Detroit Off Topic

[ZachariahDaMan]

like Mount Morris, or Clio?

Clio, my grandparents still live there so I visit Clio every once in a while. Last summer when I was there I noticed that it's downtown was totally dead. There seemed to be a good amount of vacant stores and barely anyone walking around either.

[wolverine]

D12 member "Proof" slain at Eight Mile and Gratiot nightclub.

http://okayplayer.com/

Not a huge D12 listener, but for anyone interested in local musicians, it's sad this had to happen. Obie Trice was shot in the head earlier this year on the Lodge, but recovered.

[illmatic774]

D12 member "Proof" slain at Eight Mile and Gratiot nightclub.

http://okayplayer.com/

Not a huge D12 listener, but for anyone interested in local musicians, it's sad this had to happen. Obie Trice was shot in the head earlier this year on the Lodge, but recovered.

thats it. f*** this city. safety cant even be taken for granted in one of the tamer areas of the town. People are still gettin killed left and right in this region, and our 'city leaders' just continue to beotch about their already extremely high pay.

hes the third Detroit hip hop artist to die since November, and dont even start with the 'every rapper like this gets shot eventually' BS...

Edited April 12, 2006 by illmatic774

[Cadeho]

Detroit has been sold for scrap:

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/46937&rss=1

Hello Detroit. I saw this story elsewhere and thought it's a cruel joke. Someone had shared it relating it to my hometown asking if that could actually happen here! Richmond seems to be on a rampant demolition spree and we compare it to a nameless southern city that we believe destroyed its historical heritage. But the thing is, we kind of feel the next step is what's going on in this article especially since we have this dot on the map to the west of us trying so desperately to build its own New Richmond. So you guys may be spared, we probably won't be!

Also, recently I've read a couple of things about Detroit today. Please understand I am unfamiliar with the city and I've never been, but why is it that some say you guys haven't recovered from the riots in the 60s? That can't be true.

Another thing, I'm a giant Motown fan and I wish music today was as good as the music that came out of that little house! One day I'll make it up there and Hitsville is a must for me. Recently I learned they tore down a building Gordy bought for offices. What's planned for that site? And since I've just finished reading a book about Motown, I want more! I'll probably buy or check out other books. In the meantime, I'm going to collect as much music as I can from Motown's Detroit days. I saw the remaining Funk Brothers in 2004 and they tore the building down with their performance. I want to hear as much of the music they played as I can. Ok I'll get off the subject, but I can't wait until Hip-O's next voulme of their singles collection. I wish Richmond had a distinctive music scene.

I'm sorry to hear about Proof, although I couldn't ID him until they mentioned D12, I only knew of their "My Band." Although I like Eminem I didn't get into the other guys.

Thanks for having me!

[Allan]

I don't take much stock in what The Onion has to say, since the whole thing is one giant parody, but unfortunately there are cases where buildings are being sold for scrap (most notably Lee Plaza).

In many ways Detroit has not recovered from the '67 riots. There are still empty pockets where blocks burned down. In fact, some of the remains from the riots were left in the city well into the 80s. Metro Detroit is the most racially segregated large metro area in the country, and Michigan is the most segregated state.

The buildings that were the Motown HQ were the Sanders Building and the Donovan Building. The two buildings were joined together. The were demolished in the week before the Super Bowl for a parking lot. For now the site will remain a parking lot. The blocks adjacent to the building are all completely vacant with few exceptions - victims of urban decay. There are rumblings about a large project on the site, but no real word on what that might be yet. You can see photos of the Donovan Building here.

[tomo]

thats it. f*** this city. safety cant even be taken for granted in one of the tamer areas of the town. People are still gettin killed left and right in this region, and our 'city leaders' just continue to beotch about their already extremely high pay.

hes the third Detroit hip hop artist to die since November, and dont even start with the 'every rapper like this gets shot eventually' BS...

Come on now, J Dilla died in L.A. from a medical condition. Eight Mile and Gratiot may be a tame area (where two highways intersect you're probably more likely to get injured in an auto accident than anything!) but apparently it's not so tame inside (illegal) afterhours clubs where people aren't searched for guns which they bring in... no matter where the club is. Maybe this is another reason for allowing bars to legally operate and serve alcohol later if they're willing to buy licenses to do so.

