  6nois Member Username: 6nois Post Number: 603 Registered: 11-2006 |
There is a growing African population in the Seven and Wyoming area. With about 5000 living in Wayne County. http://www.metrotimes.com/edit orial/story.asp?id=9800 http://www.metromodemedia.com/ innovationnews/african05.aspx Irish you could look things up, its not hard. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 2289 Registered: 04-2006 |
quote: Or maybe just take a drive down West 7 Mile or West 8 Mile and look at the business names... (Message edited by iheartthed on December 03, 2007) | ||
Irish_mafia Member Username: Irish_mafia Post Number: 1137 Registered: 10-2003 |
6nois, Thanks for the research. Whatever I'm paying you...double it! | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 2925 Registered: 06-2006 |
lol | ||
Rb336 Member Username: Rb336 Post Number: 3797 Registered: 02-2007 |
"In addition, the city saves money by using the already established Harmonie Park area as the heart of the new district, Ribbron said. "We want to build on current activity," Ribbron said. "It will celebrate Detroit's cultural experience." 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. " that pretty much says it all. the rest is pretty nudge-nudge wink-wink. if they want to develop, why pick something they call already developed? the whole program is pointless | ||
Fmstack Member Username: Fmstack Post Number: 16 Registered: 06-2007 |
Lordy. Detroit is a black metropolis. Right now it's a really, really crappy black metropolis. I don't see why everyone's so up in arms about a relatively small and inexpensive plan to help make Detroit a better black metropolis. Like, seriously, I don't get it. The only way Detroit's going to come back without a serious, serious effort to get and keep black-owned businesses up and running is, well.. I can't think of one, other than the federal government parachuting a few billion dollars into the city. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 2290 Registered: 04-2006 |
if they want to develop, why pick something they call already developed? Probably because it's in proximity to where they plan to put the if they plan to develop the Paradise Valley Commemorative Park? | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 2926 Registered: 06-2006 |
IHD: Do you not see a problem with any of this? You're the only one here who seems to think this is a good idea. | ||
Fnemecek Member Username: Fnemecek Post Number: 2639 Registered: 12-2004 |
quote: Why should we spend $10 million to find "creative" ways of marketing a portion of downtown when we can't hire enough police officers to respond to every 9-1-1 call? | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 2291 Registered: 04-2006 |
quote: No, I don't see a problem with it. I think the only reason it's even an issue is because the legacy of Paradise Valley is rooted in black American history. If the intent were to regenerate the German legacy of Harmonie Park then I think the tone would be very different. | ||
Downtown_dave Member Username: Downtown_dave Post Number: 225 Registered: 07-2005 |
Fnemeck - Because improvements such as this help jumpstart neighborhood fixes, which reduces street crime, induces new business to open, and generates new revenue/taxes to pay for services including police/911. | ||
Fmstack Member Username: Fmstack Post Number: 17 Registered: 06-2007 |
Moreover, if there's more opportunities for legit advancement, there'll be less dealing, less scrapping, less robbing... seriously, saying that the city shouldn't develop business districts because they need to pay for police is like saying that the city shouldn't pay for schools. The consensus here against this particular project is frankly baffling. | ||
Rb336 Member Username: Rb336 Post Number: 3803 Registered: 02-2007 |
I would have less problems is the project was going into another location, instead of usurping an existing area. I have very little belief that the project would succeed and it sounds more like another give away to admin cronies at the expense of the city. | ||
Detroitduo Member Username: Detroitduo Post Number: 894 Registered: 06-2005 |
I honestly have absolutely no problem with the area being called "The Black Bottom" or "Black Business District" or "Paradise Valley". What I have a problem with is the way the council plans to discriminate by *nudge, nudge* *wink, wink* offering business owners, who don't "have to be" African-American, help starting a business there. If it's public money, EVERYone should have the opportunity to get it, so long as it follows the theme of the region. Sorry, but I have lived in this area and in the City long enough (38 years) to have seen the way the Council and the City operate such things. I have very low expectations for very little success. I will, however, support whatever happens to go in there and wish all the best to any business owner in the City. | ||
Billk Member Username: Billk Post Number: 174 Registered: 09-2005 |
"The district's 10 year master plan calls for street closures to ensure adequate foot traffic..." Yeah, street closures is good. | ||
401don Member Username: 401don Post Number: 105 Registered: 11-2007 |
Which represents Black culture more - bars or clubs? I know, they're using the word "cultural" just to qualify for federal funds but this is really awkward and forced. Why not have some business people, black and white, hold a press conference and say "This is what we are proposing - to combine the following new and existing businesses in one area in a way which will create a synergy and may appeal particularly to African Americans. We invite everyone to participate and encourage everyone's input." It wouldn't hurt to have the owners of Coach's Corner, etc. on board either. | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 2927 Registered: 06-2006 |
"I have been to too many Council meetings and heard too often that the people standing in front of them are "the wrong color"..." Have you actually heard someone say that or was that just the impression you got? | ||
Rob_in_warren Member Username: Rob_in_warren Post Number: 32 Registered: 11-2007 |
