What Killed Detroit (Grand Rapids, Coleman, Burt: real estate, insurance, crime rates)

[dmetro]

In my opinion, one event drasically changed Detroit forever: forced busing. In order to "racially diversify" the public schools, Detroit bused children in well maintained, safe neighborhoods to dangerous inner city schools, while inner city children were bused into newer, nicer schools in the better neighborhoods. Of course, the residents of the more desirable areas were furious, and many of them decided to leave for the suburbs, where there was no inner city to speak of. In fact, my Grandparents left for this very reason. And in my opinion, the whole plan was ridiculous from the start. The only reason that the schools were "segregated" was that most neighborhoods were predominately one race, white or black. So the schools weren't segregated, they simply reflected upon the demographics of the neighborhood. And now, sadly, Detroit is doomed forever because of this outrageous policy.

[BurtsBees]

That killed Detroit?

A poorly run city is a start.

[dmetro]

Originally Posted by BurtsBees

That killed Detroit?

A poorly run city is a start.

Yes, there were many factors and events attributed to Detroit's decline, but this one was a lot more significant. Up until then, the city was actually reasonably well managed, as it was the era before Coleman Young, who was a racist, rude and corrupt politician.

[and the]

The forced bussing must have been before my time. When I was a kid the kids growing up around Cody went to Cody, same for Chadsey, Mumford, etc. What was the deal with the bussing? I know that kids from all over the city went to schools like Cass Tech and Renaissance, but that was by choice since they were college prep, or had specific programs to offer like Commercial Art, etc...

[RedWingsFan]

It's just one issue. Many people had no kids in school and they fled for the suburbs. It's because with the influx of black people into the city the crime rates soared and people had a fear of black people, rather rational or not. I think it was much more than just a busing issue. I think it was a race issue... school or no school.

[jeffncandace]

Originally Posted by RedWingsFan

It's just one issue. Many people had no kids in school and they fled for the suburbs. It's because with the influx of black people into the city the crime rates soared and people had a fear of black people, rather rational or not. I think it was much more than just a busing issue. I think it was a race issue... school or no school.

YOU, RWF, think it's a race issue? Shocking!

I myself will agree that race is just one of the many issues that "killed Detroit".

[usroute10]

What killed detroit?

- cheap land in the suburbs, which made building in the suburbs attractive

- closing factories/businesses in the city, and only building new factories in the suburbs

- increase in violent crime (mostly by blacks, that's just how it is!)

- Federal Housing Administration's blatantly racist home lending policies
(up until the 1960's, the FHA actively sought to create ONE-RACE NEIGHBORHOODS)

- insurance redlining, which denied residents home equity loans if they lived in certain neighborhoods

- "steering" by real estate professionals of one race to particular neighborhoods

- interstate highway construction
1. the freeways made it very easy and convenient to live far from the city core. If people only had Grand River or Michigan Avenue to get to/from downtown instead of I-94 or I-96, then the explosion of suburban growth that occurred in the 1950's to 80's would not have occurred.

2. the freeways ripped neighborhoods in half, and completely detroyed others (the Black Bottom). Look at how wide I-96 is! How many homes were destroyed!

- city income tax

- Coleman Young's sometimes adversial stance against whites and Detroit suburbs

- significant decline in public school system

- WHITE RACISM - white folks don't want to live next to black folks, unless they are the SUPER-DUPER majority.

- lack of rapid mass transit system

- THE 1967 RIOTS (of course)

[lillibette]

Please read, Broken Detroit: Death of a City Block at Broken Detroit: Death of a city block

I think this article is an excellent over view of what happened all over Detroit.

That and the Coleman Young administration... that man did nothing for the black race but create more anger.

[athletesfoot]

I'm sure there are many causes, but the one that seems most shocking to a former resident and current outsider is the downright agression between the mayors (past and present) and city council that blocks anything positive from being done. The articles we have read about Kwame even out here in Vegas make me surprised that he hasn't been recalled (and we have a pretty flamboyant mayor here ourselves, but he loves the city and does everything he can to make it better!)

At least from what I could see, Dennis Archer is the only recent mayor who tried but couldn't get any cooperation from the council. And the people in Detriot keep voting for these same people, and the "cool guy" mayors who do nothing positive for the city. Get some real, honest leadership in there and visit some other thriving cities to see what can be done - apparently Grand Rapids has come back strong, so have cities like downtown Las Vegas and San Diego. There must be many other models out there to learn from. If I happened to live in Detroit, I would suggest getting a citizens group together and letting the local government know that you aren't going to tolerate their blatant attempts to block positive change in the city.

[roadsscholar]

Its crime. Yeah, busing, freeways, cheap land, bad schools, poverty, governance, white flight, etc. all played a part in the city's decline. But crime, and the fear of crime, is what has turned people away from Detroit. For many years during the 1970's and 1980's the city of Detroit averaged 600 homicides a year! That in itself is a staggering statistic. You can't blame people from wanting out. Not only whites but blacks have left and its crime that's the reason. When government can't protect people, the people do what they have to do, and usually its move to someplace safer.