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> Super Bowl City on the Brink

27 March 2006, 02:16

Many of those comments are somewhat true. Detroit has a long history of race problems. As an African Americam who has lived in this area for over 39 years, I can say that some things are getting better but some things are getting worse. I often hear about all of they abandoned buildings within the city but I very seldom, if ever, hear a truthful explaination as to how, who and why that situation exist. Many folks around the country think of Detroit, and when I say "Detroit" , I am also including the surrounding suburbs as a waste land of crime, proverty, despair, unemployment and hopelessness. What do folks around the country say about other area’s such as Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago and even New Orleans. Even New Orleans seems to get positive responses in the national media and they are a much poorer city and region that Detroit. I would love to ask the question, How is it possible for An area which has had 3 of the top five richest furtune 500 Corporations for the past 50 years being headquartered in its backyard- How is it possible for its central city to be in such a state. Does the average person realize that the population of Detroit’s suburbs is greater than combined population of Cleveland, Atlanta and Chicago. If you add all of those people with the population of the City and then added all of their wealth and influence. I wonder what the numbers would refect then.
Another not often talked about Detroit statistic is that Detroit has the highest wages per capita than any other African American community in the United States. With all of those facts, something does not make any sense. Let me give a little insight here; the Red Lobster Restuarant Corp. has a policy that they will never put one of their chains within the city of Detroit for whatever reasons. Everytime I visit a Red Lobster in the Suburbs, its packed with African Americans of whom, I know for sure don’t all live in the suburbs. The profit and tax revenue of that suburb is being supported by Detroit residents. I know there are many white suburbanites who work and visit Detroit where they spend money but the huge difference is the businesses for the most part are owned by other white suburbanites. Its almost as if there is some type of unspoken decree amongst white folks not to patronized African American businesses: a built-in preprogrammed psychological predisposition. While I am on the subject of psychology, I wonder what the psychological and emotional affects of a person being treated like a 9th class citizen in America all of their life would have on that individual. You know things like your co-workers not wanting to work with you on job assignments because your black. People hitting their automatic locks on their car doors as you walk by, not getting invites to weddings because your white friends mom or dad does not want any blacks at their sons or daughter’s wedding, being followed around in department stores, asked for 5 or 6 pieces of ID when using a credit cards, seeing your white next door neighbor who never speaks to you, go out of there way to bend over your yard gate to say hello to a new Dog or pet in your yard; essentially showing more respect for a dog than you and not to mention seeing years of every type of negative stereotype imagined of African Americans in the media all of your life.....etc. I just wonder, you know just maybe and this is a long shot....that type of treatment just might have sometype of negative affect, I am just thinking....you know I am no Expert. Maybe I am just crazy for even bringing it up. Yep! I must be crazy cause I remember reading an article in the Detroit News or freepress about a guy who was a Murderer, arsonist, pyschopathic-suicidal lunatic and child abuser. He murdered his wife, set his house on fire and then set himself on fire infront of his children. Now within the body of this news article were descriptions of how nice this guys front lawn and scrubs were along with Martha Steward like comments about how nice the brick decor of the front of the house was.
I must have be nuts when I read that right? Because such sidebar issues never get writen about when a black crimminal from Detroit is covered in the papers. I hope that I have opened up a few eyes with my perspective.

Take care,

Lee