Hey friends,
Detroit’s been in the news a bit lately, some of it good and some of it bad…. well most of it.
Reuters reports that Detroit and it’s suburbs have lost more residents in the past six years than “any comparable U.S. area except hurricane-battered New Orleans“, and reports on the over 300,000 jobs lost in that six year period. Then comes one of our state’s Republican congressmen with the statement that returning troops from Iraq tell him that war-torn Iraq “is reasonably under control, at least as well as Detroit or Chicago or any of our other big cities.” Thanks congressman Walberg….
Then there was the report about our housing crisis brought to you by Fox News. In it there is the story of one buyer who found “that houses he thought were bargains at $70,000 two years ago were now selling for just $35,000.” and on it goes about the fragile state of our real estate market.
Of course there’s the story of the 35 schools which will soon be closing, and there’s the story of a rapist on the loose on the west side….
Well, you get the picture. Still there’s hope for this city yet. There’s something unstoppable in the nature of the citizens of this city and it’s just a matter of time before we awake and scream “Enough is enough!”
There is new housing going up around town, the three casinos are rebuilding, the water front is sprouting new developments, we have a new superintendent of schools, we have a mayor who seems to be growing up…. sometimes I guess we need our backs to the wall before we realize what’s going on.
Mayor Kilpatrick talks about “Next Detroit”, well I don’t know about that, but I know that “This Detroit” still has possibilities and if all the good folks don’t run away – the possibilities for a great future still exist. A city is more than houses, and institutions, it is about people. We CAN make a difference here. Support all the local efforts underway and the local businesses trying to make a difference. Yeah, even Spencer-Fields Records, in our own way we too can help put The Motor City back on the map in a good light. That ain’t shameless promotion, it’s a fact. Each business that thrives here helps the whole area revive.
See ya!
