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Does segregation hurt Detroit's
reputation? Do you believe Detroit's reputation is hurt by being the most segregated metro area in the U.S.?
growing up on the eastside of detroit and being white i always
thought that racism was something from the past made popular in
movies and the media. i was appaled at the mentallity of people i
have met in other cities for example the black and white hatred in
annapolis maryland is the most extreme i have ever seen.
i am proud that i was raised in a predominantly black city and
was never subject to this kind of ingnorant behavior. racism is a
disease of ingnorance and it will continue to scare our cities
untill all americans as a people of tolerance and peace will not
tolerate this tragedy of behavior that has become part of the
american culture rather than our embaressment.
i have to admit that i have never had problems with individual
whites when i grew up. however, the dividing lines were very clear
in the southwest detroit area of my youth. you just didnt go into
melvindale,lincoln park,wyandotte, or dearborn without a good
reason. that usually meant DONT be there unless you were there on
business or shopping.
i was in close proximity to whites but it seemed as if our
worlds were light years apart. the most amazing thing is that i
didnt realize the racial divide was so bad until i went into the
army. the strange thing is that my parents went to school with
whites during their youth in my same detroit neighborhood and they
never had any problems that i know of. it was just normal to them.
i know the riots and coleman youngs election to mayor may have
exacerbated tensions in the detroit area, but, for this problem to
linger so long is simply ridiculous. young is dead and detroit
hasnt had riots in 34 years. i hope things will one day improve.
as for me, i now live in southern arizona which is one of least
segregated places in america. my white wife is a native
michigander from the frankenmuth-birch run area and we have
decided that this is the best place to raise our son. people live
very harmoniously here regardless of race. and although i have
fond memories and a deep love for the detroit metro area i dont
think i could ever live there again.
ANTHONY BARKLEY
Let people live where they want,racially mixed or otherwise.We
moved from the city in 1957 because that was the thing to do for
young couples who could afford it,at that time the city was mostly
white.Only after the 1967 riots whites,young and old started to
leave in droves and nobody should wonder why!!
The Leadership of Detroit in past decades tried to revive the
city with dowtown projects and now with stadiums ,casinos
etc.,well,unless the neighborhoods , streets,services are brought
up to the Worldclass standards (touted by Ex-Mayor Archer)the city
will not get ahead.
Another big problem is the race baitng and blame game by the
black leadership for all sorts ills in the community .Don't blame
whites for the family breakdowns,crime and run down
neighborhoods,the city had now for decades black leadership?
In reading these articles in the series one can get the
impression that unless there is integration in housing and in the
student body to a great degree, blacks are left behind,that would
be a rather sad admission.
FURTHER - THE LACK OF PROPER CITY SERVICES IS FURTHER EVIDENCE
OF BLIGHT. IN NO OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT I KNOW OF - ARE CITIZENS
ALLOWED TO JUST DUMP TRASH HAPHAZARDLY IN FRONT OF THEIR HOMES AND
EXPECT THE CITY TRASH COLLECTORS TO CLEAN IT UP. HOMEOWNERS NEED
TO BE FINED IF IT IS EVIDENT THAT THEY ARE NOT MAINTAINING THEIR
HOMES PROPERLY.
IN ADDITION, IN SO FAR AS EDUCATION GOES, WHEN PARENTS BECOME
INVOLVED - CHANGES BECOME APPARENT. WHAT RESPONSIBLE PARENT WOULD
SIT DOWN AND NOT TAKE SOME ACTION TO HELP PROMOTE CHANGES IN THE
SCHOOLS THEIR CHILDREN ATTEND. PARENTS MUST BE PRO-ACTIVE AND KNOW
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THESE SCHOOLS - RATHER THAN TAKE THE APPROACH
THAT SOMEONE ELSE WILL DO IT. TO OFTEN - YOU PARENTS ARE NOT HEARD
FROM UNLESS THERE ARE PROBLEMS AND OFTEN IT IS TO LITTLE TO
LATE.
I'd like to hear from someone who can offer direction on
solving the problems. I personally just feel that black or white,
we are all on the same team so let's start acting like it and quit
pointing fingers. That gets us nowhere.
Racisim would be marginalized if the media would stop creating
it and fanning it's evil flames. People will live where they want
and/or can afford.
Most of the reasons are based on economics(housing costs and
resale value) and education(quality of schools) but can be
drastically affected by a lack of security(crime rates).
