Why do people look down on Detroit? (Southfield, Novi: section 8, mover)

[detroitlove]

Originally Posted by 313Weather

The difference between Detroit/Michigan's corruption and corruption elsewhere is the corrupt politicians elsewhere are at least smart enough to get the job done before stuffing their pockets and "hooking up" their families/friends.

See Chicago/Illinois.

ok let me ask you this

before Kwame, how many homes were getting built in the whole city let alone neighborhoods that are basically barren? I live on the more dense side of the city airport. I know what the St Cyril area looks like, hell my family is from that part of the city, I went to school over there, have plenty of friends (esp my best friend since elementary), NO homes were getting built in that area before Kwame and since has stopped. How many projects were being introduced in the city?(river walk anybody?) big events? (superbowl ring a bell?) etc

[ForStarters]

Originally Posted by detwahDJ

Sad to hear that. The near suburbs are losing population like Detroit did. Yet Detroit gets criticized for that very thing. Maybe it's time for people to work together for common purpose rather than fleeing the area as a "solution".

It's self-evident that Metro Detroiters need regional collaboration and genuine cooperation to succeed. Now, the only thing left to do is convince the populous of that. It's really too bad we've had to fall so far for people to come to their senses about something so obvious.

The Coleman Young era was a negative for Detroit, though I respected him as a Tuskegee Airman doing his part in ww2 (that aint chopped liver!). I liked the guy, but I knew he was making mistakes. He carried some bitterness into the mayorship and didn't hide it. This gained him popularity in Detroit and animosity from the suburbs, but the suburbs held all the economic cards.

It seems Young's biggest flaw was that he was a polarizing figure at a time when Detroit really needed a leader who could bridge divides and bring people together. When he came to office, the city had already started slipping, but so had many others, like New York. His tenure was a long one and he faced many problems, including the crack epidemic, but in retrospect, Young could have done a better job building alliances with suburban leaders who, at the time, were young guns with little influence or experience. The Mayor of Detroit was still the dominate power broker in the region. Young should have used his clout to develop strong bonds with the emerging suburban communities. Instead, I feel as though he pushed them away and suburban leaders became rebellious and antagonistic against the city. Brooks Patterson is the manifestation of a suburban leader who built his career on the downfall of Detroit rather than extending an olive branch to Detroit in its time of need.

It is safe to say that Metro Detroit has been plagued by sub-par leadership throughout, from its various city councils, to its city mayors, to county executives. Sure, many of the suburbs had a decent quality of life for the past few decades, but look at what we lost. Our region's central business district was compromised almost to the point of extinction. An innumerable number of important historic and civic buildings were destroyed. Our urban core was tattered and neglected. We failed to build basic infrastructure. We drove away long-time companies and scared off prospective new ones. We saw our youth flee in mass numbers for other cities. We allowed racial tension to dominate our lives and hold us down. We became a national story of failure, divide, and despair.

It's time we ended all that.

[detwahDJ]

Since my rants are often on media and messaging, Newt Gingrich just said to a national audience that (Democratic policies) "have destroyed Detroit". Politics aside, there is the typical message when someone is fortunate enough to access a national podium.
Detroit is toast - move along, nothing to see here!

[detwahDJ]

Originally Posted by ForStarters

Young should have used his clout to develop strong bonds with the emerging suburban communities. Instead, I feel as though he pushed them away and suburban leaders became rebellious and antagonistic against the city. Brooks Patterson is the manifestation of a suburban leader who built his career on the downfall of Detroit rather than extending an olive branch to Detroit in its time of need.

Yeah it was Patterson vs. Young for the longest! With the region the loser.

[313Weather]

Originally Posted by detroitlove

ok let me ask you this

before Kwame, how many homes were getting built in the whole city let alone neighborhoods that are basically barren? I live on the more dense side of the city airport. I know what the St Cyril area looks like, hell my family is from that part of the city, I went to school over there, have plenty of friends (esp my best friend since elementary), NO homes were getting built in that area before Kwame and since has stopped. How many projects were being introduced in the city?(river walk anybody?) big events? (superbowl ring a bell?) etc

If a city can't provide basic services to its citizens for the taxes they pay then it will lose people and investments (or AT BEST not gain any).

