  Detroitmaybe Member Username: Detroitmaybe Post Number: 9 Registered: 03-2008 |
For everyone on this board that has a negative opinion or positive passion about the City… I would like to know what are you actually doing to change or improve the issues that we all know exist?? I find that often those that have the most to say (mostly complaining) are not actually the ones trying to make a difference. If we are going to grow into the City that we all see and know Detroit can once again become...we must start to putting our Vision into action!! I challenge everyone that reads this to become active in Detroit. There is so much to be done, and not enough of us actively doing anything but talking. There are so many things that we can do.. things like adopting a community, collectively building and investing in neighborhoods, or even educating youth on things not taught in school like entrepreneurship, and credit. We need to step up, and reclaim and restore the City...and stop depending and relying on someone else to make the change for us! Let's face it, as corrupt as we all know that our City government tends to be, we still have the power to make a change!! Detroit is full of opportunity, and has tremendous potential… we need to stop settling and get the job done ourselves!! I think we should all collectively find a neighborhood and work together to improve it...creating a model neighborhood for the rest of the City. It should include rehabilitated homes, new construction residences lofts, condos, apartments, and single family homes, retail…lots of retail, grocery stores, boutiques, coffee shops, at least one good school (probably charter)…and whatever else we can come up with. I hink that is something we all could do, or even something just as innovative. Everyone invests their own money, or develop partnerships with others, but, the point is we create several neighborhoods and then use our time, energy, and experience to create other areas in the City. We could even help follow through on some of the current initiatives that are planned or proposed by the City. I think that Detroit is a blank canvas, and we are the artists and can create whatever because the opportunities are abundant! Let's reclaim the City...we got everything to lose!! (Message edited by detroitmaybe on March 13, 2008) (Message edited by detroitmaybe on March 13, 2008) | ||
Boshna Member Username: Boshna Post Number: 202 Registered: 01-2005 |
Well, I moved in. Then I started attending neighborhood meetings. I call 311 and write the mayor from time to time. I've adopted a vacant home across the street. I landscape it, put an American flag on it, shovel the snow and mow the lawn. It's fun. It's like having a pet, sort of. . . | ||
Detroitplanner Member Username: Detroitplanner Post Number: 1572 Registered: 04-2006 |
I bought a tire yesterday at Vernor and Livernois. Does supporting local business count? I shovel my snow, cut my grass and board up vacant homes to keep my neighborhood safe and appealing. I pay my taxes on time and let the City Council know I am interested in serving on boards or committees. | ||
Spitty Member Username: Spitty Post Number: 674 Registered: 07-2004 |
I abstain from committing crimes and I pay my taxes. If everyone in the city could say that, Detroit would be a utopia. | ||
Crew Member Username: Crew Post Number: 1406 Registered: 02-2004 |
I picked up a pizza box and threw it in the trash on Canfield east of Woodward yesterday. I little less trash on the street is always a good thing. | ||
Andylinn Member Username: Andylinn Post Number: 764 Registered: 04-2006 |
i pay taxes, am in graduate school for urban planning, am an exhibiting artist, own a small business (www.ilovecitybird.com), work two jobs, only say nice things about detroit, just wrote an article about detroit for a national urban planning magazine, am helping plan the creative cities summit in detroit, participate in the detroit urban craft fair, attend all music festivals in the city, bike and walk everywhere, spend 95% of money exclusively in the city... i do more... just can't think of it right now... | ||
Cub Member Username: Cub Post Number: 155 Registered: 02-2007 |
This spring i am adopting three vacant lots on my block. Two owned by the city and the other the state land bank. They are all adjoining properties. I am going to plant an urban garden with vegetables and flowers for the neighborhood. | ||
Chuckjav Member Username: Chuckjav Post Number: 450 Registered: 09-2007 |
I visit Detroit...spend money in Detroit...on a regular basis. I also hope and pray on a regular basis that Detroiters depose their Mayor! | ||
Diehard Member Username: Diehard Post Number: 396 Registered: 03-2005 |
