I found my old house in Detroit today... (Warren, Port Huron: best neighborhoods, sale)
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Detroit is not so unsafe that you can't "take a trip down memory lane" in person. Come on now.
Your sob stories of having to flee Detroit because of the criminals have been documented over and over and over and over again on the internet and newspapers and magazines. We know why so many people have left over the decades - these causes have been well-documented.
What would be a lot more interesting are stories of people who are trying to improve the city, or people who have stayed all these years and still have love and hope for their city, or people who have moved from the suburbs or from out-of-state to the city and are enjoying their time in the city.
Somebody has to take responsibility for the condition of the city. Nobody wants to solve the problems of the city. It's so much easier to leave than to band together with fellow Detroiters and try to stem the decline.
...sob stories of having to flee Detroit because of the criminals have been documented over and over and over and over again on the internet and newspapers and magazines. We know why so many people have left over the decades - these causes have been well-documented.
What would be a lot more interesting are stories of people who are trying to improve the city, or people who have stayed all these years and still have love and hope for their city, or people who have moved from the suburbs or from out-of-state to the city and are enjoying their time in the city.
While I'd appreciate hearing current stories of improvement and positive directions, I think it's also important to understand the history of what happened almost everywhere in this city and in many neighborhoods in other cities. Why? Because the destabilization of neighborhoods and subsequent flight of longtime residents must be avoided from recurrence in urban places that have made substantial turnarounds in the past 20 years (like Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn or Wicker Park in Chicago).
It is important to hear 'sob stories' and other historical anecdotes so that we don't repeat the bad outcomes of history.
[quote=usroute10;13419838]Detroit is not so unsafe that you can't "take a trip down memory lane" in person. Come on now.
Your sob stories of having to flee Detroit because of the criminals have been documented over and over and over and over again on the internet and newspapers and magazines. We know why so many people have left over the decades - these causes have been well-documented.
What would be a lot more interesting are stories of people who are trying to improve the city, or people who have stayed all these years and still have love and hope for their city, or people who have moved from the suburbs or from out-of-state to the city and are enjoying their time in the city.
Somebody has to take responsibility for the condition of the city. Nobody wants to solve the problems of the city. It's so much easier to leave than to band together with fellow Detroiters and try to stem the decline.[/quote
Why are you on this thread? Did you find your old house today? If, so please tell us your story about its condition and provide pictures if they are available. If ,you have no old house to find then post your remarks on the appropriate thread.
Detroit is not so unsafe that you can't "take a trip down memory lane" in person. Come on now.
Your sob stories of having to flee Detroit because of the criminals have been documented over and over and over and over again on the internet and newspapers and magazines. We know why so many people have left over the decades - these causes have been well-documented.
What would be a lot more interesting are stories of people who are trying to improve the city, or people who have stayed all these years and still have love and hope for their city, or people who have moved from the suburbs or from out-of-state to the city and are enjoying their time in the city.
Somebody has to take responsibility for the condition of the city. Nobody wants to solve the problems of the city. It's so much easier to leave than to band together with fellow Detroiters and try to stem the decline.
Three generations of my family had nothing left but "sob stories" to tell. Someone has to take responsibility for the condition of the city? Who built it and raised it to one of the industrial giants of all time? And who came in on their government sponsored "the white man did you wrong" programs? Oh, yes, I'll probably get banned from this board for this, but let it be said---Detroit, including my old neighborhood, was a fine place to live until certain "people" came in, sobbing all they way that they were "done wrong", social injustice, racial inequality, well, look what they did to it. Three generations of my family lived in the "old neighborhood" it took less than 5-7 years for those downtroden to destoy it beyond salvation. So its my fault because I left? Why did I leave if it was so wonderful? Who built it? And Who destroyed it? Blame the victim! Why---because you can't very well blame yourself!
I will try to post a picture of my house later on. I live in the west side neighborhood of Warrendale, a couple blocks from River Rouge Park. I live in the city. I am a homeowner. I see the slow decline of the neighborhood. A house on the street to the east was torched on Devil's Night. The neighborhood north of Tireman Avenue is looking really run down - unkept houses, vacant houses stripped of aluminum siding. The DPS is closing nearby Dixon Elementary after this year, a school that is fairly decent from what I've heard. A couple years ago, DPS closed another school, Kosciusko Middle, just a half block from my house. The neglect of Rouge Park, the city's largest park, is glaring.
But I haven't been jaded yet enough to bail out on the city just yet. My house has been broken into, but I still stay. I just don't want to quit like everybody else did. The city is doomed if everybody leaves.
There is a cool, informative blog on what's going on in Warrendale:
warrendale.blogspot.com/
Also, there are some east side neighborhoods that are still stable and very good places to live. Their websites are:
MaryleeII, we (negroes) haven't destroyed those neighborhoods yet! By the way, why don't you say "black people" in your above post. Those are the people to whom you are referring.
