We had a discussion earlier about the 15 most dangerous neighborhoods in the U.S. Detroit had three of them. I had some fun with the whole "Detroit: Where the Weak are Killed, Skinned and Then Eaten" notion, but the truth is I'm really not a Motown detractor.
Rather, I'm more like a realist about my old hometown than someone who says the city's having an unparalleled rebound or comeback. The truth, as always, lies somewhere in between the two opposing (Detroit Sucks! No, Detroit is Double-Plus Awesome!) camps.
However, the plain fact of the matter is there are some bad, bad neighborhoods around this town and you don't go running around them if you're not carrying some firepower, as the lady featured in the below-linked article states.
(P.S. What's funny is, the novel I'm currently writing (about 175 quality pages in the can already) is partially set in the east side of the city, where all the really interesting gun play and street violence seems to take place these days. ;-)
Coping with crime: Struggle persists in Detroit neighborhoods
"Torres and other Detroit residents bristle when they hear stories touting the city’s comeback.
Despite new amenities like the QLine and Little Caesars Arena, and the influx of well-heeled young professionals into Midtown and downtown, people who live in many Detroit neighborhoods say they are still afraid to let their children play outside.
“It’s nice to have beautiful things downtown for people to come in and see, but having a stadium or whatever isn’t going to change the mindset of people who are going around robbing and killing people,” Torres said. “It all boils down to people’s mindset.”"
"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
Rather, I'm more like a realist about my old hometown than someone who says the city's having an unparalleled rebound or comeback. The truth, as always, lies somewhere in between the two opposing (Detroit Sucks! No, Detroit is Double-Plus Awesome!) camps.
However, the plain fact of the matter is there are some bad, bad neighborhoods around this town and you don't go running around them if you're not carrying some firepower, as the lady featured in the below-linked article states.
(P.S. What's funny is, the novel I'm currently writing (about 175 quality pages in the can already) is partially set in the east side of the city, where all the really interesting gun play and street violence seems to take place these days. ;-)
Coping with crime: Struggle persists in Detroit neighborhoods
"Torres and other Detroit residents bristle when they hear stories touting the city’s comeback.
Despite new amenities like the QLine and Little Caesars Arena, and the influx of well-heeled young professionals into Midtown and downtown, people who live in many Detroit neighborhoods say they are still afraid to let their children play outside.
“It’s nice to have beautiful things downtown for people to come in and see, but having a stadium or whatever isn’t going to change the mindset of people who are going around robbing and killing people,” Torres said. “It all boils down to people’s mindset.”"
"Politics is just show business for ugly people."