I pick up trash on my block. I pay my mortgage and taxes and don't lie about my Detroit address to get reasonably-priced car insurance (whether that helps the city at all is debatable, I know). I take the DDOT bus from time to time. I shop at the locally-owned grocery stores in my neighborhood. I frequent the mom-and-pop restaurants and bars and spend the majority of my time and money in the city. I persuade my suburban friends to join me. I say hi to people in my neighborhood and volunteer when I can. I've been encouraging people who are looking to buy a house or condo to give the city a look. I donate to the Salvation Army, St. Vincent's and Honest John's and gave a couple of working bikes to Back Alley Bikes last summer. I take down ugly ghetto-fying signs from telephone poles (not "yard sale" or "open house," more like the "pit bull pups" or "cash for gold" signs - ugh). I say no to panhandlers and shame people trying to sell stolen goods. Is that good enough, or should I be launching some big project to clean up a pile of tires or shut down a crackhouse? I don't know if I have the energy for that. | ||
Deteamster Member Username: Deteamster Post Number: 99 Registered: 07-2007 |
While spending money in the city is nice and will be helpful to any kind of recovery in the future, a city needs residents who pay their taxes, keep up their homes, hold jobs and lead otherwise conventional lives. If Detroit was filled to capacity, say just short of two million, with those kinds of people again, forget about anything else, it would be one of the best places in the world to live again. The city would be able to afford its infrastructure, police, schools, expand transit; businesses would naturally grow. I count myself as one of those people, and try to help out in every other little way I can as a citizen. | ||
Digitalvision Member Username: Digitalvision Post Number: 623 Registered: 11-2003 |
I'm not "reclaiming" anything. Reclaiming something indicates that it was lost and that you're taking it from someone else... and if it was lost, are you reclaiming it from the current population? I don't know if that's what you meant, but that's a sticky spot that maybe you wish to rephrase. Frankly, I know I a lot of people who would get pretty upset at that idea, and with good reason. There are opportunities, but pointing to it as a "blank canvas" ignores the great stuff that IS here. Sure, some neighborhoods aren't so great, but lots of them have lots of history and a tapestry of culture that can be built on and should be preserved. I've not been here as long as most, but in the decade I have I can tell you the "savior" mentality doesn't work and doesn't fly very well, and it's very, very tiring to try to implement. Do your thing, work with others who are doing their thing, and move the ball forward, together. But instead of a "I do this, I do this" in some sort of list, just have be part of who you are to be one with the spirit that is here. | ||
Detroitmaybe Member Username: Detroitmaybe Post Number: 11 Registered: 03-2008 |
Diehard Is that good enough, or should I be launching some big project to clean up a pile of tires or shut down a crackhouse? YES!•• No one else will come and improve our communities if we don't do it ourselves!•• | ||
Mackcreative Member Username: Mackcreative Post Number: 210 Registered: 08-2006 |
Reclaim the city? How about living with and learning from neighbors that stuck it out through the tough times, instead of trying to displace them to build another loft. Yes, Detroit has a lot of potential, but it is not a blank canvas. | ||
Figebornu Member Username: Figebornu Post Number: 94 Registered: 01-2008 |
I will not support Detroit fully until it rids the City Council and Mayor's office of idiots. I feel like a real minority in a city that elects buffoons to run it. | ||
Swingline Member Username: Swingline Post Number: 1050 Registered: 11-2003 |
quote:Not upset. Somewhat offended though. Definitely a bad choice of words. | ||
Jams Member Username: Jams Post Number: 7864 Registered: 10-2003 |
Detroit has not been a "blank canvas" since June 11, 1805. | ||
Southwestmap Member Username: Southwestmap Post Number: 962 Registered: 01-2005 |
Detroitmaybe should read my neighbor, teresa Hurst's op-ed in today's Freep. She kinda puts a lie to Detroitmaybe's contention that most of the people who complain about the status of Detroit, its schools, services, safety, etc. are just nay-sayers who don't do anything. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs .dll/article?AID=/20080313/OPI NION02/803130351/1068/OPINION | ||
Ndmom Member Username: Ndmom Post Number: 42 Registered: 05-2005 |
Thank you Southwestmap. And I hear people who want to open a small business, i.e. restaurant, have such a difficult time and it takes more than a year. I live in Detroit and my husband has bugged me for the past 5 years to "get the hell out of here". When all the other city employees lived elsewhere before it was legal, we stayed. And the thanks we get is a mentally-ill thug for a mayor who doesn't care about anyone else but himself. I still can't believe I still hear people say "well, if he apologizes..." No. He needs to go. Last year we had a neighbor volunteer to pick up the whole tab for our block party. You know how many people came to the meeting to plan it? 5. That's right. Out of 4 blocks only 5 people showed up. I was going to organize it, I had talked to the man paying for it, but I thought I am not going to go crazy if this is the response I get. I don't know what the problem is with people. I will again try to organize meetings with the people but I just dread that I am making a fool of myself. I live right across the street from St. John's. | ||