At least in much of Chicago the streets are plowed in the winter, the garbage is picked up on time, the police arrives at a reasonable time, the fire department arrives before the building burns down, JOBS are within a reasonable distance, RETAIL is within a reasonable distance, The L-Train actually goes somewhere, the bus comes on time, the street lights come on, etc.. I won't even discuss how their region actually saw their city center as an asset versus a liability and decided to build it up as a world class destination in the last 20 years (and Detroit has that same potential, if its not greater with its strategic location).

The St. Cyril area was declining for a long time. It was cleared out in the late 1990s for some development that never happened, just like the neighbohood SE of Jefferson and St. Jean. No homes are bering built in these areas now nor were they being built in these areas under Kwame (in fact, the areas were closed off). But what incentive do developers have to invest in these areas? Can you explain that to me?

As for projects like the River Walk, do you remember how long that was in the planning stages? If it were any other city it probably would have been completed immediately.

[zthatzmanz28]

Kwame should run for governor? Why did he ever leave office? He was railroaded..Just like his mama said...it was just a lynchin...

[hiphopcr]

Well, to go along with what everyone has said (budget problems, desertion, buildings in ruins) Forbes is naming Detroit as the Murder Capitol of the Country.... so yeah, it's pretty easy to see why people look down on Detroit.

Coming from California (I moved here two years ago) and buying a home and falling in love with this place (Detroit Metro Area), when people ask me what Michigan is like I say, "Michigan is surprising". A very underrated state.

[detroitlove]

Originally Posted by 313Weather

If a city can't provide basic services to its citizens for the taxes they pay then it will lose people and investments (or AT BEST not gain any).

At least in much of Chicago the streets are plowed in the winter, the garbage is picked up on time, the police arrives at a reasonable time, the fire department arrives before the building burns down, JOBS are within a reasonable distance, RETAIL is within a reasonable distance, The L-Train actually goes somewhere, the bus comes on time, the street lights come on, etc.. I won't even discuss how their region actually saw their city center as an asset versus a liability and decided to build it up as a world class destination in the last 20 years (and Detroit has that same potential, if its not greater with its strategic location).

The St. Cyril area was declining for a long time. It was cleared out in the late 1990s for some development that never happened, just like the neighbohood SE of Jefferson and St. Jean. No homes are bering built in these areas now nor were they being built in these areas under Kwame (in fact, the areas were closed off). But what incentive do developers have to invest in these areas? Can you explain that to me?

As for projects like the River Walk, do you remember how long that was in the planning stages? If it were any other city it probably would have been completed immediately.

wrong! I've lived on the opposite side of the airport from the St. Cyril area my whole life. My parents even lived over there before moving on this side, on Leander. My dad's side is from Carrie. Have lived on Carrie, and my uncle still does, since my father was young. He's now 67. The home has been passed down through generations. Most of the people on Carrie have lived over there as long as my family has, some longer. I went to cooper. I know what that side looked like, Leander had basically NO homes. They were building plenty over there right before the **** with Kwame went down.

As far as the other area, my mom fam is from the black bottom. She was born in the house over there and her brother still lives there. My aunt lives around the corner. I grew up on damn near all of the eastside and parts of the west although I've lived on one street my whole life. My uncles block in the black bottom area are almost all new homes that were built when KWAME was in office. Those homes were also going up quick and came to a halt once the Kwame stuff happened. So was other stuff. Things take time, so how ever long the planning was for the riverwalk was doesn't matter. I'd like see if we'd have a riverwalk right now without Kwame, because Bing isn't the one who introduced the riverwalk.

I don't know where you live, but when Kwame was in office my street did get plowed, we did actually see the police over here (and I live 10 mins walking from the police station), and our street lights do come on. Retail and Jobs have been leaving the city for forever now, WE have to fix that problem as city and its going to take time.

Let me ask you something, you complain so much about what goes on here but what the hell are you doing to change anything?

[Retroit]

Originally Posted by EastBoundandDownChick

And becoming more and more like the real 'Detroit' every day! We just had to move my grandmother out as she did not feel safe anymore. She lives in Sterling Heights now. Lived there 62 years.

Sorry to break the news to you, but Sterling Heights is also becoming more and more like the real 'Detroit' every day!

[AlohaHuey]

Originally Posted by detroitlove

this is what I don't understand, people talk down on Detroit for our "corruption" and voting in Kwame and Coleman more than once, BUT America takes the cake as a whole for voting the biggest idiot in history BUSH into office twice smh

The Kilpatrick trial was a spectacle, nationally as well as locally. You cannot blame the country for the perception Detroit is corrupt...the last couple of years have been pure fodder for such perceptions.

Give Bing a chance.