroit are or will be in the exact same situation in 10-20 years. The fall of an empire.

You kow it’s really sad that most of you that have posted a point of view on this site that is negative has done NOTHING to help improve the citys image. Anybody can hide behind a fake user name and say nasty things about the city of Detroit, but if you live here and have done nothing to help then your a part of the problem. I for one started a company that educates our youth on etiquette, and customer service skills. Change the mind set of people and the city will change as well. I have a 12 year old african american son that is growing up here and he has manners, he’s smart, and he will also be apart of the solution and not the problem just like his prode african american mother from the city of Detroit!!!!

Almost all the abandoned buildings in Detroit are historic monuments, making it very difficult or impossible to legally tear them down. The politicians who regulate the abandoned ruins live in the suburbs and prohibit rebuilding just to give them more reasons to stay in the suburbs. Detroit certainly is not paradise, but the same can be said for every other major city in the world. I am originally from NYC and moved to Detroit for work, now I proudly live in Detroit proper. People just pay attention to Detroit’s blight more than they do with other cities. I’ve been to London, Philly, D.C., L.A., Chicago, Cleveland, and Miami for extended visits. None of those cities are any better than Detroit. In NYC, every place outside of Manhattan is trash.

Being a part of the solution is exactly what I have been preaching since my very first post, no matter which alias I use.
It only makes sense to use a screen name or alias on the internet because of the whaco factor, I would be glad to share my thoughts (and I have) with anyone!
Personally I would not speak to something that I was not interested in or knowledgeable on.

This leads me to my point…Detroit is a puke hole, and you don’t have to be a genius to see it.
Taking pride in yourself and neighborhood go beyond knowing what country your ancestry originated from, but starts right in your own yard.
Manners is a good place to start I agree, being polite don�t cost a red cent, but hating cost us all so much more!

A coat of paint, a bag of fertilizer, a few azaleas, this is the curb appeal starts the trend.
Having a Lexus may allow some to feel like they are important, but then they drive that $45,000 vehicle to their $10,000 house. Talk about misplaced priorities!
If folks invested (yes invested) into their own communities, it would start the forward motion of progress, which in turn would bring attention and growth to the area, which then would bring the interest of business.
To many fingers pointing and blaming of others for businesses pulling out of Detroit, well you gonna open a shop where you run the risk of DYING because your trying to sell milk, eggs and other groceries?
Clean up the neighborhoods and you will change the trend and current culture, and then watch things change.

If Detroit stays with the current trend and does nothing, the city will most certainly perish. The few remaining businesses and companies will move further away from Detroit to accommodate those moving further away from the �D� and all the crap that is there.

It’s all about being humble, not about fronting.

Hello everybody this is a hot topic, I like Detroit and I’m from Detroit. But Detroit sucks, The Mayor sucks with his cheating ass, and how you gone have some one in office and don’t know what the hell is doing, all he know how to do is hire and fire old highschool mates any way. Deroit will never get respect because the people don’t have respect for themselves, And for the ones who do there not fighting hard enough. My family lives in Detroit and all I ever hear is who got shot and who dealing drugs, my cousins are the highest paid drug dealers so I know all about and up in Detroit. I got to say black people don’t have no kind of pride and we’ll never get any better if we don’t take a stand, we lack leadership in the Black Community, we lack trying to be something in life. I live in Houston,Tx and it’s cool down here but, when I tell you these people don’t play bull shit, they don’t play, In our neighborhoods we turn you in for just having music up loud, we go to the districts office if crime is getting out of hand and they do something about they don’t sit on there asses,I live in a black neighborhood. You just have to have respect man that’s the truth. Suppa Girl I give you your prop. To real deal Kid Rock is from Detroit,Michigan and Aretha Franklin,Fred Hammond, The Winans Family, The Clarks just to name a few.I know my music history. I love Detroit for it’s Motown City becuase that’s something to be proud of a lot of singers and entertainers come from detroit but don’t live down there anymore because it’s crap. The only people that do is The Winans Family and The Clarks Family, there crazy because there not doing anything. And if anybody got something to say about how I know I just moved to Houston,Tx two years ago, so yeah I know shit about Detroit,Michigan. But I just don’t understand how you can live there for all your life and not do shit about your community, that’s so important to just care about your life. You got people that don’t know boody about Detroit and say detroit is the blackest low class city they have ever seen. That’s sorry, I would never want to be compared to that, I’d rather be compared to Ann Harbor, Oak Park. But I’m not a hater it’s just truth. I love Detroit.