Pork Several million to help fund African American Arts and education in existing downtown venues would be a better use of these funds. Spending $10M on pet projects that have no definition or cohesive strategy is pork. And building this undefined thing in Harmonie Park might go against the vision that current businesses had for the development of Harmonie Park. Building next to a developed area is a good idea to help it succeed, but using Harmonie Park to to prop up, and incubate a potentially bad idea can be dangerous for the host. I do agree that building an African American focused art/music/history venue in Harmonie Park could be a great idea. It should be a diverse area, and downtown as a whole underserves African American specific interests. Changing the entire vibrance of Harmonie Park is what I am against. All that said, a few upscale blues/hiphop/music bars would be pretty cool in one spot downtown. Government should spur and protect development, not mandate and constrain it. | ||
Fnemecek Member Username: Fnemecek Post Number: 2641 Registered: 12-2004 |
quote: First, it's extremely unlikely that the half dozen or so businesses in that area will ever be able to generate enough tax revenue to offset the $10 million in start-up costs that the City is paying. Second, there is no reason in the world for this to cost $10 million. For that price, I can jump start 100 new businesses in Detroit and still have enough money left over to hire 125 new police officers. The questions we as a community have to ask are: is it better to have 100 new businesses in our community or 10? Is it better to have police officers or not? Unfortunately, there are those within the City Council and the Administration who believe we are better off with fewer new businesses and few police officers. | ||
Warrenite84 Member Username: Warrenite84 Post Number: 190 Registered: 01-2007 |
I don't see closing off the streets around Harmonie Park would help the area at all. Remember how well that worked on Washington Blvd.? An area so contrived will likely fail. I'd love to have a chinatown along Cass too. We've squandered several culturally rich areas. Unless you have a group of committed business owners willing to sign on for several years and gamble with their own money, I don't see any success in this. | ||
Rb336 Member Username: Rb336 Post Number: 3808 Registered: 02-2007 |
ahh, but therer is asian village in that parking garage... | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5851 Registered: 08-2004 |
During the CAY years the city tried to create a Chinatown in Midtown. There was IIRC only 1 Chinese restaurant in the area at the time. The city built up the infrastructure for a Chinatown... but nothing ever became of it. | ||
Citylover Member Username: Citylover Post Number: 2773 Registered: 07-2004 |
It is hard to argue withe fnemecek. The surest way to economic revival is the reduction of crime.That is done by police activity. I would love a historical detroit district honoring black culture particular to the city. As for government funding, if we are gonna gripe about this then there is a whole lot of griping regarding government involvment we can gripe about. | ||
Illwill Member Username: Illwill Post Number: 100 Registered: 11-2003 |
I'm not a big fan of "out right" designating an area and calling it Korea Town, Asian Town or African Town because. It just seems so unauthentic. It hasn't been evolved through natural affect. It seems that Detroit is the only "BIG" city that tries to do this and is proving to be unsuccessful everytime. I look at places like Chicago where you have the West Garfield Park neighborhood, that has probably become the nations second largest Black metropolis outside of Harlem, New York. This place has naturally evolved from poverty to an area where retailers are paying top dollar to lease a spot. You have businessmen and women of every ethnicity from all over the world searching for a vacancy spot on West Madison Street. This area has thousands of Black owned businesses that people from the neighborhoods support as well as other White and ethnic business owners alike. The same thing in Rogers Park, Edgewater and Uptown on the Northside of Chicago where African immigrants have settled and laid claim to the area. I see nothing wrong with an African Town NO MATTER where it is, however I think it should be of natural migration. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 2292 Registered: 04-2006 |
...but this isn't an "African Town"... | ||
Downtown_remix Member Username: Downtown_remix Post Number: 547 Registered: 03-2007 |
This is not an African Town. This is a tribute to the legacy of Paradise Valley. We need themes. We need distinction for downtown districts that are not growing as they could/should. If Greektown casino never came to Greektown, There would probably be no growth. I live in Harmony Park. Its a great lil area with a african American retail district thats doing better than most in the metro area. In order for Greater downtown to grow, we must take drastic,unusual steps toward marketing the core like no other city needs to. We have unique problems that will take unique solutions toward prosperity. Paradise Valley can become great, with the right cluster of thematic shopping and entertainment choices to inhance this erea even further. Dance, poetry, art galleries, jazz, blues, hip hop, Paradise valley walk of fame, theatrical production, affiliated production from the african historical museum, Motown history stuff. The possabilities are endless. I have great hope for such an area. It will finally show black culture in a possitive light, plus it will allow blk, brown and blue businesses to florish. That in itself is a plus for a city with virtually no retail. | ||
Mayor_sekou Member Username: Mayor_sekou Post Number: 1752 Registered: 09-2006 |
Wasn't there a thread just like this and I mean JUST like this, like I don't know a couple months ago? | ||
Rocket_city Member Username: Rocket_city Post Number: 489 Registered: 04-2006 |
How about a better alternate location? http://www.urbanohio.com/UOThr eads/Detroit/07NovDetroit6.jpg -property of urbanohio.com | ||
Detroitrise Member Username: Detroitrise Post Number: 979 Registered: 09-2007 |
Seem like some of you all are the racist. I didn't see no one bitching when they had Poletown. This type of development will show that we're a more diverse city. In other words, it will let the world know that we're not just one huge Africantown. I agree with Downtown_remix in general. | ||
Rocket_city Member Username: Rocket_city Post Number: 490 Registered: 04-2006 |
I don't think they're racist as much as asking responsible questions regarding the intent. |