Someone has to take responsibility for the condition of the city? Who built it and raised it to one of the industrial giants of all time? And who came in on their government sponsored "the white man did you wrong" programs? Oh, yes, I'll probably get banned from this board for this, but let it be said---Detroit, including my old neighborhood, was a fine place to live until certain "people" came in, sobbing all they way that they were "done wrong", social injustice, racial inequality,
BS. Blacks, Mexicans, Appalachian whites, hordes of immigrants came to Detroit well before desegregation. Early 1900 Detroit was just little bit better than deep South for the blacks but they kept on coming because there were jobs, plenty of jobs. Then came Great Depression. Arguably, Detroit is the only major city in the USA which never recovered from Great Depression. After WWII jobs started to evaporate and you know why.
If you think that skin color predetermines crime and decline, there are thousands of lilly white trailer parks and rural areas proving you wrong. Joblessness, poverty, crime, abuse, despair, apathy have no skin color.
We as collective gave the power over our lives, communities, livelihood to a tiny minority of people whose the only goal is to maximize their profits. We are brainwashed to believe that such a pyramidal profit maximization scheme is also beneficial to us through the working of an invisible hand. Common sense rests. A 0.0001% difference in returns on investments (paid to a dozen of shareholders) may shatter lives of tens of thousands of people without their consent or even knowledge. That's the land of the free in a nutshell.
I do realize that our bickering here is pointless, we don't decide chit as far as the destiny of Detroit is concerned. Investor class decides that. And we can see results of their decisions with our own eyes.
I will try to post a picture of my house later on. I live in the west side neighborhood of Warrendale, a couple blocks from River Rouge Park. I live in the city. I am a homeowner. I see the slow decline of the neighborhood. A house on the street to the east was torched on Devil's Night. The neighborhood north of Tireman Avenue is looking really run down - unkept houses, vacant houses stripped of aluminum siding. The DPS is closing nearby Dixon Elementary after this year, a school that is fairly decent from what I've heard. A couple years ago, DPS closed another school, Kosciusko Middle, just a half block from my house. The neglect of Rouge Park, the city's largest park, is glaring.
But I haven't been jaded yet enough to bail out on the city just yet. My house has been broken into, but I still stay. I just don't want to quit like everybody else did. The city is doomed if everybody leaves.
There is a cool, informative blog on what's going on in Warrendale:
warrendale.blogspot.com/
Also, there are some east side neighborhoods that are still stable and very good places to live. Their websites are:
Just as I thought. You have not experienced the complete devastation of your neighborhood yet. It is just beginning for you and I understand your frustration. It appears you love your neighboorhood and are saddened by what is going on around you. Some of us experienced the same feelings some 45 years ago and to finally lose in the end.
No area in Detroit got hit harder than the East Side. If you haven't done so, take a ride to the Mack & Chalmers corridor and note the devastation. You will see a few rickety houses still standing but for the most part you will see nothing but dirt where vibrant businesses and well kept homes once stood. Continue East heading past Alter Rd. and turn down any street and you will see more destruction. At least that is the way it looked in 2003. I wish there were before pictures available so that you could see exactly what I am saying. We only have the images in our memories and nothing to go home to.
I know you think if everyone had stayed they could have prevented the decay. Possibly, but many tried to stay and paid with their lives and peace of mind. There was no one to help them protect their homes. The police simply through up their hands. No one was safe in those neighborhoods. The hoodlums and criminals did not discriminate, everyone was a potential victim.
I heard they were going to build a convenience store at Alter & Mack and build new replica homes on vacant lots. Don't know if that ever happened. Do you know?
I do hope you and your neighbors can save and improve your neighborhood. It woud be a wonderful ending.
The English Villages look like a cool place to live. Now, if they could only build thousands more. Sadly, I am afraid the high unemployment is going to stall many projects.
Finally, I do not think it is proper to critisize others if you have not walked in their shoes. I only hope that you are not forced to flee your home someday like so many others before you.
While I'd appreciate hearing current stories of improvement and positive directions, I think it's also important to understand the history of what happened almost everywhere in this city and in many neighborhoods in other cities. Why? Because the destabilization of neighborhoods and subsequent flight of longtime residents must be avoided from recurrence in urban places that have made substantial turnarounds in the past 20 years (like Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn or Wicker Park in Chicago).
It is important to hear 'sob stories' and other historical anecdotes so that we don't repeat the bad outcomes of history.
Westender, I agree totally. There are only 2 posters on this thread who lived on the East Side and experienced the total devastation of the neighborhoods. There are thousands more like us out there. Where are they? Many have died from old age, while others have buried the memories and really don't care to talk about it. It is too painful.
When I hear a comment that the reasons for the devastation has been well documented, I think , really? By whom and when? Did they interview current and former residents? Or were they just speculating? Oh, yes I know "white flight". White flight did not happen over night. I don't think thousands of people gathered together and decided they were going to flee the neighborhood the next day. It was a slow process. Could it have been stopped? Who knows. It did happen and no one can change history. But, we can learn from it if we listen and make a real effort to gain the true facts. Doing so, may save other neighborhoods in decline.
I wonder if the East Side will become open farm land. Is there enough of a population to fill new homes? What do you think?
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