Reader's Write
Toth
dltor:
The thinking in your ito-
ri 1, "Moving from Colony to
Communi y. CMichigan Citiz n,
F b. 13-19, 199 ),. typical of
n gativi tic r ac ionary p­
proach to th probl m that w
a community. It i thi
kind of thinking that the
g h If mpty ins d of
half full and k us tagnated.
The editorial tat that the
argument in oppo ition to
Highland Park' proposed Mu­
nicipal Governm nt Complex
boil down to high cost in a time
of defici and dOWI izing. This
rgum nt fail to consider the
. exorbitant cos currently being
borne by the citizens of High­
land Park in maintaining the old
dilapidated buildings, but most
importantly, we are concerned
about the health of all our citi-
zens.
Please consider these facts:
the building has asbestos;
nauseous fum emit from the
basement; and, it cannot aceom­
modate our physically chal­
lenged citizens as required by'
law.
The mos basic logic dictates
that wh n your car ge beyond
a certain condition, it is cheaper
to buy a new one than continue
pouring good money after bad in
repairs and maintenance of the
old one. The same logic holds
true for the City's current build­
ings.
We must have a more proac­
tive approach to our City's fu­
ture, and that means
anticipating that the current
downsizing trend will be re­
versed and will result in even­
tual long-term growth and
prosperity. The housing pro­
jects, currently underway in the
City, are a positive step in the
growth of our citizenry.
As to the crux of your argu­
ment, that moving to a new City
Hall "only perpetuates the colo­
nialism under which the City
now struggles," the citizens
strongly take issue! There were
few questions asked prior to the
City being governed by African
Americans. Now that it is, the
Michigan Citizen is reporting
that there exists apprehensions
and misgivings that we, as Afri-
n American iden, n im-
pro nd dvan our City.
Unfortunat ly, with th
flight from urban to ubur n
, th with I ft t t w
ry to red velop our city.
Do we then, ref to d I
with th ( nd I quot th ichi­
gan Citiz n) "non ident vul­
tu ", who have the faith and
d ire to inv t and upport u
and the wherewithal to finance
uch proj , which would be 0
the Ci y' ultima benefit?
Or, u e the "vulture " fi­
nan to h Ip rebuild and mod­
ernize our City? We could then
attract the attention and citi­
zenship of young prof ional
and working class families into
our City for its future longevity.
. LINSEY PORTER
Mayor of Highland Park
)oln Wayne County Commission
Chairman
Arthur B. Blackwell. II
on
waBH 1400 1111
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Don tion: 20 p r per on/ B. .0.
Dinner included - rved 8:00-9:30
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Emm tt Baylor, Jr., Mayor
Arch r' Exe. A i tant, r ad
proclamation to N'COBRA
d ignating F b. 25, Nation I
R paration 0 y in 0 troit.
Councilm n Clyd CI v I nd
r ad procl m tion to N'CO-
BRA on b If of t 0 tro
City Council.
ational eparation
Day Celeb tuion
warene
Ernie Robinson does a Martin Abayome Azi Kiwe, reparations
Luther King impression during ctivist, speak during the cele-
the reparations celebration. bratlons.
Sami Mohammad from the Na- Cindy Owens, reads a procla­
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reparations celebration. of Wayne County Commis-
ioner Arthur Blackwell.
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It'
n/� ht nlng
I UBMIT;THATiftheCity
of Highland Park refus to take
advantage of this opportunity
for development, regard I of
th pigmentation or domicile of
the investors, Cities like Livonia
and Ann Arbor will gladly accept
and continue drawing residents
and nonresidents alike into
their communities for commerce
and entertainment, including
many of the readers of the
Michigan Citizen. That, I sug­
gest, is the ultimate in colonial-
ism. '
The City of Highland Park
would welcome Highland Park
developers and contractors that
could afford to front the $10-12
million necessary to fund the
projects. But, there are none
that can afford to lend the nec-
IT .. TRUE t t the Ci� . ry funqa � th C�ty and w it
has been do iZl m he aat - thirty years .o be pard back.
few years. ver to not too You. indicate ( nd again I
forward to the futu� means con- quote) "the acid test leaders in
tinued downsizing until the City the Black co�munity. must ap:
is downsized out of existence. ply to any project before them.
Finally, (you ask) "does this en-
rich residents in my community
jobs, profits and ownership?"
I submit that moving to a new
City Hall Complex will result in
employment for residents as
other developers witness the
growth and come forward with
additional projects and funds,
which would result in profits for
the City and its overall image.
The residents will also bene­
fit by direct ownership of its new
Municipal Government facili­
ties as well as continued control
and ownership of its City. .
There is a saying that, "there
are two things that must open: a
mind and a parachute. Failure
of either to open means sure
death."
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