My point was someone said Detroit sucked because Kid Rock was from the D. And that there is no good music coming from Detroit.
First of all…Kid Rock is really from a place called Romeo, which is about an hour away from Detroit. So basically he is a low rent farm boy who probably wouldn’t have lasted a minute in Detroit before he got famous.

Detroit is known for many talented music artists. It is one of the very few good things that does come from Detroit. A wide variety of musical tastes would agree that the D puts in on the map as a major producer of musical talent.

From Stevie Wonder to Mandonna and The Temps to Eminem, along with Iggy Pop and Aaliyah, Anita Baker, Bob Segar, Ted Nugent, Aretha, and the White Stripes to name just a couple.
I too know my music history

Quite a few good actors have been spawned from the D as well. Blair Underwood Tim Allen, Tom Selleck and Robin Williams and many more.

Not much else happens in Detroit, but the region produces a lot of great talent. Now if the residents of the city proper could figure the whole thing out….man they would be a force to be reckoned with.

So to those that just flap it�get your facts in line before you start slinging the bads on the talent that comes out of the D.
There aint to many places in the WORLD where this much tallent and or products comes from.
Even if it is one of the most crime ridden puke holes in the United States.

To:Therealdeal

Preseason means nothing:
When is the last time the Tigers or Lions have won a championship? Thats what I thought chump

And obviously your IQ isnt that high because you spelled suppose as spose. Wow you are quite the genius—NOT!!!

Detroit is just a lame city anyway you cut it. Oh and by the way Robin Williams is from Chicago not Detroit. Stop trying to be a wannabe Chicago. Detroit wishes it was a real city. The artists you named are total crap. Which proves my point again that nothing good has ever come out of Detroit. Detroit lost 16,000 people on the last census. Try reading a book sometime, but you are from michigan so I wouldnt expect too much from your brain. Go back to milking your cows in your hick state.

A lot of Kilpatrick’s State of the City address is full of untruths and half-truths. Yes, Detroit made it through the blackout a lot better than expected, but in no way did it fare better than New York, Toronto or Cleveland in terms of looting and violence. New York still had a lot less looting, if not in total then definitely per capita. Don’t give me this crap about Detroit being a “shining light in the dark.”

Yes, Detroit’s murder count in 2003 was the lowest since 1968, but give me a break. Detroit had around 1.7 million people in ‘68 and it has around 900,000 now, so its murder rate is still astronomical. New York is not experiencing a surge in violence; its crime rate (particularly its homicide rate) continues to go down. Detroit’s violent crime rate may also be declining, but its murder rate is up from last year.

I will say, however, that Detroit no longer has the highest total crime rate of America’s largest cities, as that happy honor belongs to Dallas now. It does, however, still have a hell of a long way to go.

Well dude…strange that you know so much about Detroit since you hate it so much…I have so many better things to do with my time then worry about things I don’t like.
So to you I say…get a life…you obviously have too much time on your hands.

Secondly…your reference to my use of the word “spose”..well my intent was to spell it to show that you shouldn’t take life or this forum too awfully serious…obviously you didn’t get the memo… I spose a dwarfed IQ could be the culprit.

Well were do we begin there genius?
Right #1 of your comments…well it is supply and demand moron…if people didn’t want them, they wouldn’t have made millions.

#2 YOU SAID…“—-Every car manufacturing job has left the city—-which in turn makes Detroit a city with no good paying jobs” Yet another bogus and rediculas statement. How you gonna speak on this if you don’t have a clue…auto jobs are plentiful in this region. As well as MANY technology jobs.

#3 In sports you live it this season…Lions are undefeted Wings are great, Tigers arent last…and the Pistons kicked ass….hmmmmm

#4 YOU SAID…“—-Every year the population of the city drops by thousands, pretty soon Detroit will have about 100,000 people—-if people are leaving your city by thousands every year you might wanna get the hell out of there—-“
By pretty soon you mean??? Even if the city lost 16000 a year it would take 52 (yes that’s fifty two) years before the city got to 100,000. Shouldn’t have skipped that day bubba!