The real tragedy of Detroit is the death of the downtown
shopping and business district. This has been blamed on race and
on the development of suburban malls and many other issues but the
bottom line is that once it started it didn't stop. The present
perception is that Detroit is a city of crime, poverty and racial
turmoil and that profile has crippled the city and hinders future
development.The residents of the surrounding communities have
divorced themselves from the city and feel that their future isn't
tied to Detroit. They don't feel the need to support a dying urban
area. Why downtown Detroit's fate should be so different than say
downtown Chicago or even downtown Windsor is a mystery to me. I
hope that your articles can shed some light on this very difficult
subject. The future of this city and the metro area could very
well depend on it.
Now to comment on comments made in an earlier post. I believe
it said something in regards to black colleges, black history
museums, and groups like the NAACP. These organizations and
institutions were established so that black people would have a
chance to receive the education that their home states and public
institutions denied. The NAACP came into existence to protect
blacks from violence inflicted on them by whites throughout the
country. The African-American museums were established for what
was felt as an oversight by historians and other museums.
It would be easy to say that these institutions serve no
further purpose, but that is totally untrue. The NAACP survives
because racism survives. When a man can be dragged behind a truck
in Texas and a band in Livonia can record racist music, there is
still work to be done. Black colleges and universities survive,
but no longer under that name. Historically black colleges and
universities were established to educate black students(hence the
name), students of all races now join them at these
institutions(hispanic, asian, WHITE, etc.). African American
history museums help to shed light onto more than just the highly
noted blacks throughout history.
I've seen some post that state that Detroit has nothing to
offer people that would like to move back into the city. First, if
anyone wants to move back, do so. Someone stated that there's no
mall or department store in the city. Personally, I feel that
"white flight" is the culprit; the people with control of these
businesses took their businesses with them to the suburbs, leaving
the mostly black city's residents to try to establish these things
with little or no money. We all know how far people with ideas and
no money get and we know what they do to get it. So now we get to
the present where the city has crime (just like every big city)
where people are just trying to survive. No, I don't condone
criminal activity for any reason, but I don't think that certain
people (Kimberly) should assume that every black man is going to
harm her due to events that occured years ago. If it's true, I
feel very sorry. However, just remember where statements like that
led in Detroit's past(1943, 1967). What would she assume if I, a
black man, approached her? Probably, that I am a criminal. I would
be insulted; I'm a college student at a black college (second
behind my brother in our class) and I've never been arrested. Poor
blacks aren't the only ones that commit crimes. Poor whites, poor
hispanics, poor asians (not all of them work diligently in school)
also rob, rape, and murder. Their moving into a city will decrease
the quality of life just as quickly.
"Judge not by the color of their skin, but by the content of
their character." We know who said that. Stereotypical thinking is
the root of racism. The only way to determine a person's character
is by their actions or their statements. Speak to people. That
will bring Metro Detroit and the rest of the country closer to
understanding each other and mark the death of segregation
throughout the area.
Why should they? I mean, 95% or more of the city is going to
vote Democratic no matter who the candidate is, so it is
essentially a one-party block. People who represent the Detroit
area can help pass legislation that hurts their constituency, but
whether they do or not doesn't matter. Their seats are safe for
life.
For so long, the "Detroit" pro sports teams have been either
playing outside the city limits, or have only attracted people
from the suburbs, so that people do not really have very much
attachment with these teams and the city.
One person was blaming Detroit's problems on the people moving
out of the city? Well, cry me a river! If I were living someplace
where I was awakened all hours of the night with either police or
firefighter sirens going off, and nothing but news of bloodshed
and mayhem, I'd move too! I'd be a fool not to.
Perhaps a measure of Detroit's irrelivancy to those outside of
the city is due to the fact that nothing ever changes there.
Crime, horrendous schools, more crime, putrid downtown area, and
yet more crime has been the norm in Detroit for as long as I've
been alive.
People who want to live in conditions like these are welcome to
live there. It has nothing to do with whether people are trying to
segrigate themselves. The facts are that Detroit is a terrible
place to raise a family. If you do not care about raising a family
in an atmosphere where your children can be relatively safe, and
they can grow up to be contributing members of a civil society,
then you will stay in your crime-ridden, uneducated, backward
neighborhoods and watch everyone rot.
I cannot imagine living in such a place myself. It has nothing
to do with people being black or white. It has everything to do
with people living in fear. Why else would people feel like they
have to live in reletively all-white and all-black neighborhoods?
It is a fear borne out of ignorance and hate that drives a wedge
between people.
Anyway, perhaps the "right" answer would be to say that
Detroit's reputation is damaged by all of this, but I truly do not
think people ever give the city of Detroit any thought one way or
another. If the entire city were to collapse into the salt mines
beneath it, nobody would miss it.
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