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Detroit Journalism egi r iv

COOPERATIVE

What about the neighborhoods?

The Detroit bankruptcy one year later

By Keith A. Owens

Senior Editor

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nce upon a time, Detroit was about
as close to a workingman's para-
dise as ever there was in America.
Understanding, of course, that there is a rather
large gap between a workingman's paradise
and the popular imagining of that other place
where everything comes up rainbows and all
frowning is banned.
The racism was intense and brutal, the
working conditions in the factories were far
from ideal, particularly for those workers
whose skin color was noticeably darker than
their coworkers', and the homes they returned
to after hours of exhausting labor were, in
many instances, far less than ideal. But com-
pared to where they came from, Detroit was
the chance many thought they would never
have in life. And Detroit did, in fact, become
known as the city with the highest rate of
homeownership of any other city — for African
Americans as well as in general. In 1950,
Detroit was also the fifth largest city in the
country with the highest per capita income.
This combination of home ownership and
high rates of employment, plus the growth
of small neighborhood businesses, led to
relatively stable neighborhoods, even if those
neighborhoods were starkly segregated based
on class and race. It wasn't perfect by any
means, but at least it offered a foundation on
which to build community.
But then came the nearly 20-year-long
perfect storm which began in the early 1950s,
a storm fueled by urban removal, white flight,
the decline of the auto industry, and the
cause/aftermath of the 1967 riot/rebellion. It is
the ongoing devastation set in motion by that
storm that set Detroit on a course that eventu-
ally wound up in emergency management and
then bankruptcy. It is also what lit the match
that set fire to the stability of many Detroit
neighborhoods. Detroit had been known as
a city of neighborhoods, but by the time the
city filed for bankruptcy on July 18, 2013, an
entirely different reality had taken hold and far
too many of those neighborhoods were either
devastated wastelands or barely hanging on
by a thread
One year after the bankruptcy, the ver-
dict is somewhat mixed as to how well the
neighborhoods are benefiting once you step
outside of downtown and Midtown. John
George, one of the men who founded Motor
City Blight Busters 27 years ago as part of
a collective effort involving three fathers
determined to clean up their own neighbor-
hood, is one of those who is unabashedly
optimistic about his city's prospects in the
shadow of the bankruptcy.

