THE INTERVIEWS PROJECT

[Rizzo]

^my points exactly. That is what I was refering to as "red flags."

[Rizzo]

Provide a populous with places to play, raise a family, tolerance, and oppertunity. Thoes sound like the sticking points for anyone looking for a city. All we need is pure motivation to get it done.

[GRDadof3]

Provide a populous with places to play, raise a family, tolerance, and oppertunity. Thoes sound like the sticking points for anyone looking for a city. All we need is pure motivation to get it done.

Who's to say we don't have a lot of those things already, Rizzo. Believe me, with the skills I have, I'd move in a heartbeat if I didn't think so. But again, I think there's always room for improvement. Even though I tend to be more on the conservative side, I do think that the zealots in this community have FAR too big of a microphone, and many of us are afraid to say so. That would be my main complaint.

[Rizzo]

I'm staying no matter what, I have allegiance to my city, look at my signature. So you don't have to cater to me, but to someone that can move in a heartbeat, I'd try to do a lot to keep their business. If these kids are complaing about no night life, intolerance, and its uptightness, then maybe we truly have a problem. Or, they are blind and are just shafting Grand Rapids because its not fitting to their way of doing business.

[GaryP]

Sometimes I feel like when my fellow pseudo-left youth friends say there needs to be more diversity in GR, they really mean "there needs to be more people like me!"

I like this comment. I really like Canada's take on diversity, the mosaic society. This is taken from a quote in Richard Florida's The Flight of the Creative Class (yes I'm referencing this guy again )

I grew up in Canada asking myself a different set of questions about identity. In Canada, I tried to understand who I was as in individual. I the United States, I am being forced to identify with arbitrary categories. I do not identify as African-American (to the disgrace of black people across the country [not my commentary]), nor do I identify as biracial. I am an Indian, black, Portuguese, French, Native American, Trinidadian Montrealer who lives in the United States. I still haven't found the right category for me here.

I wish we could adopt this frame of mind in GR.

[GRDadof3]

Sometimes I feel like when my fellow pseudo-left youth friends say there needs to be more diversity in GR, they really mean "there needs to be more people like me!"

I find this well put too. Kind of like when all the "non-conformists" look like all the other "non-conformists" Gary, you are the "Creative Class" expert! You know that Granholm's whole "Cool Cities" initiative is based on Richard Florida's work?

[aheights15]

Just because "good for raising a family" might seem boring to some young people (and not ALL young people feel this way), doesn't mean that it's not an important and good thing about Grand Rapids.

I was at a conference in Lansing a little over a year ago about how to make Michigan "cool". It was scary. Hopefully no one takes offense to this, but it was hundreds of older Michiganders - above the 21 - 35 age bracket - trying to figure out how to be cool. It was about as anti-cool as it could be.

My point is that while I think the intentions are good, there's something about trying so hard to reach a certain demographic that somehow ruins the good thought in the first place.

[GaryP]

I find this well put too. Kind of like when all the "non-conformists" look like all the other "non-conformists" Gary, you are the "Creative Class" expert! You know that Granholm's whole "Cool Cities" initiative is based on Richard Florida's work?

Yes, I know. She's the one who made me go buy the book. She wouldn't shut up about it for a year! The 'Cool Cities' project is one thing she's done that I like.

[Rizzo]

But has the Cool Cities Initiative driven us anywhere? To me it was a big hupla to say, "Yah we have a problem inner cities, but lets keep snowing it until someone thinks were actually doing somthing about it." I think it was a good idea to invite the public to ask the question, how to be cool. But, did it get us anywhere? From the responces in the focus groups, all it sounded like is that we need more liqour, tolerance, and jobs, (not neccesarly in the order.) I didn't need some state wide initiative to tell me that!

[GRCentro]

Your favorite bar/hangout in Grand Rapids?

all of 28th street

[NorthCoast]

But has the Cool Cities Initiative driven us anywhere? To me it was a big hupla to say, "Yah we have a problem inner cities, but lets keep snowing it until someone thinks were actually doing somthing about it." I think it was a good idea to invite the public to ask the question, how to be cool. But, did it get us anywhere? From the responces in the focus groups, all it sounded like is that we need more liqour, tolerance, and jobs, (not neccesarly in the order.) I didn't need some state wide initiative to tell me that!

I agree there hasn't seemed to be anything of substance to go along with this program. Most of these types of intitiaves and programs end up being nothing more than political banter or involve so much red tape you might as well do it on your own.

[Rizzo]

What ever happen to being proactive!? Instead of catering to the banter, and sitting around like the government is going to help, why not put our efforts into some real working solutions? I think the solution isn't just money, and/or jobs. I think the real solution is responsibility.