What can be done to improve Detroit? (Grand Rapids, Grosse Pointe: real estate, apartments)

[ChairborneRanger]

Originally Posted by RedWingsFan

Great suggestion, I think it just might work. I had thought of something along those lines as well.... like burn the rest of the city down, the residents there have already burned down much of it!

That, or nuke it!

I'm an outsider-----went into Detroit a few months back in the course of a buisness trip to BASF (Wyandotte Chemicals) and I literally couldn't believe how bad the city was-----worst I've ever seen----anywhere, anytime!

Interestingly, I told the fella I was visiting that I had driven into and around the city----his response "blew me away"-----as he said...."J*sus Chr*st....I wouldn't drive into Detroit unless I was in a Bradley Fighting Vehicle!!"

You poor folks have problems down there! All I can say is, glad I don't live there!

[RedWingsFan]

Originally Posted by ChairborneRanger

That, or nuke it!

I'm an outsider-----went into Detroit a few months back in the course of a buisness trip to BASF (Wyandotte Chemicals) and I literally couldn't believe how bad the city was-----worst I've ever seen----anywhere, anytime!

Interestingly, I told the fella I was visiting that I had driven into and around the city----his response "blew me away"-----as he said...."J*sus Chr*st....I wouldn't drive into Detroit unless I was in a Bradley Fighting Vehicle!!"

You poor folks have problems down there! All I can say is, glad I don't live there!

Exactly! Detroit is in bad shape. I completely agree, it's something you have to see to believe. Some people that say it's not so bad are people that haven't gotten out of Michigan in their life much to see other places. They don't have a lot to compare it to. I've been all over the country and by far Detroit is in the worst shape of any city - even Compton (in LA) is in better shape! Much better shape, actually.

[mike jones]

Originally Posted by ChairborneRanger

That, or nuke it!

I'm an outsider-----went into Detroit a few months back in the course of a buisness trip to BASF (Wyandotte Chemicals) and I literally couldn't believe how bad the city was-----worst I've ever seen----anywhere, anytime!

Interestingly, I told the fella I was visiting that I had driven into and around the city----his response "blew me away"-----as he said...."J*sus Chr*st....I wouldn't drive into Detroit unless I was in a Bradley Fighting Vehicle!!"

You poor folks have problems down there! All I can say is, glad I don't live there!

I know.
The problems are systemic and deeply rooted.
What hurts me the most is when I go to work in the morning and I see little kids walking to school or playing in the streets, growing up among all this mess of burned out homes and filth.

The cycle just repeats itself.

[katjoy]

As a Chicago suburban resident who's in-laws all live in the suburbs of Detroit, I see quite a difference in the two cities. When my relatives visit us here, we invariably visit the City of Chicago. When we visit Detroit, we hesitate if anything we want to do takes us even close to Detroit, like Dearborn.
I stumbled upon a white supremisist websit, called Council of Conservative Citizens, and they had a special webpage dedicated to Cities in decline where blacks are the majority residents.
There were only a few pages or one page each of every city mentioned, except for Detroit, which was pages and pages. There were many pictures of houses that were burned to unliveable status - homes that were once architecturally beautiful. I can't believe this Devil's Night has done as much damage as it has, and the lack of response by the City's government to do anything about it. I think each year marshall law (or whatever military style policing situation it is called) should ensue on the day before Halloween (it has actually extended lately to several days before Halloween).
There are so many of them, and they in another site I was looking at that they have improved the amount of burnings to only 20 per night!!!
Holy ***** - that's nasty.
Detroit needs to start looking at incentives to get business to locate into the city, get the homes that are burned down eradicated or regentrified, and get the people who live in the city to help themselves! It's a sad state, but if more people CARED about what has happened to this really beautiful city, then it might just get what it needs.

[RedWingsFan]

Yes! It's sad what has happened, especially with all the burned down houses. And many of the young Detroiters are proud of the whole "devil's night" thing where they try to burn half the city down that they live in. Sick and sad.

[Cherry]

The information being repeated here is about 20 years old. The arson rate around Halloween in Detroit is lower than other days of the year, and the crime rate downtown Detroit is 26% lower than the national average.

[RedWingsFan]

Originally Posted by Cherry

The information being repeated here is about 20 years old. The arson rate around Halloween in Detroit is lower than other days of the year, and the crime rate downtown Detroit is 26% lower than the national average.

No, I think not. Detroit has been rated the second most dangerous city yet another year in a row (Morgan Quitno Press). Actually, according to the crime stastistics through the Justice Bureau, Detroit has more than double the amount of crimes as the country does on average.

And devil's night is still an issue every year. That's why all the volunteers head out that night trying to keep people from burning the city down.

[Cherry]

RWF: My information comes from studies.
"Reality vs. Perceptions: An Analysis of Crime and Safety in Downtown Detroit." (2005)
http://www.cus.wayne.edu/content/pub...inalReport.pdf

"Urban community intervention to prevent Halloween Arson" (1997)
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-19389119.html

Suburban people torching their properties in Detroit for insurance money were largely responsible for Devil's night arson.

Next, you'll be telling everyone that Cobo Hall isn't safe because the Errol Flynns could come in at any moment.

[zoomzoom]

Originally Posted by RedWingsFan

I respectfully disagree with just about everything you said. You think it's not appropriate that we post because we don't try to improve it? I think it is appropriate that we post. I was born in Detroit, as was my mother, my grandmother, etc. I grew up in the suburbs. I'm very familiar with the city and all it's problems. BUT they are not my problems to deal with. The people that live there first have to help themselves before always seeking help from those in the suburbs. They put that city into the mess it's in, others should not have to clean it up. And if they did, then most likely they would mess it up again.

And it's not the movies and the media making Detroit look bad. It does a good job of it on its own. All the burned down buildings, garbage everywhere, it's the second most dangerous city in the nation... those facts speak for themselves. You can drive through a neighborhood and see how bad it is, that has nothing to do with the movie 8 Mile.

Furthermore, you know how stereotypes get started? Because they are based on truths. Sometimes they get blown out of proportion, but they are often based on the truth.

Look, I disagree with you on this :"The people that live there first have to help themselves before always seeking help from those in the suburbs. They put that city into the mess it's in, others should not have to clean it up. And if they did, then most likely they would mess it up again."

Those people have NOTHING, there are barely any jobs in Detroit, and what Detroit really needs is investors, and it needs to be more diverse. If there is no money in the city to begin with, how can Detroit improve itself?

And who exactly are you refering when you say "they"?

Oh, and the mess that you're talking about, it's not just Detroits problem, it's Michigans problem.

And another sidenote, if Detroit does well economically, Michigan will benefit too. So everyone in Michigan should care.

[zoomzoom]

Way to go, Cherry! I couldn't agree with you more. RedWingsFan needs to do alot more research before bad mouthing Detroit. It's a great city and it's taking longer than cities like Cleveland and Chicago to revitalize itself because of pessimists.