The drive from Grosse Pointe, MI to Detroit takes 20 minutes heading east down Jefferson Avenue. One street connects these neighboring cities, but the moment you cross Alter Road there is a stark difference between the two. Everything from the street signs to the pavement is different. On the Grosse Pointe side, you'll see smooth pavement, manicured lawns and sprinkler systems. But as soon as you cross Alter (ironic), it's a very different story. You may see abandoned homes, unkempt lawns, and graffitied buildings. It's shocking that the fourth largest city in the Midwest has been dismantled and plagued by severe poverty and that the amount of federal government money spent on the city has decreased rapidly since the recession in 2008. With multiple thriving cities within 10 miles of Detroit, it's safe to say that the largest city in Michigan is due for a renaissance, and in many ways has already begun to do so.
Photo Taken By Jomi Ogunfiditimi
The city of Detroit is not entirely chaos of course, it is actually home to many great attractions. The city is known for the powerhouse automaker corporation, General Motors, being headquartered in the heart of Detroit. The remarkable triumph of GM earned Detroit the nickname Motor City, due the success of the company in manufacturing and distributing some of the most notable car makes, such as Chevrolet, Buick, and Cadillac. The city has a bustling downtown with a variety of restaurants, businesses, and tourist attractions. Not to mention, stadiums such as Ford Field, Tiger Stadium, and the Joe Louis Arena are all major breadwinners for the city. Detroit is also a college town, Wayne State University as well as the University of Detroit Mercy bring just over 40,000 students to the city. It is apparent that the D has a lot of potential when you examine the success of it's downtown. The problems seem to arise once you wander over to the east and west sides of Detroit.
Photo Taken By Jomi Ogunfiditimi
Many of the neighborhoods on the east and west sides of Detroit have been disfigured with poverty and crime. These elements perpetuate the troublesome culture of violence that lead to the destruction of a city with plenty of potential. These east and west side neighborhoods become hubs for street crime and violence, which brings down the entire morale of the city, despite its downtown success. A shocking 47 percent of Detroit residents are illiterate, yet the Detroit Public School system remains in shambles due to underfunding from the federal government. Multiple schools have been closed down indefinitely, which further enables the issue, because kids and teens are even further from their schools than they were before.
Along with the issues Detroit faces with crime and the failing education system, the city also faces structural issues that impede on the growth and development of the east and west side communities. Detroit has the highest crime rate of all the United State's big cities, yet on average police officers take 58 minutes to respond to calls. One can see how these structural issues may negatively impact the city, while neighboring cities like Grosse Pointe, hardly have to worry about those issues at all.
Photo Taken By Jomi Ogunfiditimi
It can be said that in the last few years, Detroit has made substantial improvements to the conditions of its economy, largely due to the revitalization of the automotive industry that dramatically collapsed after the recession in '08. However, Detroit must continue to make progress and implement the necessary changes to bring the whole city up, rather than only focusing on the downtown area. This means building more businesses on the east and west sides to provide citizens with an opportunity for long-term sustainable employment as well as opportunities to put money back into the city. Cleveland Cavaliers owner, and Quicken Loans founder, Dan Gilbert has made significant contributions to Detroit by purchasing $1.3 billion worth of property in Detroit to rent out to his employees. But efforts do not have to be to that magnitude in order to make a difference. Supporting Detroit businesses and getting involved in the community through fundraising and service projects are key to the renaissance of the Motor City.
Citizens must be willing to collaborate in the interests of the struggling neighborhoods in Detroit for the betterment of the city as a whole and those who dwell in it. The efforts will, in time, produce tangible results and give opportunities to those who are less fortunate, as the renaissance of Detroit will bring forth leaders who would have otherwise been silenced due to the nature of their circumstances.