#5 YOU SAID “Michigan is the laughing stock of the US” Well that’s sort of silly so I won’t dignify it with a comment.

Lastly:
Robin Williams lived in Bloomfield Michigan (Father was an executive at Ford Motor Co) as a child until age 16 when he moved to California with his family. He was born in Chicago.
Again…speak to what you know…not what you believe!

Wisconsin and Iowa are known as dairy states..I didn’t think Michigan was…but then again I am from the city and don’t really care, so your milk statement is sort of misdirected and non-applicable.

Have a great day there bama

To:RealDeal

Why should I get a life? Your on this forum as much as I am. If someone in your family got a divorce would they still be considered brother and sister after it? RealDeal its obvious that as a child your daddy sexually abused you. Did you moan when he stuck his wang in ya. Why couldnt your daddy have pulled out when he was doing your momma. Instead he created a useless piece of space—-You. If you really do live in Detroit than I feel sorry for you. Even Charles Barkley made the statement that Detroit and Cleveland are the two worst cities in the USA. I hate charles barkley but he has a point on this one. See ya and keep your finger out of your dads butt.

To BidDog:
You really need to chill out on Detroit, If your ass ever step a foot in Detroit they will blow your head off man, you talk a lot of smack, but I bet you couldn’t hang a second in that joint. Yeah you think you BigDon now, them nigas will take your ass out, try coming down here talking ass to Detroit, you’ll see my granny and papa fighting to, yeah they’ll go to jail for smacking your ass up.

I’m not trying to make Detroit look like ass, But don’t step foot down there if you got some shit to say like that, don’t talk stuff. Chicago is just as worst so don’t talk and your city is a second away from being there too.

To The Real Deal:
You totally right man, I love Detroit, but I moved becuase of trouble man, it’s a lot of stuff go on down there. You try to do right but nigaz got drugs or going to jail even the ladies. So I moved to Houston, TX for a better life I got a house, a mustang, and it’s just very respectful, down here all black folk got respect you may go into 4th ward,5th ward and find some crazy ones but other than that it’s cool. Peace out Man and good luck to Detroit. I love ya’ll and tell nana and poo I be down there this christmas.

Wow.
The level of hate and discontent on this forum is amazing. So I’ll throw gas on the fire!

I was born and raised in a small Texas town. The difference in attitudes when I moved to Detroit was hard to adjust to. There are a few realities we all need to deal with:
1 Blanket statements about SOME residents with expensive rims are purely racists. Most of the people you see with flashy cars in Detroit work for one of the ‘Big 3’, working 70 - 80 hours a week. What they choose to spend their money on is their business, they’ve earned it.

2. There are BEAUTIFUL areas of the city, (Riverfront, Sherwood Forest, Boston Edison District etc.). And to make any comments about City residents not caring without ‘SOME’ attached is false and misleading. The bulk of run down housing is rental property. The owners of which, (by and large according to tax records) are primarily suburbanites

By the same token

3. At the present time, there are several areas of the city that are not fit for Caucasian occupation. As stated before, I am looking with an outsiders view point. There are no areas of the city I have not been in, (being Black, 6’1” and 315 lbs does help). But I’ve had no problems. Not one. I’ve seen a lot of bad things and conditions that we just would not stand for in Texas. All of the responsibility ultimately falls on the shoulders of the residents, but it is not a lost cause.

Hmm…
They say things in Texas are bigger, but at 315 lbs I don’t think you are classified as average in size my friend.
With that said, it is important to understand the tone here with “most” of us. It is a tone of discussed, a tone of aggravation, and just plain ole frustration, but not hate.
The hate is high with those that come to simply �hate� and are most likely living with mommy and daddy, or aren�t mature enough to have a dialogue.

The funny (or not so funny) thing is, as said before there are many fingers pointing the blame…but with every hand pointing a finger…there are 4 pointing right back. What I am saying is it is easy to blame blame blame, but not so easy accepting responsibility.
In my neighborhood most people tend to their own property with care, which relates zero to economics but rather pride. Pride to where you live, who you are, or just plain pride in knowing you are contributing to the beauty of a community.

