Dateline: Detroit

Just saw a special on Detroit via Dateline, it was very moving. It moved people to reaction which is what good television does right? My social networking time lines were roiled by the depiction which i felt was largely accurate.

The piece touched on standard problems such as crime, education, housing, and money. Standing in a position without strings attached i think the looming problem is the what we value and our blind loyalty. One can gather a pretty accurate assessment of the city just from looking around, the grime and frowziness of the city tell the story with pristine clarity. You can tell what people care about by what they take care of, living in the city you are prone to hear many patrons professing their love and dedication, but its seeing it that usually presents the problem. Regularly visited establishments don't even have the decency to paint chipped outer shells, pull weeds out of the cracked cement, and put their best presentation forward but the catch is we accept it. The trash floating across sidewalks doesn't do much for the argument of love either. Aesthetics matter, firm believer, indeed i am. Detroit is simply one large eyesore. As a child i would come from out of town and the visuals of Detroit would without fail punch me right in the cornea every time i returned.

One of the stats mentioned was that there are 400 liquor stores within the city limits and concurrently the city is void of a major grocery store. Some things just ought not be so. The reality that the public school system was in such dire straits that the nations government had to send in an appointed official to try to salvage the school system speaks volumes, i do not believe any other city has needed such (I'm welcome to corrections, if i am wrong). High schools don't have running water in their science labs, small problem, however on top of many others it weighs tremendously. The city has a crime rate seven times higher than New York per capita, yes i said seven times. The argument that every city has problems fatigues easily in this conversation. I do not believe this was mentioned in the special but I've witnessed one of the most unprofessional, unproductive, and immature city councils in modern government (im sure of it). Arguing like children and talking about what people look like in city meetings among other trivial things make me scratch my head as to how these people are even remotely qualified to be in the positions they are in.

I started on this because many people seemed to be offended but becoming defensive isn't the right way to mend this thing. I had a friend that wrote, granted it was Facebook, "...unless you're going to tell on your friends and family that's selling drugs and robbing, you can't change Detroit". This statement is starkly accurate, the morals that we have that keep us from pushing each other to be better push us behind the eight ball. Many of the younger demographic 30 and below still finds time to honor Blade Icewood, a drug dealer who rapped on the side. In fact he's probably considered city royalty. For the record this isn't an obscure sentiment. The people of Detroit can be a very loving people but for the most part it seems that they just have not been taught what to love and care for. We accept and expect less. I do not want the people of Detroit to be so offended all the time, its like sticking up for your alcoholic uncle when indeed he is an alcoholic. We have to be pragmatic and stop trying to cover everything up and shift attention elsewhere. There are indeed some good things about the city but honestly they are few and far between. The city of Detroit once thrived and it can certainly do so again but the mindset of the people needs a major renaissance and a guidance on where they need to go.

If you want to catch some visuals and audio head over here.