  Renfirst Member Username: Renfirst Post Number: 143 Registered: 12-2006 |
DETROIT -- As early as the spring, the city could begin closing streets and sprucing up buildings in the Harmonie Park area as it moves ahead with the creation of a Paradise Valley Cultural and Entertainment District. The district would commemorate the "Black Bottom" of Detroit, once home to an entertainment scene that drew blacks and whites from across the country to perform or check out shows, clubs and restaurants. The project will cost at least $10 million, an amount the Downtown Development Authority announced in March it allocated for the project. City planners are looking for businesses and developers that want to be a part of the fledgling district, but not if they think there is a fire sale on property. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pb cs.dll/article?AID=/20071203/M ETRO01/712030392 So is this Kwame's big announcement??? | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 2919 Registered: 06-2006 |
"So is this Kwame's big announcement???" This project was announced a long time ago, and there's nothing new in the article, so I doubt it. Seems pretty silly to create a black cultural district in a city that is over 80% black...Greektown and Mexican town make sense, but not a Blacktown...the only reason Black Bottom existed in 1940s was because blacks were a minority in the city at the time... Also, the fact that this cultural district is requiring government assistance to create it will cause the place the have a feel of illegitimacy...it will never have the feel of a Greektown or Mexican town if its built this way... And not only is it bad that it's requiring government assistance, (cultural districts are usually created by the people themselves), but the government is actually the driving force behind this project...It's not like you have a group of entrepreneurs trying to create this place (that fact alone tells you it's probably not a good financial decision)...instead you have they city government out there soliciting entrepreneurs to be a part of it...not a good move business-wise | ||
Danny Member Username: Danny Post Number: 6852 Registered: 02-2004 |
BAD MISTAKE I'LL PROTEST! A NEW PARADISE VALLEY/AFRICANTOWN IS RACIST! Creating a "BLACKS ONLY" shops in Harmonie Park is unacceptable. I'll not shop nor buy or eat over there. Please join me Don't shop and eat at Harmoni---- Blacks only cultural community. Detroit is one big Africantown. I don't a black community in a black community. A race card blacklash from the old Paradise Valley in Hastings Street that was torn down. Plus the City CLOWNSIL is using city dollars to build a " blacks only" community and not putting more tax dollars to help out other small ethnic oasis communities in Detroit. | ||
Rb336 Member Username: Rb336 Post Number: 3789 Registered: 02-2007 |
I'm no fan of the project and it does seem forced, like most award show tributes to dead people. what bothers me most is the location -- Harmonie Park is a great location that could esily become more successful, and I think this sort of racist BS will be harmful to the area | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 2285 Registered: 04-2006 |
quote: How exactly does this qualify as racist? | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 1037 Registered: 08-2007 |
I can't see they mean "blacks only." They mean to celebrate the cultural and entertainment energy that was Hastings Street, for all to enjoy. Does anyone think Greektown is only for Greeks, or Mexican Town is only for Mexicans? | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4089 Registered: 02-2005 |
It's not racist but it's awkward and an unneccesary use of the race card in economic development. I also don't think Harmonie Park itself should receive any changes. It is a beautiful space. This is also revisionist history. Harmonie Park is a historically German space. Neither black nor German should matter today, though...just get some more redevelopment and leave it at that (HP is not in bad shape anyway...there already is plenty of street-level activity). | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 2286 Registered: 04-2006 |
Are there any German establishments still left in Harmonie Park? It's not exactly like they're going into Greektown and pushing all of the greek restaurants out, is it? Also, the revival of the Paradise Valley moniker is just a marketing scheme... Kinda like rebranding the Cass Corridor as "Midtown". | ||
Gumby Member Username: Gumby Post Number: 1663 Registered: 11-2003 |
quote: The fact that a government is using tax dollars to fund the establishment of a district that is solely one race is racist. I think it is disgraceful that the original Paradise Valley/Black Bottom was destroyed for an expressway and I am sure it was rather racist on the part of the administrators at the time when that decision was made. Lets face it though their plans are in essence doing the same thing to Harmonie Park/Germantown as well. Destroying all evidence of a previous ethnic district for some Epcot like BS. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 2287 Registered: 04-2006 |
quote: Okay, so show me where the government has said that the new Paradise Valley is to be an exclusively black district? | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4091 Registered: 02-2005 |
This is all a distraction and will not aid (and might hurt) economic redevelopment, and that's all the matters. Quit putting race-labels on Harmonie Park and look around the corner at all the work that needs to be done. Get some of that promised infil on the Madison Lenox site, and get to work planning for the Gratiot/375 site's future. Danny's right...this is a city clownsil. | ||