Onward to you accusation of racism�That is where you intelligence takes a plummeting drop right into the crap hole. It�s the same as blaming the landlords in Detroit. It is of course the easy thing to do�but it lacks one thing, shared responsibility!
If a guy as you said is working 60 to 80 hours a week at the big three, and all he can do with his money is blow it on a 40,000 vehicle 10,000 rims, and 5,000 or more on sound,
and at the same time as having a house that looks like crap with garbage in the yard or whatever is irresponsible.
That is a selfish person, but as you said it�s his money he can do what he wants with it. That sure is the easy way out aint it? Being responsible is never easy, having fun and partying is not hard at all, but from the looks of the D, it seems there may be a little too much partying going on.
Life is not about just doing whatever you want without regard to others.
How are people supposed to live amongst each other in a community if we take that kind of selfish position?
And by the way, who the f are you to call me racist (or even imply it), you don�t even know anything about me. Christ I could be freakin Japanese or Haitian for all you know!

Back to the renters or rental units�I rented and I kept my yard and house looking decent, I have also lived next to old people and vacant properties and helped take care of these types of things when they could not. It�s called priorities, life priorities and high morals are the backbone of a successful community.
So while Joe/Bill/Tom have a right to buy what they want, the have a duty and responsibility to help their community by taking care of their own property.

There are some that do care about whats what in the city, but by and large you have this huge body of people waiting (like hungry baby chicks waiting for food from mother bird) for someone to come save them.

It’s time to wake up and be responsible!

Okay, To everybody I understand the whole point of view of every last one of you guys post. By all means this is just so dam simple, Detroit just needs to care, it’s not enough people fighting for their communities and fighting for the whole city of Detroit. What everyone needs to understand is is that until Detroit straighten there whole attitude or mind-set of there city, and stop the mentality of not caring for nobody but themselves, and start caring for there community then they would be okay. I think everybody has been saying the same thing just in a diffrent way (except for one or two) and no one is taking time to read through carefully and everyone is just clashing at each other, but I’m sorry Big Don is deserving of every negitive comment, he is nothing but a talk of ass.
I think everyone has the right of free speech, but when you talk about Detroit vs.Chicago there is no diffrence, there both in the same class that’s not mean, that’s the truth. I love the city of Detroit that’s were I grew up at, that’s were my family is but reality is is that Detroit is not a city of progressiveness and wanting to help thereselves, becuase believe it or not as long as Detroit has a city of predonimately African-American people (which I’am) it will never be better becuase of this new generation.
Martin Luther King faught for black freedom and now that we have it, were still not using what we have, we say were free but our communities aren’t free of violence and poverty. Martin Luther King gave us the freedom to speak out and have our own communities, and now that we’ve got it what the he’ll are we doing with it, nothing. We treat the nice things like ass and theres no respect for our freedom.
Question: What happens to a grocery store when they biuld it in Detroit?
Answer: It doesnt look new after a couple of weeks or a month, becuase of lack of respect. Therefore it turns into a shit hole because nobody cared.
Question: What happenes to a new park when they build it in Detroit?
Anwer: It becomes a place were gangsters hang out at, and drug dealers find a look out for young people so they become a drug dealer. Because nobody cared about keeping the park safe and keeping the park clean and pretty.
Question: What happens to the malls in Detroit?
Answer: They close the stores down because people robe and shop lift. “Everyone needs money ” “so the best way I can get is by robing”.
Question: What happens to the banks in Detroit?
Answer: Wow, thats one thing there going to protect is the money, so they have to put bulletproof glass every where (and no thats not at all banks across The United States, that’s just for the black cities or the hood) they don’t do that here in Houston, we don’t have glass over to block us from thieving or robing, we actually shake hands with the tellers because once again Houston don’t play shit. Oh, that’s not bragging, that’s a point.
Question: When was the last time you guys felt Detroit was a million bucks?
Answer: ————— I know I feel Houston is a million bucks. Anybody that doesn’t feel there city is a million bucks shouldn’t be living there.