Chuckjav Member Username: Chuckjav Post Number: 452 Registered: 09-2007 |
Saddest part of Theresa Hurst's letter is where she documents a DPD officer's reluctance to deal with an incidence of vagrancy within close proximity to a school building. This is particularly distressing in light of DPD's quick action in directing a vehicle belonging to WDIV-TV out of the street in front of the Mayor's publically owned residence. | ||
Gravitymachine Member Username: Gravitymachine Post Number: 1999 Registered: 05-2005 |
i pay rent to my landlord who in turn pays taxes to the city :D (Message edited by gravitymachine on March 13, 2008) | ||
Raggedclaws Member Username: Raggedclaws Post Number: 157 Registered: 08-2006 |
Seemingly a true-hearted and inspiring 9th post by Detroitmaybe. Until you get to the last line. It speaks volumes about where his head (and heart) is. The subconscious is a powerful thing, isn't it ? Oh yeah, and Detroitmaybe ? What I choose to do or not do does not preclude me from having an opinion regarding the current state of Detroit. | ||
Detroitmaybe Member Username: Detroitmaybe Post Number: 12 Registered: 03-2008 |
Digitalvision "...Reclaiming something indicates that it was lost and that you're taking it from someone else... and if it was lost, are you reclaiming it from the current population? " Detroit has been lost for along time now...just drive through most of our inner city neighbohroods....North to South, East to West. We are reclaiming it from ourselves because we let it get this way!! Yes, there are a lot of people making great strides towards rebuilding our City, and as someone that is actively involved in economic and community development...I credit everyone that has chosen to take on the challenge. However, where there are those that are working hard to clean up their neighborhoods and communities... there are just as many residents that know they can do more!! (Message edited by detroitmaybe on March 13, 2008) | ||
Cocoabee Member Username: Cocoabee Post Number: 1 Registered: 03-2008 |
I recently visited Detroit for the first time. I see lots of promise, potential and future economic opportunity. Our friends live in Detroit and have a magnificent home. I was very surprised at this, as all we seem to have heard for years from the media is that how bad Detroit is. I will be visiting again in the Spring. | ||
Mayor_sekou Member Username: Mayor_sekou Post Number: 1983 Registered: 09-2006 |
I might move there that should help. | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 11806 Registered: 12-2003 |
D_maybe, I think D'vision is saying to simply not ignore the folks who've stayed through the trend turning downward. Where you see declining numbers...you've got to realize that people make up those numbers...and regardless of how the whole looks, it would likely be a lot worse without their positive energies expended over the years. To just jump on the wave as it is still falling, and assume your inspiration...no matter HOW good...is the only one, or at least that's how your original language sounded. But you're right, the more folk recognize that positive energy multiplies positive energy, they will hopefully see where THEIRS adds to the equation in every way. While I'm sorry to lose the young op-ed columnist from that other thread, and her import husband and new life bundle, I'm happier to hear two to four more considering filling their spot...and possibly moving things even MORE forward because of THEIR expectations and energy, no matter how wonderfully blindly hopeful and/or romantic. People seem to want to pour water on fresh energy...I'm all for letting 'em burn a while, as long as they know there are others who are attempting the task currently...so they don't have to re-invent the wheel. | ||
Skylark Member Username: Skylark Post Number: 32 Registered: 08-2007 |
I pay Detroit property taxes, & income taxes, keep my home well maintained, mow & rake the lawn and shovel snow for a disabled neighbor. I also mow the lawns of 3 empty homes on my block and watch over them as if they were my own. At least twice a week I pick up several gallons of litter from both sides of my entire block. No one told me to do these things. I do it because I want things to be better. | ||
Upinthewoods Member Username: Upinthewoods Post Number: 27 Registered: 12-2007 |
I buy my glass pen's at the gas station just down the street from the do' boy. I prefer to purchase one once I hit the other side of M-102 but hey, I think detroit needs my $1.50 more. | ||
Rax Member Username: Rax Post Number: 187 Registered: 11-2007 |
I'm trying to gentrify my neighborhood as quickly as possible. | ||
Cocoabee Member Username: Cocoabee Post Number: 2 Registered: 03-2008 |
I like the historic homes next to our friends. but the only drawback is that some of the neighbors seem to be treating their once beautiful historic homes as their own personal toilets. There is no need for that kind of house abuse. | ||
Meaghansdad Member Username: Meaghansdad Post Number: 256 Registered: 07-2007 |
I tutor functionally illiterate children and adults through LVA. |