[Cadeho]

Thanks Allan, that was a beautiful building! I had seen a pic of it before but it wasn't a good quality pic and it looked like a bland 60s building. I see it was a grand historic building. They couldn't have come up with any new uses?

[wolverine]

3 died? Besides J Dilla and Proof is there one other? Although Obie was shot in the head, he didn't die from it. He's coming out with a new album now. I think Henry Ford Hospital was still debating whether to remove the bullet or not.

[illmatic774]

3 died? Besides J Dilla and Proof is there one other? Although Obie was shot in the head, he didn't die from it. He's coming out with a new album now. I think Henry Ford Hospital was still debating whether to remove the bullet or not.

Blade Icewood about 11 months ago, not November (slain on 7 Mile a week before his hyped debut album). Apparantly he was knee deep in sh*t anyway (he was shot on two different occasions in 2005) but he was a native nonetheless. If we keep losing rappers to this street BS, nobody is bound to take this city, and the hip hop industry, seriously...

Yea, J Dilla died of kidney failure, not a murder. It still sucks, though...

Edited April 12, 2006 by illmatic774

[detroitfan]

thats it. f*** this city. safety cant even be taken for granted in one of the tamer areas of the town. People are still gettin killed left and right in this region, and our 'city leaders' just continue to beotch about their already extremely high pay.

hes the third Detroit hip hop artist to die since November, and dont even start with the 'every rapper like this gets shot eventually' BS...

Give me a break this some of the dumbest s*hit I've ever read. Yeah it's the city's fault Proof pistol whipped and shot a guy you go around doing that someone will eventually shoot you. As far as I'm concerned he brought it on himself

[RustTown]

ill, you are so over dramatic, sometimes. Yeah, because LA and NYC are so safe for rappers...

Anyway, I was thinking today how cool it would be to see a private developer (because God knows the city doesn't have the competence or the money to own and operate one) put together and indoor-outdoor waterpark on or near Belle Isle. It would be a regional draw, too.

Edited April 12, 2006 by Lmichigan

[hudkina]

I know this will open a can of worms, but I can assure you a waterpark on Belle Isle will not become a regional draw.

[dtown]

Clio, my grandparents still live there so I visit Clio every once in a while. Last summer when I was there I noticed that it's downtown was totally dead. There seemed to be a good amount of vacant stores and barely anyone walking around either.

yeah, thats Clio

[illmatic774]

Give me a break this some of the dumbest s*hit I've ever read. Yeah it's the city's fault Proof pistol whipped and shot a guy you go around doing that someone will eventually shoot you. As far as I'm concerned he brought it on himself

ill, you are so over dramatic, sometimes. Yeah, because LA and NYC are so safe for rappers...

Quote 1: Were you there to witness the incident? Do you believe one word that comes out of these "witnesses" mouths? He may have been completely innocent. He may have had it coming, but you can not take a second to believe anything that 'they' say. They only say it to discontinued further police investigation. Thats common in Detroit (along with other places).

Quote 2: When was the last time a rapper was killed in LA or NYC? Its been about 6 or 7 years since the last notable incident.

Rappers are not slain as often as the media wants us to think. Pac and BIG were 10 years ago. Big L was 7 years ago.

Call me dramatic. I just hate seeing the city constantly in a crappy spotlight. The entire city will get flack for Proof's death, as well as the flack its getting for the 911 incident.

[RustTown]

Jam Master Jay was killed in NYC back in 2002...but, that's really beside my point. It doesn't matter if it was this year or 2002, that lifestyle is dangerous wherever you live, and probably even less so in Detroit than in LA, for instance.

As for the spotlight, it doesn't matter anyone. People come to expect this of rappers in general. It could be Chicago, LA, Detroit, NYC...it doesn't matter. This is not like the suburban woman being gunned down at the SuperBowl. I've finally gotten over the idea that anything bad that happens in Detroit is the straw that broke the camels back. The cities image was killed long ago, its back broken long ago. Now, it's just beating a dead horse.

BTW, Proof was allegedly the first to shoot, and on the recieving end of retaliation shots.

And, this afternoon, the suspected killer of Proof turned himself in:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...NEWS99/60412004

Edited April 13, 2006 by Lmichigan

[BarGal]

As far as the shootings go...I don't think it matters what city you're in or where you live...if immature "hot heads" are walking around with guns for no good reason, especially while partying and getting drunk, judgements get cloudy and stupid/tragic crap happens.

