I
1m
- f
MlCliIGAN crnZi:N
ood Par Di ric Council:' Speaking up for 1
poor . eople who I ere pushed out .
By
NOTE; The following �polt
is pan of an on-going series to
commemorate the fint 20 yean
of citizen district councils, estab
lisJud to represent resident: of
urban renewal �as. .
The Elmwood Park #3
Citizen District Council (CDC),
represents citizens from
Lafayette to Vernor, Mt Elliot
to Chene, including the old
"Black Bottom" area.
Elmwood CDC was formed
in 1973 as the result of a civil
war. Residents of the com
munity worked to seeeed from
the larger So theast Citizc
District Council and form a
council of their own, to repre
sented their ideas.
According to John B. Me
Donald, the problem with the
old Southeast Council was
"prejudice" - not racial
prejudice of hite people
against Black, but prejudice of
council membus of both races
against people without money. .
--rhe Black people did not
want to see 10 income Blacks
(in the area), the white people
complained against low inoome
ites," McDo d said
Without a fair deYelopment
plan, poor people would be
pushed out of the area by urban
renewal and would not be able
to ID(We back·
Claiming that the old
Southeast District Council did
not . to create such a plan,
residents, under the leadership
of McDonald and a social
worker named Margaret
Moogan got the city to establish·
a new council
LO GLABO
A spo esperson noted that
a ed:
C rtoon----�
The 'Young People
Musical Theater of Detroit
(YPMT), in cooper tion
with the Detroit Bia Arts
Alliance (DBAA) and I
Project BAIT is searching
forcartoo· whose wor
ould be exhibited a
lobby display during up
coming YPMT produc
tions.
The cartoo either in
dividual or strips, would be
mounted on poster board
and displayed like other
visual art wor .
In additio the cartoo
would be made available to
ne pape
locally and nati nally, for
publication.
If you're intere ed or
know of anyon' interested,
in being a part of thi
project, contact YPMT
838-3377 and/or the
DBAA 931-3427
I.
..
when the Elmwood Council was
formed, there were long
months of laboring - nights,
weekends and sometimes
holidays.·
McDonald suggested there
were some built-in difficulties.
Some people did not under
stand that he and Moogan
wanted mixed housing for all in
comes. It was charged that the
two wanted the whole area built
up for welfare people."
Therefore, the Elmwood
Council was set up in such a way
that there were residents from
other areas on it, 'including the
more affluent Lafayette Park.
However, McDonald stated,
the dM:rsity of groups, incomes,
interests, and attitudes on the
council did no cause dissention
or hostility which might be ex
pected
"It's wonderful here." he said
"We worked very close together
without bickering or political in
fighting. We would have never
developed so far as we had, ifwe
hadn't worked together."
One significant sign of coun
cil unity was the fad that Mc
Donald served as the council's
chair for 15 years, OYer since the.
day it was formed
Among the accomplish
meats proudly listed by the
1
AC FULL NUMBE 0
WINCOME
When low income people
Ye from Section 8 develop
ents, McDonald said,
Iopen do not try to get low
. come people to replace them
d the subsidies are not used
He claims that the Michigan
_ te Housing Authority does
n t adequately pro teet fhe
. ts of low income people.
He also charged sometimes
nefits classified as Section 8
Iy provide market rate hous
wbich is too high for low in
people to pay.
Mcl>onald or ked with
coFunity leaders and com
m nity businessmen to form the
Coordinating Couuncil with
ref.resentat:ives of every citizen
diStrld council
State la establishing dis-
trict councils gave the coor
dinating council the power to
appoint two representatives to
it n the governing board of the
troit Housing Commission,
areas.
McDonald chosen by his
fellow members to serve on the
Housing Commission for the
last 15 years. He was elected
b th by his fellow repre-
sentatives and by the yor'
appointees to serve djfferent
tl;rms as the Housing doDJ.JJW;
sion President and Vice Presi
dent
In his work 0 . the Ifousing
Commission, McDonal� was in
tested in maintaining public
housing, program under the
Roosevelt Administration, sug
gested by Eleanor Roosevelt to
ensure that people with less in
come could have "safe and
sanitary housing."