Gumby Member Username: Gumby Post Number: 1665 Registered: 11-2003 |
Hide behind semantics all you want but the fact remains that this is going to be "Africantown". In general I think it is a great idea, I just don't think government dollars should be used. | ||
Irish_mafia Member Username: Irish_mafia Post Number: 1130 Registered: 10-2003 |
Cultural Area? That would be called Midtown | ||
Spitty Member Username: Spitty Post Number: 641 Registered: 07-2004 |
It should give Asian Village a run for it's money... | ||
Detroitduo Member Username: Detroitduo Post Number: 893 Registered: 06-2005 |
This is my favorite quote from the City Council: "A prospective developer or business owner does not have to be African-American to be part of the district, but the Detroit City Council wants the area to have a strong African-American presence and initially named it the Black Business District." I have been to too many Council meetings and heard too often that the people standing in front of them are "the wrong color"... So, I wonder what constitutes a "Strong African-American presence", according to the Council??? I hope they put aside a couple million$$ for the first couple of lawsuits.....I love paying my city taxes for lawsuits instead of services and police. Seriously, this is the most forced and awkward mis-use of City money, yet. I am sorely disappointed and I seriously hope they don't ruin the momentum already rolling in Harmonie Park. | ||
Fnemecek Member Username: Fnemecek Post Number: 2637 Registered: 12-2004 |
They can find $10 million for Paradise Valley, but they can't hire enough police officers so that there's someone to respond when there's a shooting in my neighborhood. Real nice. (Message edited by fnemecek on December 03, 2007) | ||
Cub Member Username: Cub Post Number: 95 Registered: 02-2007 |
You all are full it. It states in the article that they are not asking for blacks only. They are using HP because it is already established and the funds can help build it up even more. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5843 Registered: 08-2004 |
Iheartthed... the last remnants of Germans in Harmonie Park was the Harmonie Club, located in the namesake building of that name. The Harmonie Club was a German social club founded in 1849, and was the oldest of all ethnic clubs in Detroit when it was disbanded in the late 1970's. Reason: no young people joined the club, and the old members were dying off. The elegant Harmonie Club Building was built in 1894. As a kid, I remember visiting the beautiful structure. It had a 2 story ballroom on one of the upper stories, with a balcony on the floor above looking down on the ballroom. There was also a 2 alley bowling alley in the basement. | ||
Toog05 Member Username: Toog05 Post Number: 163 Registered: 03-2006 |
I envision this district being made up mostly, blacks who have recently originated from Africa, there is a vast difference between "true" African-Americans, meaning they were born in Africa, and blacks who are Americans. So I do not think of this being racist. Just because the city is made up of 80% black does not mean that the majority of business owners in the city are black, which is not the case. | ||
Cub Member Username: Cub Post Number: 96 Registered: 02-2007 |
^^ Good Post | ||
Irish_mafia Member Username: Irish_mafia Post Number: 1133 Registered: 10-2003 |
"I envision this district being made up mostly, blacks who have recently originated from Africa" Does anybody else, including the city council envision this? Do we actually have anyone in the city that fits that profile? | ||
Downtown_remix Member Username: Downtown_remix Post Number: 546 Registered: 03-2007 |
geeze you guys just dont get it. Read the damn article and understand what this district will entail. Finding creative ways to market the downtown area is crucial in it becoming a retail filled haven for all of us, not just black businesses. | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 2922 Registered: 06-2006 |
"I envision this district being made up mostly, blacks who have recently originated from Africa," except you're wrong...the quote above clearly states that the city is trying to create an african-american cultural district, not an african cultural district...and as he stated, there is a vast difference between the two. That said, that doesn't make any difference as far as using government assistance to create a cultural district being a bad idea for a number of reasons.. | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 2923 Registered: 06-2006 |
"Do we actually have anyone in the city that fits that profile?" well, Kwame Kenyatta wears that funny hat all the time... | ||
Oldredfordette Member Username: Oldredfordette Post Number: 3330 Registered: 02-2004 |
This thread proves that you can't friggin win in this city. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 2288 Registered: 04-2006 |
quote: Yes. | ||
Irish_mafia Member Username: Irish_mafia Post Number: 1134 Registered: 10-2003 |
Just one? Or are there more? | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 2924 Registered: 06-2006 |
"Just one? Or are there more?" There's also Boubacar Cissoko...plays football for Cass Tech...I think that's pretty much it | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5845 Registered: 08-2004 |
It would be nice to get the Blue Nile back downtown (used to housed in Trappers Alley before they moved to Oakland County)... or to get a 2nd location. | ||
Irish_mafia Member Username: Irish_mafia Post Number: 1136 Registered: 10-2003 |
TJ, You are a funny man |
