WSJ has very positive article on Detroit! (Farmington Hills, Southfield: crime, student loans)

[michsnowlvr]

nice to read...

Detroit Sees Signs of Turnaround - WSJ.com

[ForStarters]

How about this one in USA Today: Detroit and its auto industry are starting to roll again

[TyBnett]

I work for Automotive parts Supplier in NE Ohio. Gm and Ford are two of our biggest customers, business is definitly up compared to the last several years, we are hiring and getting a steady amount of overtime to boot :-)

[313Weather]

And now that we had our "rah rah" moment about "downtown" Detroit, lets step back into reality.

I admit the racial aspect was a little over exaggerated, but it's the non-bias truth.

Stuff Black People Don't Like - SBPDL: Once More Into the Breach: USA Today Proclaims Detroit's Comeback Offering Little Evidence in the Process

[ForStarters]

Originally Posted by 313Weather

And now that we had our "rah rah" moment about "downtown" Detroit, lets step back into reality.

I admit the racial aspect was a little over exaggerated, but it's the non-bias truth.

Stuff Black People Don't Like - SBPDL: Once More Into the Breach: USA Today Proclaims Detroit's Comeback Offering Little Evidence in the Process

Wow. There may be a 2 or 3 accurate stats in that article, but even they seem slanted among the rest of the author's bigotry and rhetoric. I wonder if the writer has ever taken the time to meet any of the hardworking, honest and dedicated black Detroiters who haven't fled. He paints the entire city with one ugly brush. Basically, blacks = do-nothing screw ups who ruined Detroit. After living here for half a decade, I can assure you that black Detroiters are not all the same. Everyone is different, just like whites are different, and many black Detroiters have traits that are admirable among any subset of humanity.

To add insult to injury, the guy pokes fun of whites who have moved into the city, labeling them a bunch of liberal hippies. He even seems to suggest that being college educated is some kind of character flaw. If the writer took the time to actually meet some of the city's newcomers, I think he'd find that most folks do not fit his canned stereotype of city residents. Take a trip out to West Village next Sunday for the weekly block party and you'll meet all kinds of Detroiters that do not fit the author's mold.

It's people like this blogger who take pleasure driving a wedge between us based on things like race. The bottom line here in Detroit is that there is a palpable movement by a dedicated core of city residents, which includes blacks, whites, hispanics, and others, who work their arses off to improve this town. Change is occurring, albeit slow, but the evidence of steady and sustained progress is here. Name one other community in Metro Detroit that has as much positive development and momentum as Detroit. A solid group of Detroiters are all rowing in unison for a better tomorrow. Sometimes I feel like we're trying to drag the rest of the city and region kicking and screaming into the future.

It's people like this author who want to preserve the status quo. Clearly, if he's writing 15 articles about "Stuff Black People Don't Like," he's got a vested interest in maintaining the sadness found in some parts of cities like Detroit. That's the same sadness many of us are desperately trying to end. Attempting to denigrate the positive agents of change within the city is a pathetic cause. I have no qualms about calling this guy out on what he is: an indefensible and pathetic internet twerp.

[313Weather]

Originally Posted by ForStarters

Wow. There may be a 2 or 3 accurate stats in that article, but even they seem slanted among the rest of the author's bigotry and rhetoric. I wonder if the writer has ever taken the time to meet any of the hardworking, honest and dedicated black Detroiters who haven't fled. He paints the entire city with one ugly brush. Basically, blacks = do-nothing screw ups who ruined Detroit. After living here for half a decade, I can assure you that black Detroiters are not all the same. Everyone is different, just like whites are different, and many black Detroiters have traits that are admirable among any subset of humanity.

To add insult to injury, the guy pokes fun of whites who have moved into the city, labeling them a bunch of liberal hippies. He even seems to suggest that being college educated is some kind of character flaw. If the writer took the time to actually meet some of the city's newcomers, I think he'd find that most folks do not fit his canned stereotype of city residents. Take a trip out to West Village next Sunday for the weekly block party and you'll meet all kinds of Detroiters that do not fit the author's mold.

It's people like this blogger who take pleasure driving a wedge between us based on things like race. The bottom line here in Detroit is that there is a palpable movement by a dedicated core of city residents, which includes blacks, whites, hispanics, and others, who work their arses off to improve this town. Change is occurring, albeit slow, but the evidence of steady and sustained progress is here. Name one other community in Metro Detroit that has as much positive development and momentum as Detroit. A solid group of Detroiters are all rowing in unison for a better tomorrow. Sometimes I feel like we're trying to drag the rest of the city and region kicking and screaming into the future.

It's people like this author who want to preserve the status quo. Clearly, if he's writing 15 articles about "Stuff Black People Don't Like," he's got a vested interest in maintaining the sadness found in some parts of cities like Detroit. That's the same sadness many of us are desperately trying to end. Attempting to denigrate the positive agents of change within the city is a pathetic cause. I have no qualms about calling this guy out on what he is: an indefensible and pathetic internet twerp.

