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How To Live In Detroit Without Being A Jackass
A
s Detroiters go, Aaron Foley
"Is Eight Mile dangerous?" The answer:
and I are basically the same,
"Sure, if you put yourself in danger on
except that he is black and
Eight Mile, like attempting to rob a bank
gay and grew up in Detroit and lives in
on Eight Mile or sell drugs to strangers on
Eight Mile:'
Detroit. Other than that, our philosophies
on the city — what he writes about in his
3. Everyone is a jackass in Detroit
book How to Live in Detroit without Being
sometimes, including both of us. Aaron
a Jackass and my daily attempts to avoid
and his partner bought a house near
jackassness here — are substantially simi-
Boston-Edison and learned firsthand how
lar. Also I introduced him to Hygrade Deli, inherently difficult it is to enter, let alone
so that's got to count for something.
join a community with all due respect and
1.There are no Detroit
humility: "But there was always
experts, including either of us.
that awkwardness of us having
Whenever I give a tour of Detroit,
just moved in. We lived among
I start with — exclaiming as
people who sent three genera-
much as disclaiming — my non-
tions to Central High, the school
expertise. Aaron opens his book
up the street ... I grew up think-
noting that, despite some postur-
ing Central was one of those
ing otherwise, "no one can ever
bad-kid schools where fights
be an expert on Detroit The city
broke out every day."
Ben Falik
is just too large for anyone to do a Contributing
How have I been a jackass
Writer
in Detroit over the years? Let
comprehensive analysis of life in
this city:'
me count the ways! Once, I
Detroit isn't just changing; the rate of
proposed to an Arab American center
change is changing. Rather than dueling
that we paint a mural of a cross, Jewish
facts and figures, newcomers and long-
star and crescent — on the side of their
time Detroiters are better served sharing
building on Seven Mile. When Summer
(and actively listening to) each other's
in the City bought the house adjacent to
perspectives.
its headquarters, we considered turning
2. Detroit is a lot like a lot of places,
the entire thing into an apiary (bees). To
except for all the ways it isn't. One of the
say nothing of our regrettable experiments
best things about Aaron's book is that it is
with Quikrete and bottlecaps.
grounded in the banalities of everyday life
4. We can neither simply solve nor
here. In a city that has seen high highs and afford to ignore race in Detroit. My fam-
low lows, laws — as dictated by govern-
ily and I are white. Or, as Tinehisi Coates
ment and physics — still generally apply.
proposes in Between the World and Me,
Most people manage to lead ordinary
we have been brought up to believe we are
lives in sometimes extraordinary circum-
white in a "dream" that separates — and
stances.
imperils — communities of color.
In Chapter 3, "Difficult Questions About
Aaron writes, "Detroit and black-
Detroit With Simple Answers:' he writes,
ness are interwoven; they cant easily be
Speaking on behalf of the Jewish
Community Relations Council of
Metropolitan Detroit, which I head, we
are pleased that the tone and content
reported at the White House meet-
ing Nov. 9 between President Obama
and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu
reflects the foundation of the U.S.-Israel
relationship: two allies working together
and cooperating on issues of common
concern.
The U.S. remains committed to Israel's
undone. And you are told constantly that
you are monolithic, that you are worth-
less, your existence is incomparable, you
had it worse off, you didrit make it out,
you did make it out but you're nothing
more than an affirmative-action case, you
are too defensive, you are loud, dirty and
unkempt, and that you are a malady"
To borrow from him borrowing from
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy,
"Only when we are honest about our
issues can we truly solve them:'
5. The future of the city is not yet
written. Both encouraging and daunt-
ing when you consider the challenges of
co-authoring something so epic. I often
close my Detroit spiel asking volunteers
and visitors to, yes, say nice things about
Detroit — and, as importantly, to distin-
guish between being critical and cynical,
sympathetic and empathetic. Between
opportunity and opportunism, pity and
solidarity.
Aaron's admonition to Detroit's new-
comers is simple: "If you have read all this
and want to learn even more about the
history of the city and don't consider your-
self a savior, well, then you will do fine
here. Welcome to Detroit. Don't forget to
pay your property taxes:'
How to Live in Detroit without Being a
Jackass is an invaluable, imperfect book.
But you don't have to take my word for
it! Aaron will be reading, signing and
shmoozing at the Repair the World
Workshop (2701 Bagley Ave. in Southwest
Detroit, ample parking) on Thursday, Dec.
10, at 6 p.m. *
Dry Bones
letters
Obama, Netanyahu
Get Down To Work
Your
Legal Issues
security and is united with Israel in the
battle against terrorism. Both countries
share the goals of containing Iran's
ambitions toward a nuclear weapon,
advancing the peace process with the
Palestinians and fighting the instability
in the region exemplified by extremists
like ISIS.
We are encouraged that the impor-
tance of U.S.-Israel cooperation in the
face of these challenges was reaffirmed
in the meeting between the two leaders.
THEY CAN HURT US, THEY CAN
FRIGHTEN US, THEY CAN DEPRESS
US, THEY CAN DISAPPOINT US, BUT
THEY CAN NEVER DEFEAT US, FOR
WE ARE HOME!
NEVER AGAIN!
IMPORTANT MESSAGE
I'm retired. My credit
card debt and housing
costs are too high. Do
I keep paying?!
If you are elderly,
retired and living
on a fixed income
and your obligation
on your credit cards and
housing costs leaves
you no money for food,
transportation and
living, you can and
must do something to
fix the problem. You can't
keep paying until you are
broke. There are solutions
that will get rid of the credit
card debt and trim your
housing costs - so you have
money to live and enjoy your
retirement - but you need to
take action.
L
THAV GROSS
has been
solving its clients' business, tax and
financial problems since 1982. Be
sure to tune in the Law and Reality
- Sundays at 11 AM on TV20 and
Tuesdays Noon -1 PM on WCHB
1200AM/99.9FM.
0 THAV GROSS
Dr. Richard Krugel, president
Jewish Community Relations Council of
888.235.4357 (HELP) or
248.645.1700
Metropolitan Detroit
Bloomfield Township
For information, visit us online at
thavgross.com • lawandreality.com
www.drybones.com
30150 Telegraph, Suite 444
Bingham Farms, MI 48025
continued on page 6
November 19 2015
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