Okay, To everybody I understand the whole point of view of every last one of you guys post. By all means this is just so dam simple, Detroit just needs to care, it’s not enough people fighting for their communities and fighting for the whole city of Detroit. What everyone needs to understand is is that until Detroit straighten there whole attitude or mind-set of there city, and stop the mentality of not caring for nobody but themselves, and start caring for there community then they would be okay. I think everybody has been saying the same thing just in a diffrent way (except for one or two) and no one is taking time to read through carefully and everyone is just clashing at each other, but I’m sorry Big Don is deserving of every negitive comment, he is nothing but a talk of ass.
I think everyone has the right of free speech, but when you talk about Detroit vs.Chicago there is no diffrence, there both in the same class that’s not mean, that’s the truth. I love the city of Detroit that’s were I grew up at, that’s were my family is but reality is is that Detroit is not a city of progressiveness and wanting to help thereselves, becuase believe it or not as long as Detroit has a city of predonimately African-American people (which I’am) it will never be better becuase of this new generation.
Martin Luther King faught for black freedom and now that we have it, were still not using what we have, we say were free but our communities aren’t free of violence and poverty. Martin Luther King gave us the freedom to speak out and have our own communities, and now that we’ve got it what the he’ll are we doing with it, nothing. We treat the nice things like ass and theres no respect for our freedom.
Question: What happens to a grocery store when they biuld it in Detroit?
Answer: It doesnt look new after a couple of weeks or a month, becuase of lack of respect. Therefore it turns into a shit hole because nobody cared.
Question: What happenes to a new park when they build it in Detroit?
Anwer: It becomes a place were gangsters hang out at, and drug dealers find a look out for young people so they become a drug dealer. Because nobody cared about keeping the park safe and keeping the park clean and pretty.
Question: What happens to the malls in Detroit?
Answer: They close the stores down because people robe and shop lift. “Everyone needs money ” “so the best way I can get is by robing”.
Question: What happens to the banks in Detroit?
Answer: Wow, thats one thing there going to protect is the money, so they have to put bulletproof glass every where (and no thats not at all banks across The United States, that’s just for the black cities or the hood) they don’t do that here in Houston, we don’t have glass over to block us from thieving or robing, we actually shake hands with the tellers because once again Houston don’t play shit. Oh, that’s not bragging, that’s a point.
Question: When was the last time you guys felt Detroit was a million bucks?
Answer: ————— I know I feel Houston is a million bucks. Anybody that doesn’t feel there city is a million bucks shouldn’t be living there.

Instead of talking on this chat all day people should be concerned about why Detroit has no jobs. The World Trade Organization is why nobody has jobs nowadays. NAFTA gave away all our jobs to mexico. The police in america are getting way to corrupt. Police stun guns should be banned. I hear way to many stories about police officers using stun guns to hurt people. Write your congressman and tell them you dont want police officers to use stun guns anymore. Stun guns should a wire into a humans skin so they can shock them with it. Many people have died becasue of police using these cruel devices. Tell everybody you can that police stun guns need to be banned across the United States. Police officers are using the stun guns to abuse people with.

So BigDog are you saying that Detroit has no jobs because of stun guns and corrupt police?

I am wondering who the law biding citizens can contact about the corrupt lowlife criminals who steal our rights, our streets, our possessions, and most of all our faith in society.

I like the fact the police to have the ability to demobilize an overly aggressive individual who is most likely hyped up on somethin.

I also am in favor of the ability for the police to utilize a reasonable level of profiling when performing their jobs.

We give the scum criminals too many rights.

If a person resists arrest, AND there is a reasonable assumption that the resistors will utilize ANY means possible to escape incarceration, deadly force should be authorized and used. Most of these lowlifes will NEVER contribute anything to society anyways!

We spend way too much time at trying to find fault in the police.
Why is that?
Do you think the fault finders or the anti-police, protestors are actually criminals themselves or at least related to or are friends with someone who is.
They say there is honor amongst thieves, and anytime a group of people in a certain community starts whining about the police, a reasonably intelligent individual would have to ask themselves, is this the same as the immature teens who are resistant to any form of authority.
Teenagers stick together like glue against the adults, sounds like the anti-police folks are basically the same (anti-authority).

If you freely cohabitate with, or continue to harbor the criminals in your community, then you yourself will be guilty by association and thus become the target.

The root cause is not the police, and the ends do justify the means.

I just got back from my first trip to Detroit ever. My band played a show at Alvin’s on Cass, off Woodward I believe. We stayed at the Holiday Inn on Washington Blvd. I was really blown away by this city and have been reading about it since I got back. I’m just very intrigued as to what happened to it. Most of the city area was under construction, and the buildings were all old and worn down. Just very interesting is all. We had a really good time there and the show was really fun… but I’m now back in Milwaukee trying to figure out how Detroit became what it is.

