DOC: What's going on in Detroit?

[Mehen]

I've been hearing the odd thing in the news, or in threads here. Can you kind of "sum up" wtf has been going on there for the last few years?

[Dr Mordrid]

Starting back in the 70's Detroit was taken over by the Coleman Young administration; a more crooked bunch of political hacks the likes of which I haven't seen since Mayor Daley in Chicago. Young was racially divisive (think Jesse Jackson on mega-steroids) and basically created an environment that brought on the "white flight" by both individuals and businesses.

His police chief was imprisoned by the feds for corruption and members of Young's supporters (and a few family) were in deep with the drug trade (ex: cocaine dealer White Boy Rick dated Young's niece and even attended parties at the mayor's mansion). Fun crowd.

With all this going on Young escaped unscathed despite the best efforts of the FBI. One slippery SOB.

His people became entrenched in Detroit's government even after his retirement and death due to their not being in elected positions but in high level civil service jobs where they could use their influence to maintain their own power but never lose their jobs.

Parallel to this Young-ites took on many positions in the Democrat leadership in Detroit, which along with the entrenched powers made sure their influence was unabated through the years. Today many are on city council and other power positions.

At one point a mayor was elected that wasn't a Young-ite, former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Dennis Archer, but try as he might he was unable to do reforms that threatened the existing power structure due to their interference and entrenchment.

Through all these years some things did get done, but the generally anti-white/anti-suburban/anti-corporate attitude of the Detroit power structure (a Young hallmark) did damage to both Detroit and the suburbs.

Next came the election of Kwame Kilpatric as Mayor. His mother is a US Congresswoman from Detroit and very powerful in the Democrat party being Chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus. As such she was able to protect Kwame in his various scandals.

Kilpatrick became known as "the hip-hop mayor" due to his embracing of that culture and the parties held at the mayors mansion. One such party a few years ago went so wrong that reports of that night were scrubbed from the police records and one stripper who worked that night was killed a few weeks later, coincidentally with the same kind of round used in police weapons.

The murder could never be proved, but two police officers did a whistle blow on the party cover-up only to be fired. The law suit over their firing lead to the situation we have now. Kilpatrick lied during the trial of their lawsuit, the county prosecutor filed charges on it and here we are - a city ruled by Mayor Jailbird.

This continuing 40 year soap opera has continued to drive people and companies from Detroit and Michigan over time. Putting things simply: it's a freakin' zoo.

Would you want to do business in a region like this?

Oh, and dare I mention that our tax structure puts such a burden on businesses that they can't wait to leave? We are the only state in the union with a "single business tax" over and above the usual income and employment taxes, and it's expensive enough that we've lost everything from auto plants to appliance manufacture (Frigidaire etc.).

Corruption, high taxes, institutional racism vs. non-blacks in Detroit itself....Get the picture?

[ND66]

.... a more crooked bunch of political hacks the likes of which I haven't seen since Mayor Daly in Chicago.

LOL!


But, you’re talking Senior or Junior?


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[Dr Mordrid]

Both...the Richard Daley machine still exists under new management...his son Richard Jr. Obama is a product of that machine. That's not necessarily a political swipe, just a statement of the fact that on the way up his major benefactors were in and of the Daley machine.

[KRSESQ]

Of the two, which would you consider the lesser evil?

Kevin

[Mehen]

So is the inner city of detroit just going to end up a ghost town? Or "Escape from New York"-like?
Properties going for a dollar and being looted? Whats that all about? What is crime like in the area you are moving to?

[Dr Mordrid]

Where we are and where we are moving to are about 3 miles apart and there is virtually no street crime. We do have a bit of vandalism, robberies etc., but no more than anywhere else. Go to our district court any day and it's 99% traffic violations, drunk drivers, fights etc. We might see 1-2 homicides a year, or none.

Not to say there isn't imported trouble, sometimes caused by authorities who should know better.

Ex: Just yesterday there was a shoot-em up on the north side of Westland. A drug deal was going on in a strip mall. The sellers arrived first then the buyers (all outsiders) arrived. The buyers decided to take their money and the drugs, opening fire on the sellers who happened to be members of the Wayne County Organized Crime Strike Force. All of a sudden it's like the O.K. Corral - about 100 shots fired in <3 minutes. One buyer dead, one wounded and a lot of scared patrons and employees. This happened at 4:30 pm, so there were plenty of both.

WTF the Strike Force was doing setting up a sting in a residential area I have no idea.

Downtown Detroit is pretty safe. You might see the odd mugging or drunken assault during big-crowd days like the ethnic festivals but otherwise.... It's some of the neighborhoods outside downtown that are dangerous. The problem is that most all the 'good people' have left, leaving only those who cannot afford to leave and those who predate on them.

Then there are the neighborhoods that are almost totally abandoned, including by the police. Block after block of boarded up or burned houses & businesses, drug dens, etc. etc. etc. They make south LA look like Miami Beach. In those places you don't dare go even in daylight unless you're in a Bradley or Stryker.

That said some Detroit neighborhoods are safe, mostly those at the city's western and northwestern sections and the Grosse Pointe's to the northeast (the old auto barons enclave).

Want a cheap 30's mansion? You can get one in Grosse Pointe for what you'd pay for a bungalow in Mass.

The economics and corrupt politicians in both the city and schools assure that only those who don't send their kids to other cities for school get an education worth having. Just the schools alone generated a $408 million deficit this year and all efforts by a new (and honest) superintendent are being met with resistance by the board. Seems no one wants to know where all the money went.

Then there are the continuing investigations into Mayor Jailbird and the city council, half of which (and their staffs) are under investigation by the FBI.

[ND66]

Of the two, which would you consider the lesser evil?

Kevin

IMO, Daley Jr. did what I call a “Face Lift” to Downtown Chicago. He cleaned it up quite a bit, new parks, etc.

Actually, there are far worse corrupted people then Daley Jr. here, like Todd Stroger.


Thanks to his spending habits like $17000.00 pay rise for his cousin, Chicago's Cook County has the HIGHEST sales tax in the country = 10.5% !!!


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[Technoid]

IMO, Daley Jr. did what I call a “Face Lift” to Downtown Chicago. He cleaned it up quite a bit, new parks, etc.

Actually, there are far worse corrupted people then Daley Jr. here, like Todd Stroger.


Thanks to his spending habits like $17000.00 pay rise for his cousin, Chicago's Cook County has the HIGHEST sales tax in the country = 10.5% !!!


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when you hit 20%, then you can complain