Why are people so proud of Detroit?

[and the]

In an earlier post I thought you said you were from downriver, or at least you were when you were 16. As far as white people electing Young, just because they were 56% of the population in 1974 doesn't mean they were the swing vote. Young may very well have been elected because there were more blacks than whites who were motivated to vote. I'm sure there were some whites who voted for Young, but I don't think it was 6% of them.

[michiganirish]

Originally Posted by and the

In an earlier post I thought you said you were from downriver, or at least you were when you were 16. As far as white people electing Young, just because they were 56% of the population in 1974 doesn't mean they were the swing vote. Young may very well have been elected because there were more blacks than whites who were motivated to vote. I'm sure there were some whites who voted for Young, but I don't think it was 6% of them.

Not me... however my husband has used my user name a couple of times it may have been his post. He grew up in Southgate.

I'll admit you may be right, I guess we would have to know what percentage of white/black votes went to Young.

At any rate, Young made it very clear where his loyalties laid, and it certainly wasn't with the ALL the citizenry of Detroit. His insistance on blaming everyone on the "other side" of 8 Mile Rd or Telegraph for Detroit's woes put a wedge between the burbs and the city that is still felt today.

I am just sick of hearing it, it's time for the people of Detroit to be accountable for their own foilbles. 1970 was a very long time ago, it's time to stop pointing fingers and do something.

[downthathighway]

Originally Posted by and the

In an earlier post I thought you said you were from downriver, or at least you were when you were 16. As far as white people electing Young, just because they were 56% of the population in 1974 doesn't mean they were the swing vote. Young may very well have been elected because there were more blacks than whites who were motivated to vote. I'm sure there were some whites who voted for Young, but I don't think it was 6% of them.

Detroiters missed a chance to put the riots behind them in 1970. They chose to elect a 'law and order' candidate for mayor instead and those policies, such as 'STRESS', only brought the bad events to the news and caused the most flight. People no longer felt safe, so they moved. Racial reasons/ for some, but the biggest issue seemed to be safety at the time.
The losing mayoral canditate had a background in accounting and public service, to the day he died, he lived in the middle of the city he loved, near Livernois&Davison- Richard Austin. He could have chosen to move to Lansing after becoming Secretary State. Imagine, he might have prevented the budget wastes, mismanagement of taxes and city assets that may never be restored now.
My family moved into Detroit in 65'. I was amazed at all the city had to offer, and how densely developed.There were no 'future subdivions' in the city, it seemed every lot was built on and occupied. We rode the bus to anywhere in the city we needed to go. It seemed a slow process, but after Coleman Young's election, not only did the population decline, but also all the services. Yet anyone who chooses to live in the city must still pay an income tax, a higher millage rate, and the properties can be asessesed unreasonably higher to bring in even more taxes.
The population probably would probably not have declined so rapidly had the services remained, safety maintained, and quality of living in the city kept desirable. Where did all that extra tax money go? Certainly not into future 'improvements' or maintenance, a tax most city dwellers have always paid. And now, the answer to budget shortfalls is to sell off the city assets. How many are willing to pay higher taxes which don't even begin to cover trying to RESTORE what is left? OK, pay more taxes just for the benefit of saying "I live in the city".
When my job relocation sent me to another urban area in another state, my 1st instinct was to be sure to find housing "in the suburbs". That idea was proven wrong! The next 3 cities I worked in, I ended up moving into the city, where the affordable housing was. I have lived in racially mixed neighborhoods, as long as we all have the same goal- a good, safe quality of life in our neighborhood, it's wonderful. Yes, there is still crime. But the one time my house was broken into in the last city, the city police were there in minutes, took fingerprints, interviewed neighbors, and continued to patrol more closely afterward looking for the criminal(s). A city of 500,000 people, not a small town.
I might be attacked by some city loyalists, but they don't have to look far to see why so many chose to leave Detroit.

[doverama]

I find it highly ironic that some of you who posted in this thread said you were proud of Detroit because it is the Motor city and that it gave the automobile to the world. If you really think about it, the car is what partially contributed to making this city not liveable. Urban planners of cities that thrive point out that building massive freeways through a city to accommodate car culture is a sure fire way to cripple positive urban growth. Also, when did it ever make good economic sense to put your eggs in one basket by relying solely on the auto industry?

[Ghambsgate]

Here is what Detroit has become.......How can anyone be proud??
No matter how you feel about the city it is now dead.
I grew up on Detroit's West side near W.Warren and Southfield (Warrendale) I finally left the city in 1991, I had had enough.