I think Detroit must have problems…why else did it’s population fall under one million people?

It’s a shame that freedom of speech or thought does not exist in this forum.
The mod has been wanting to stifle this thread for a long time now, so shut it down for god sake or else let it flow on it’s own (good or bad)!!!

Chad asked valid questions, now let people answer him (truthfully). You can’t candy coat or protect people from the truth.

Dear “truth”,

I won’t allow racist, hate-filled speech on my weblog. That is not “truth”, nor should it be protected speech.

I already feel horrible for dissing Greater Detroit, but I’m letting this discussion continue, so long as it remains civil, and sticks to the facts.

Also, I’m lazy when it comes to approving comments. If you all used Typekey, I wouldn’t have to.

Thanks,
the management.

Ned, This is to you not the board

You mistake the facts (hard and cold) for racism or hate filled.
You sir do not know me, how can you pre-judge my statements as hate filled or racist.
We unfortunantly are a hyper sensitive society in which you seem to be affected as well.
I wrote very truthfui comments about the history of politics in Detroit, like it or not. Nothing new, nothing that cannot be verified reading archived newspaper articles, or speaking to those who lived through it. (Which I did at least most)
It is not slant.ed nor is it a jaded view, but yet you feel the need to be the judge and jury on that.
This is your forum I accept that, but you have opened it for discussion, and then you sensor the comments. I agree that direct racist or hate message should be tossed, but only if they directly are ment to hurt someone personally. If it is a generalization…I say let it alone. Let people say what they need to.
Some people just like to vent, let the discussion participants be the judge as a collective. Sort of a democracy thing.

Thanks for listening. Peace
By the way…I got peeps in Plymouth Ma, great place for sure.

I can think of no other city in America in which I would rather have been born than the dynamic city of Detroit.

Ask me why, maybe i’ll respond, sometime.

well jsut do u all know i am from detroit. i would have to agree it is some what of a shit hole. but it is starting to come up.outside of down town is not great i know but in what city is that not true? it obviously cant be that bad if the superbowl is coming in a year. so please dont dog on city that u dont even live in. cause if u do ur just a worthless haterwho is just jealous of this city

You guys have been talking about Detroits problems for years now. I am from Erie, across the lake from Detroit and have to say thanks for all of the pollution the city emits. It gave Erie one of the best sunsets all over the world. DETROIT DOES SUCK, along with the Pistons, the Lions, MSU and the Tigers.

I was born and raised in Detroit and I can say it is a great city because of what is has allowed me to become. Its public school system has put in me the skills I needed to make me successful at the presigious liberal arts college I now attend. It has also strengthed me professionally and allows me to be competitive in the academic and work world. I do not regret living there and I plan to move back there to help in the rebuilding and progress of the city.

People, with the help of the media, act as places like Chicago and New York are such wonderful places when they are engulfed in crime and poverty. A major difference that people see in these cities are the developed areas such as the downtown area of Chicago. If people look deeper they can see that these cities have very dangerous and impoverished areas. Futhermore, everyone should realize that all urban areas have some form of sprawl and perpetuating negative images of cities like Detroit is contributing to the problem and not the solution. The media and the public can say what it will, but Detroit is on the rise. If you are not a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem. Bad mouthing a city is not a part of the solution and neither is moving away to the suburbs, as many have done.

It’s funny how people in America choose to simply talk about problems or flee them. The problems will still be there. Also as we look down upon and talk about cities “sucking”, we are becoming further ununited as a nation when we should really be concerned about sticking together and not just becoming united when a terrorsit decides to run another plane into one of our nations buildings. United we stand, divided we fall.

Detroit is a great city and I am proud of what it has made me. Let us move away from all the “playerhation” and let all the cities come together in our nation.

I have to thank Mary for her comments.

Detroiters so often shoots themselves in the back when something happens there.
They simply view it as another blotch on our bad image.
Stop believing it.
Embrace this city and all that it is, or it will never move forward and be stuck forever with the bad image we keep giving it.
As far as I’m concerned, anyone living in SE Michigan 30 miles in any direction from Woodward and Jefferson, is from the great city of Detroit.
Believe it and Embrace it.