Most of what he says is true. Now whether it's politically correct is a different story. He didn't say anyhtring about education being bad, but what he did say with relation to the characteristics of the demographic in question and the financial hardship they faced is true (it just wasn't said in a politically correct way).

He's right as long as the current culture in Detroit reigns (non-chalant corruption and lawlessness) that it will continue to decline. Now the color of a person's skin doesn't mater in my eyes, as a liberal African-American, but that fact can't be ignored. You will see ample proof of this with the middle class blacks now fleeing to places like Southfield (and likely Farmington Hills soon) and Oak Park. Sure, not ALL Detroiters fall into that culture, but majority of them do, and they make it bad for ALL Detroiters.

He's also right that for every Yuppie (who, I'm sure if the statistics were truly brought up, at least majorityv of them are saddled with student loans they'll be struggling to pay back for decades) that moves in, 10 tax paying citizens who don't have as much debt saddled on them move out.

The problem is, again, whatever change is happening is way too slow to reverse the now steady decline of Detroit. Even downtown last census still lost residents despite all the supposedly positive progress. At least in Chicago, despite losing 200,000 city-wide, their core still gain upwards of 100,000 people.

Point is the city is 143 sq. mi. wide. When you've lost 25% of your population in one census (and probably nearly 1/2 of the population lives below property, and likely 2/3 don't even pay taxes) and you're forecasted to not even crack 500,000 by the next election, you're going to need a lot more "change" than a few Yuppies and an occasional upscale grocery store (note: upscale, not a grocery store the demographic in question can actually afford, since they're scared stiff of the city) in a 4 sq. mi. area to help the ENTIRE city. And even then, if you know that majority of the city won't have a chance in heck of being revived, then be real with yourself and just say you're speaking of DOWNTOWN Detroit, not DETROIT.

And don't think I'm just singling out folks who live in the city, during my rants, I criticize suburbanites and people in the city equally. The leaders and innovators in this region have created one hot mess and now they're trying to figure out what the heck happened. Well duh!!! When you conduct a drastic transfer in wealth and population and them spread it out further on double the area of land then that's what you get, Metro Detroit in 2011.

EDIT: And he was 100% correct in his claim that the articles only prove that white suburbanites of Detroit REALLY enjoy watching sports, possibly more than having some basic quality of life improvements. Even in 1984 when the Tigers were in the playoffs White suburbanites still showed up at Michigan and Trumbull in droves. Of course the media was using the same old "Detroit's coming back!!!" feel good talking point back then, even though since 1984 the city looks much worse (even downtown from a commercial and retail standpoint) as a whole AND it has lost 500,000 additional people. But you better believe if the white suburbanites (who own and operate our media outlets and are the ones who overwhelmingly support the sports teams) in any legal way (magically the FCC and NFL licensing rules just disappeared) could drop the name "Detroit" from the teams and put "Auburn Hills" or "SE Michigan" or "Michigan" in its place, they would do so in a hot New York second!!!

Though quite honestly, the final nail in the coffin for Detroit (this recession notwithstanding) was when Johnny decided to lift the residency requirement for city workers. I do firmly believe it if weren't for that Detroit would still have a population around 1 Million right now and a stronger tax base (note, there was only a slight decline in population between 1990 and 2000 before it started to accelerate again).

[minibrings]

While its a RAH RAH moment. its not much of a RAH RAH moment.
Detroit has a long way ago economically, before it can be a healthy city.. and not sure when that will ever happen due to the cyclic nature of the auto industry
BTW I'm NOT a Detroit hater. I'd like for it to become a viable city without the high rate of poverty, crime or resident flight.

[detwahDJ]

Originally Posted by minibrings

While its a RAH RAH moment. its not much of a RAH RAH moment.
Detroit has a long way ago economically, before it can be a healthy city.. and not sure when that will ever happen due to the cyclic nature of the auto industry
BTW I'm NOT a Detroit hater. I'd like for it to become a viable city without the high rate of poverty, crime or resident flight.

We're living in a time of flux for Detroit. It seems the need for diversification is finally being recognized - at least I hope so.
No reason for this infrastructure to go to waste. Detroit can be reinvented, but the citizens who are left need employment, skills, attitude. Manufacturing other than the auto industry.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by detwahDJ

We're living in a time of flux for Detroit. It seems the need for diversification is finally being recognized - at least I hope so.
No reason for this infrastructure to go to waste. Detroit can be reinvented, but the citizens who are left need employment, skills, attitude. Manufacturing other than the auto industry.

High tech manufacturing.

Do something to entice Celestica, Sanmina SCI, Flextronics, et al, to beef up their presence.

The whole China / Mexico / etc thing has run its course. Large OEMs are discovering the hidden costs of going offshore / South of the Border.

I write this from direct experience.

The one thing that would need to happen ... they absolutely could not be union shops in the Detroit locale.