[xlabel]

Originally Posted by YAZ

We visited Brighton, MI at Christmastime back in 2005. I strapped on my old cross country skis and headed towards the 'ole homestead through the woods.

A guy came out of his garage with his dogs and a shotgun; told me that I was trespassing.

It wasn't like I was trampin' on his flowerbed causing damage in late December.

Yep.

My town has changed, and it ain't for the better....

The way things are anymore, you have to wonder if guys like this are protecting thier meth labs.

[eiram21]

Okay - all this talk about racism and meth labs in Brighton has me a bit concerned...I am moving there in a few weeks. Is there something I should know?!?

[YAZ]

Originally Posted by eiram21

Okay - all this talk about racism and meth labs in Brighton has me a bit concerned...I am moving there in a few weeks. Is there something I should know?!?

No.

The Michigan "leader" of the KKK used to reside in Cohoctah Township....that would be "Pastor" Robert Miles. He's long gone to heaven, hell, or somewhere else.....

And yeah, they burned crosses out there.

Cohoctah is a 'lil hamlet north of Howell, the county seat in Livingston. Brighton is in the SE corner of the county, and there never really was a "racist" attitude there.

While Brighton has its own issues, it's a rather nice little bedroom community.

Not to worry....

[YAZ]

Originally Posted by xlabel

The way things are anymore, you have to wonder if guys like this are protecting thier meth labs.

I know....

My best guess though is that this "gentleman" prob'ly hailed from Redford or Westland, finally was able to buy some acreage, and was gonna defend his property from those evil cross country skiers.

Some folks just don't like ya in their yard......

[xlabel]

Originally Posted by eiram21

Okay - all this talk about racism and meth labs in Brighton has me a bit concerned...I am moving there in a few weeks. Is there something I should know?!?

Not to worry and I don't even know about Brighton, I live on the west side of the state. Michigan has a lot of wide open space and alot of farmland and some of the chemicals farmers use are desirable for ingredients to make methamphetamine but it's not a problem just unique to MI, it's nationwide, no worse here than anywhere else.

[JGatti]

Originally Posted by eiram21

Okay - all this talk about racism and meth labs in Brighton has me a bit concerned...I am moving there in a few weeks. Is there something I should know?!?

My sister and her husband live in Brighton and they bought their house from my aunt. So I have been a frequent visitor to Brighton since I was a kid. Back then I think Brighton was a very rasist community. When I was a teenager my cousins friends would ask me about what it's like to go to school with black people and if I carried a gun. I grew up in Southfield. It was really strange how ignorant the kids were, heck a lot of their parents were as well.
But today I think it has changed quite a bit for the better. I know around my sisters lake there are a lot of racist people, and my brother has run into them often throughout town. But I think it's more or less just some dumb rednecks running their mouth off. I see people of every color and ethnicity safely walking the city, and in regard to meth labs I have never heard of any raids in Brighton or have any first hand knowledge of anything like that in the area. Brighton is a very nice town/city with a lot to do and a nice downtown area. Don't worry about it I'm sure you'll be happy there.

[YAZ]

There are some "seedy" neighborhoods in Brighton, but they don't come close to what I've seen during my travels.

DM me with general locations and I'll give ya the "lowdown".

[Cliffie]

Originally Posted by YAZ

We visited Brighton, MI at Christmastime back in 2005. I strapped on my old cross country skis and headed towards the 'ole homestead through the woods.

A guy came out of his garage with his dogs and a shotgun; told me that I was trespassing.

It wasn't like I was trampin' on his flowerbed causing damage in late December.

Yep.

My town has changed, and it ain't for the better....

You said a mouthful! The last housing boom here (I live in Brighton) brought in a flood of survivalist types who want to live on a 1-acre compound surrounded by barbed wire and Dobermans. Now, with the housing bust, places are going at fire-sale prices but nobody wants to buy, only rent. The place 2 doors down has had 2 rental families in one year.

To the other poster above, I do have to say that meth is the only growing industry in the county right now. But they are nowhere near Brighton -- you'll find those tourist atractions out in the trackless wastes in the northwest end of the county, out by Fowlerville, Webberville and Cohoctah. You are moving to the far end of the county, the southeast.

[Indentured Servant]

I used to live in Grand Rapids on the near SE side of town. Growing up the community was about 95% African American in a 20 block radius, as the percentage AA diminished the further from the core one traverses. When I lived there you rarely saw black people venture into the near NW side of town. Now, when I go back I see black people living in near NW, far NW and NE. The truth is that in my youth were scared to venture into those areas. Equally shocking is seeing white people walking down my old block……AT NIGHT EVEN! Aside from the new commercial and residential structures, European like “turn abouts” and the like, I am most shocked by how polarization has somewhat diminished in the area. I credit that to school integration and busing, to a large degree, as well as a growing level racial tolerance in America.

That said, Grand Rapids seems to lack an observable black middle class. Don’t get me wrong, I know that not all blacks in Grand Rapids are poor, but the poor blacks in Grand Rapids standout and it seems as if their percentages are growing given the decline of the manufacturing base locally, as well as nationally. Its rather depressing to me to see this level of black poverty whilst gentrification is picking up pace, high rise gleaming condo’s, restorations and other displays of WEALTH are increasing simultaneously, which you rarely see associated with blacks . So even though Grand Rapids is less polarized racially, it seems as if the concentration of poverty in the AA community is intensifying. Granted, poverty is increasing across all races given the bad economy, but AA was disproportionately employed in sectors that are being hit the hardest, such as manufacturing.

I keep entertaining the ideal of moving back to the area, but one of the main reasons that I do not is because Grand Rapids simply depresses me, largely due to the racial situation. In a metropolitan area of over 1 million people, there is very little that is culturally attractive for a middle class African American such as me. My wife would be bored…..I would be bored…..we could not expose our kids black culture, with the exception of the culture of poor African Americans in the area. I don’t want to have to immerse my children in the “culture of poverty” in order that they may experience the “black culture”. In Grand Rapids, that is the ONLY option. Now, I enjoy other cultures as well and would miss them in their absence if I did not have them to enjoy as well, however, I have an affinity with the African American culture as it is the foundation and launching pad of who I am as an individual. I need that reinforcement and immersion.

[YAZ]

Originally Posted by Cliffie

You said a mouthful! The last housing boom here (I live in Brighton) brought in a flood of survivalist types who want to live on a 1-acre compound surrounded by barbed wire and Dobermans. Now, with the housing bust, places are going at fire-sale prices but nobody wants to buy, only rent. The place 2 doors down has had 2 rental families in one year.

To the other poster above, I do have to say that meth is the only growing industry in the county right now. But they are nowhere near Brighton -- you'll find those tourist atractions out in the trackless wastes in the northwest end of the county, out by Fowlerville, Webberville and Cohoctah. You are moving to the far end of the county, the southeast.

Brighton tends to clean that stuff up pretty quick.

There were so many problems with the local pool hall that the city shut it down.

BTW, the Brighton guy that's being investigated for a supposed "Ponzi" scheme started building his mansion right down the road from the 'ole homestead. Small world.