McDonald charged because
of I cutbacks under Republican
administrations, cities are not
given funds to keep public hous-
�intad.
s � BREWSTER SHOULD
B REPAIRED
McDonald believes that it
wo d have been better to repair
ho sing in such projects as
Br ter, rather than tearing
the down, because the old
te niques of buildi made
&0 ing last longer.
owever, he does not blame
Ma r Coleman Young for thi
de ion, but state that the
De artment of Housing and
U r an Development under
Re ublican Administration
pre ented funds from being
use for repairs.
cDonald indicates he has
see Mayo Young as an ally,
who has "revitalized this town"
and uilt up neighborhoods in
Cas and Gratiot"
•
Church I opens
doors to 'ousted
homeless c
blankets were donated to aid there is no church business
this undertaking_ pending, the peop are allowed
ome people can't tand to to remain all day rather than
see us help ourselves", said Pip- turning them out on the street in
pin, after someone reported the the mominp until dinner time
church to the rue Inspector. as many shelters do.
Pippin said someone from that Sh1elter coordina or Morris
Department came out and Brown said that many of the
threatened to fine Rev. Cobbin people are burn-out victims
if he did not resolve the poten- from the recent fire in'the Tre-
tial fire bazzard, Way Aparu,cuts in Detroit
Pippin said Cobbin stood Pippin Said on the days the
firm against the inspector and people are not able to stay at the
told him he had no intention of church, they are kept busy at the
turning the people out into the NHU Drop- In Center, 3627
cold because of a potentiality. Cass, to man the office duties
Pippin said the inspector and . t in the distribution of
pho ed Cobbin later and gave donated clothing.
e 0 to continue his efforts. Pippin said .he called the
Cobbin said he uspects the majority of the downtown shel-
( anonymous complaint wa ters such The Coalition On
someone's attempt to gain Temporary Shelter (COTS),
r�nge against him for u ef- The Salvation Army, The Walk
forts to stop casino gambling. in, and The Rescue Mission to
He said he has been in close I inform them that NHU is in a
contact with City County offi- temporary helter program in
ciaIs, d has requested that case any of their clieDtele should
they arrange a meeting with get turned a y, they can refer
Public Housing. them to Freedom Missionary
Cobbin said he intends to Church.
Public Housing to open i avail- . Pippin said for the first three
ble door to the home . He days the people were being fed
said in the meantime, ap- from the budget of NHU, but
proximately 100 people are after the ne spread, many
picked up by the NHU. van and donations were made to the
droppedoffatthechurch ere church and now meals are
the people are fed and bedded planned two and three days
down for the night ahead instead of having to buy
. He said some days when food everyday .:
council are over 900 units of
housing in such developments
asr
- JOHN D. MCDONALD
SQUARE, named for Mc
Donald himself, on Vernor at
Prince Hall Drive, consisting of
180 units.
- FRANKLIN WRIGHT
VIlLAGE, 142 units at
Lafayette and Chene,
- FENIMORE COURT,·
144 units on the east and west
side of <llene.
-PARKVIEW SQUARE
AND TOWER, 340 units -- 230·
wUmof�or�hous�
56 townhouses and 64 apart
ments -. at 1601 Robert Brad
dy I>r'i\'e, east of Olene.
- ELMWOOD VIlLAGE,
10 condominiums on Robert
Brady Drive, east of Chene.
- NOEL VILLAGE, 202
units Prince Hall Drive east of
Chene.
- HUNTINGroN PLACE,
101 units in a program which
provides people who wish to
owntheirownapartmentanop- ELMWOOD PARK CITIZENS DISTRICT COUNCIL
portunity to purchase one.
_ And most recently, . e I . pact in variety orh I ts.
DELTA MANOR, 99 units of -
senior citizen hous� on Ver- there will be plans for more representing the concerns of
nor between St. Alban and housing win the near future", residents in urban renewal
Cheae. when funds and development
McDonald predicts that companies are found to do it
While proud of these chan-
ges, McDonald expressed dis
appointment that many poor
people were unable to benefit
from them. Because housing
prices were so high, poor people
were unable to afford to pay for
them.
He notes that in 15-20% of
the. housing units of ome
developments, federal law
states there are supposed to be
federal "Section 8" housing sub
sidies to help people with 10 in
comes pay the costs, but he es
tes that less than the full
,!mber actually benefit from
.'