And with a gun, all it takes is a quick instant to lose your temper...and then it's too late, it can't be taken back. Life's not a video game, there's no reset button.

[Michi]

Hey guys, were up to 102 homicides this year. That's just shy of a third of a year. If past trends hold true that summer months usually increase in murders, we'll certainly be on par for a record number of killings this year.

You can just feel it in the city that the violence is escalating. 300-and-some non-fatal shootings alone since January. Pathetic.

...And thanks for cutting the police staff, Ella. I guess "more cops on the streets" due to these cuts has really proven effective...how does that even work or make sense again?

[ZachariahDaMan]

Good question, especially for a city with as much crime as Detroit. It was just idiotic to reduce the number of cops.

[detroitfan]

It works because there would be even fewer cops on the street if they hadn't reorganized. By going to larger districts fewer cops working desk=more cops in the street. Of course the layoffs offset that but department is mor efficient. Maybe Ella wouldn't have cut so many officers if the unionsa agreed to pension/health care concessions. Or the unions would agree to allow more civilians to work non-police duties instead we have pay 40K to clerks who should be on the street. Also lets not forgot a couple years back when homcides were up 50% early in year by the of end homcides rose 5% so summer doesn't necessarily means it will get worse

Edited April 14, 2006 by detroitfan

[RustTown]

It's really hard to believe in the future of Detroit, when outside the inner-city neighborhood revitalization, the rest of the city is continuing to go to hell, and faster than in the 1990's. According to SEMCOG and Census estimates, Detroit has already outpaced its percentage loss in population than in the 1990's. The combined Census and SEMCOG numbers (first time they've ever been used together), Detroit is at something like 872,000. That's already a nearly 80,000 drop from just 2000, and the we're only a year after mid-decade. It blows my mind that the loss is speading up when we were all so sure that it would slow down, if even a little bit. With that said, I'm not sure what numbers to believe, for instance, before teaming its data with the census' last month, SEMCOG had Detroit at 886,000 in March. What I do know is that the city is still losing people as fast (if not more) than in the 1990's, even with all of the success of the inner-city revitalization.

Edited April 13, 2006 by Lmichigan

[detroitfan]

Detroit to an extent has been victim of its success. The sharp increase in property value now makes selling much more worthwile. Also there seems to be some alienation from all the progress downtown many don't see how progress there benefits them so they feel even more ignored Add in traditional issues like schools and crime that how get people fleeing at record rate

Edited April 14, 2006 by detroitfan

[Michi]

Well, detroitfan, I would really like to see the actual numbers of the readjustment with in the DPD. When my car was stolen, it took them 3 HOURS to file my police report. There was about 9 or 10 cops just standing around doing "odds and ends", etc. The officer that documented my report had to redo it because he was computer illiterate. Instead of appologizing for taking so long, they all just laughed and made fun of him for being old and incompetent. Though this experience left a sour taste in my mouth, I'm not saying the whole system is like that, but it was a bad impression...this in addition to all the cop horror stories that I've picked up on.

LMich, a good indicator of depopulation (and I know you've mentioned this before) is school enrollment. I know DPS officials revealed an enrollment number far lower than they originally estimated this year.

This is kind of like reverse "leapfrog" development. Traditionally, the term relates to suburbanites skipping over the outer ring suburbs and developing beyond the green belt. The reverse seems to be suburbanites skipping over the 8 miles of city to concentrate wealth on the river and greater downtown area. What's happening in the "no-zone"? People are dying, houses are rotting, buildings are burning, hit-and-run crashes all over the place, no light after dark, people up to their necks in garbage, STDs spreading all over the hood, etc...

I'm saying that to be extreme on purpose to illustrate how difficult it has proven to care for the city as a whole and not just where there is pockets of wealth.

[RustTown]

I do understand that, but I can't imagine the depopulation of Detroit actually picking up over the 90's. That blew my mind. I've really been wanting to believe that the worst is over, but it seems like it's just begun. The population loss should have, at least, slowed. Instead, both SEMCOG and the Census show it picking up.

[statedude3]

I've giving a tour to some out of towners visiting from Philly, what I like to call a "D-tour" (I know, not original). Does anyone know if the Scott Fountain is on yet? One of the guys coming in has designed fountains for corporate headquarter buildings and such, and I know the Scott Fountain would impress him.

[Ramcharger]

It wasn