"The bankruptcy, as difficult
as it was, that was something
that had to be perfected," he
said. "We've got new street-
lights. We haven't had lights in
this community in years. We've
got new buses. We haven't
had any buses in years.
"Right now I'm at the corner
of Grand River and 6 Mile.
To my left there's a brand
new Meijer's gas station and
Meijer's. They spent $33 mil-
lion. Next to that there's two
brand new strip malls coming
Lester Porter (L) and Dan the Man, both homeless,
Terrance, right, sits outside the entrance to the new Red Wings stadium
up. Across the street there's
wait down the street from the Tumani Center on
construction site on Cass Ave.
another brand new strip
Third St. in the Cass Corridor for food. They are
mall. They're getting ready to looking for homes and hoping things will get better.
restore the old library into a
community center. Behind that
or Midtown, or even in a neighborhood like
the cynicism and distrust expressed by
they're bringing the AP thing back. So, you
Brightmoor, or the Avenue of Fashion..."
Robbins and others, and he is cautious not
know, I'm in the epicenter of redevelopment
to dismiss those observations out of hand
Mildred Hunt Robbins, who co-founded the
in northwest Detroit. And it's not just because
West Grand Boulevard Collaborative in 2004
because he knows they have merit. Still, what
of the bankruptcy, and not just because we've
with her husband, Tommie E. Robbins Jr.,
he has seen since the bankruptcy has caused
got a progressive mayor, and not just because
remains unconvinced that the bankruptcy has
him to lean more towards optimism.
we now have councilmembers elected by dis-
"Detroit is not there yet, but I think we're
benefited the neighborhoods, and is perplexed
trict, and not just because of what the blight
going in the right direction."
by those who claim to see a silver lining.
busters and other groups have done to keep
"My feeling is that, yes, the neighborhood
"I do think that the bankruptcy, for all of
these neighborhoods on life support, literally,
is improving, but not necessarily for those
its controversy, it's opened the door for real
until we could get some kind of coordinated
who have been longtime residents," she said.
change in the city, and we're seeing that. I
effort out of city hall. All of those are the
"There are a lot of barriers to people who
think some of the investments we've seen,
reasons why this city is coming back. And I
some of the initiatives we've seen couldn't
have been suffering economically for a long
believe that Detroit is on the front porch of the
and wouldn't have been done if the city had
time, and it sounds good, but then you're not
greatest urban comeback story in this nation's
been crushed by that debt, because that debt
able to access it because of conditions that
history. But we gotta learn to work together,
are a part of the economic downturn that dev-
would have taken priority.
and we gotta put our petty differences aside.
astated so many people.
"There's some real excitement that Detroit
We gotta stop pointing fingers and blaming
"In our particular community, we have a
is in the throes of some real change. ...
people and say what am I gonna do today to
there's a feeling that we're at a great turning
lot of new residents because DMC, (Detroit
make my city better."
point in the history of Detroit."
Medical Center), Wayne State and Henry Ford
James Ribbron, one of the co-founders of
Health System were giving monetary incen-
Process Leaders/Impact Detroit, agrees that
tives for people who would either buy homes
there has been some positive change happen-
in this community or rent in this community.
ing in some of the neighborhoods, but he is
So that was a great benefit for people who
About this series
reluctant to shout hallelujah just yet.
lived elsewhere, and had an opportunity to
"I look at my neighborhood, and I stay on
New Michigan Media (NMM) is a collaboration
get monetary support in relocating closer to
between the five largest minority media in SE
Hereford Street. It's on the east side on the
where they worked, but as far as the people
Michigan (The Arab American News, The Latino
border of Harper Woods and Grosse Pointe,
who actually live here and have been living
Press, The Michigan Chronicle, The Michigan
and I moved over there 15 years ago, and it
here long-term, I don't see how that was a
Korean Weekly, and The Jewish News) with a
was a pretty thriving neighborhood. Just this
benefit to them.
combined estimated circulation of 120,000 weekly.
past holiday weekend when we rode down
NMM is also a founding partner of The Detroit
"We don't want a situation as has hap-
the street, we were looking at more aban-
Journalism Cooperative (DJC). Funded by the John
pened in so many communities where hos-
S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Renaissance
doned houses and it concerns me.
pitals and universities expand and they just
Journalism's Michigan Reporting Initiative and the
"That's due in part to the lack of population
simply push folks out. We lost Paradise Valley,
Ford Foundation, the DJC aims to report about
growth, but it's still a concern. We chose that
and before that we lost Black Bottom, and we
and create community engagement opportunities
neighborhood because of the density and the
don't want it to end up where we'll look up
in Detroit and its post-bankruptcy recovery. Each
proximity to businesses and things like that.
article in the series appears in all the NMM member
20 years from now and the only people who
And the fact that there are more abandoned
newspapers, and is posted on the DJC website.
actually live here will be college professors,
This article is from THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE.
houses today and they seem to be coming
and students and hospital personnel, and then
The DJC is a unique collaboration between
faster than the neighborhood can redevelop
the rest of us will be pushed out..."
important
media outlets of the region, and includes
concerns me. ... The bankruptcy has opened
Luther Keith, founder of ARISE! Detroit,
The Center for Michigan's Bridge Magazine, Detroit
the door for some things to happen, but I'm
an organization founded to empower neigh-
Public Television, Michigan Public Radio, WDET and
not sure that I see it happening in the neigh-
New Michigan Media.
borhoods and best known for its annual
borhoods like I see it happening downtown
Neighborhoods Day celebration, understands

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