I was born and grew up *in* Detroit. I lived on Robson St. between Grand River and Schoolcraft St. from 1952 until 1970 when my family moved to Southfield. I was there in 1967 during the riots and when the Tigers won the World Series in 1968. I went to Cooley High School before moving to Boston to go to MIT.

What killed the city of Detroit is one simple thing. White flight. Black people moved into white neighborhoods and everyone was so panicked that they sold their houses for ten cents on the dollar. I still to this day don’t really understand it. These were hard working blue collar families and all they were doing was trying better themselves.

I’m sure that there are very many other reasons for the decline, perhaps even some of the reasons pointed out in the documentary that you link. But I was there and I saw the irrational fear in everyone’s eyes as they ran screaming for the suburbs. That might not be the only thing that killed Detroit but it was the first thing.

White flight is not the cause, but a symptom.  It does not take a genius to see the results in many cities around teh country.  Detroit just being one of the most prominent.  The video is biased, but closer to the truth than the left would like to admit since it does show the fallacies of their policies.  Great intentions, and lousy results.

Dr Guy: Exactly.  

White flight was a symptom, not the cause.

 

It's a little difficult to feel sorry...they (the residents) keep voting in more of the same.

While you're welcome to your opinion, I was there, were you?

If you don't think racism was a major part of the problem then you simply don't know. One black family moving into an otherwise well maintained upper middle class neighborhood dropped housing values 75% and people couldn't leave fast enough. I know because that's about how much money my parents lost selling their house. The only folks that stayed were those on a fixed income that could not afford to leave like my godmother that stayed until her death in 1998. I visited her yearly and watched the city decline over the years from personal experience.

Have you ever even been *in* the city of Detroit, not the airport but the city itself?

LOL

white folks fled their homes like the Amityville horror because of black people, not because of depreciating values.

Its funny to get into the mind of an ultra liberal, not for too long though cause that could cause brain damage.

Unless you're black, I suppose you should know your families racist past best. At least you have identified the problem, that's a start.

I am not black and you are absolutely correct that my parents were totally racist (and republican, actually card carrying John Birchers) which is part of the reason I have strived to be as unlike them as humanly possible.

However I'd have to say that a lot more white folks than not that lived in Detroit during those times were racist. Remember "busing" had just been federally mandated and was universally despised.

Remember Cooley High School that I mentioned previously? I was there during the first anniversary of Martin Luther King's death when 4 white guys were killed by being thrown out the 4th floor window (defenestration, a popular way to get rid of unpopular kings in the 17th century). I'm very familar with both sides of racism.

Most of the time these things occur when Democrats begin their social tinkering. Home prices don't plummet in "well maintained upper middle class neighborhoods" just cause some black folks move in, they plummet when the Gov. opens low income housing projects and fills them with violent criminals and miscreants.

I can see how you are desperately trying to put the Republican stamp of failure on this one Mumble but you seem to ignore the fact that Democrats have controlled Detroit since 1962 due to the people of Detroit voting for them meaning "that a lot more white folks than not that lived in Detroit during those times were racist" and Democrats. Kinda interesting how you pointed that out for everyone so nicely.

White people left Detroit out or racism, Detroit being Democrat since 1962, basically making them racist Democrats. How funny is that. Thanks Mumble.

Regardless of party in charge and all - anyone mind telling me exactly what the deal is with Detroit and its alleged ruin? I'm afraid I'm uneducated on it. Are there any sources I could go to (preferebly academic).

 

Thanks, ~AJ

In those days the white people in Detroit were predominately republican, the city was democrat because the blacks were overwhelmingly democrat. While there certainly were white democrats in the city in the early to late 60's, far more whites were republican than democrat. However it was a race thing not a party thing. Whites were simply afraid to have blacks living in the same area and so they fled and it didn't matter the party to which they belonged.

All I know is what I experienced personally. As far as the policies etcetera that may have contributed to the decline, I don't know and perhaps the documentary may in fact be accurate. The only thing that I can state from personal experience is that if people want to claim that racism had nothing to do with it then they weren't there in that place and time and simply don't know. I was there in that place and time and I do know.

As far as the devastation every once in awhile I go to http://www.bing.com/maps/ and zoom down into a bird's eye view and scroll along Grand River Ave from downtown to the area where I grew up and to me it looks how I imagine Beirut looks. All along Grand River Ave for miles and miles while I was growing up there was nothing but nice little shops and stores. Every space was filled. Now whole blocks are empty and desolate.

In the early 1950's Detroit proper had a population of 1.8 million, by 1960 that was down to 1.6 million so white flight had already begun by then, as of 2000 it was down to about 900,000.

http://www.somacon.com/p469.php

 

LOL, I knew someone had to equate racism and republicans.  So predictable.

I also notice they really can't argue much with what the video shows, liberalism is a failure on all levels.

 

Um the first person to relate party to racism was in fact Chuck in reply #10. The only comment I made other than noting that my parents happened to be republican (which in itself was only in response to Nitro's statement about my "families racist past") was the following.

Read much?