Time magazine begins Assignment Detroit

As a native Detroiter I've hoped and prayed that something would happen to bring attention to what i believe is one of our nations great tragedies,"The death and abandonment of an american city". I live here and it still seem surreal to walk and drive among the ruins of a City that appears to have suffered some sort of apocalyptic event like a nuclear war or something. I would compare Detroit to any war torn, poverty infested region in the world. Beruit, Lebanon, Iraq, and yes Detroit all seen to share the same bomb out, blighted geography. Houses that should be condemned but are occupied, block after block of nothingness....Seemingly defying discription. Shurely a great war must have been fought here. Our Citizen are in lock down survival mode like they have been sentenced to some maximum security prison. You learn to grow eyes in the back of your head as you gas up. You tell your kids to up their "street IQ" because sooner or later the stories about their classmates or friends getting robbed is bound to hit home. Think i'm kidding??? Ride the bus. Look into the faces of people would have no hope, only dispair. Go (escorted) into the real neighborhoods. Not the ones bordering Palmer Park, Indian Village, or Rosedale. But the other 95% of the city that most are forced to "exist" in. And for Gods sake don't buy the hype from politicians and the few among us that are to "proud" to admit the truth. The truth is that the unemployment and illiteracy rates are twice as high as reported. The same is true of crime stats. Fewer than 30% of our kids finish high school and of that number most have MEAP scores that place them near the bottom of our global competitors. The truth is Detroit needs a Marshall Plan. We need to treat this City the way we did Iraq after we distroyed it. Rebuild every measure of quailty of life that normal cities enjoy. Education, Jobs, City Services, Housing, Recreation.( turn the thousands of vacant blocks into parks to enjoy). I'm glad to hear that finally some attention will be given to our city. Glad but frankly not optimistic. I think something terrible has happen to America. We lost our way long go. We abandon the idea of being our brothers keeper in favor of a kind of Capitalist society thats says "every man for himself". Public Service is a mean to private enrichment and we neither care about our young or our old. And yet, like all humans we still hope. Hope is its own reward because out it springs the will to continue.......

Detroit has no one to look up to no one pushing for life here. If you notice one thing the kilpatricks made it seem like they where out for the people and it made a movement. everything starts with the head if the head don't care why should the people. the city looks like a war zoin becouse one all the drugs that was pushed here not just on the street leval. we have ginerations of crack babies, herion babies, that are in thire 30's and 40' an all twisted up in the head. trying to live the beast way they no how. see u must be real about all of this. See the people of Detroit did not do this by themselfs thay had a whole lot of help. So do u realy wont to change Detroit??? Or do u wont to talk about how bad it is???

My name is Nancy Pacitto. I am Caucasian and of Polish descent. I was born in Detroit and I do not intend to leave. I am a social historian with deep roots firmly established in this grand old dame once referred to as the Paris of the Midwest in the nineteenth century and the the Arsenal of Democracy in the twentieth century. I often give private tours of Detroit and lectures on its rich history, and magnificent architectual jewels.

The French built a city out of the wilderness in 1701. Later, the immigrants came. They were proud to be Detroiters. They found work. Detroit was the home of varied and vital industry. Detroiters built stoves and railroad cars before they built automobiles. In 1914, The $5 Day changed the world and for the first time in history the working day was to be fixed at eight hours.

In the late Twenties, Detroiters built the Ambassador Bridge, the Guardian Building, the Fisher Building, the Windsor Tunnel, the 5,000 seat Fox Theater and several other architectural gems.

The progress of the city was built with sweat, hard labor and ingenuity. From 1941 to 1954, Detroit's industry compiled the greatest production record the world has ever known. The Arsenal of Democracy turned out war material, ranging from ball bearings to bombers and from trucks to tanks. Without Detroit and the greatest labor source in the world, our soldiers would not have had any munitions or transportation.

Detroit was first among the 10 largest cities in the U.S.to write a Master City Plan. It was approved in 1950. Construction contracts for 1960 totaled over $443,000.000.

After the War, Detroiters built homes, lots of them. In 1950 alone, more than 33,000 house were built. In the Real Detroit, 90% of owner occupied homes in 1953 were detached single-family homes. The automobile barons also built impressive mansions like the 60-room Edsel and Eleanor Ford home, the 100-room Meadowbrook Hall, the 50-room Fisher Mansion and 1,300 acre estate, Fairlane Manor.

By 1954, the people who lived in The City Beautiful had built a Dynamic Detroit "based on the imagination and dreams of its people." It was the automotive capital of the world and Detroiters produced three-fourths of the world's motor vehicles.

By the 1950's the Detroit River was the world's busiest waterway. It was the Gateway to Greatness and carried more freight than the Suez, Panama and Kiel canals combined.

Detroit's population had a 1959 personal income of $9.18 billion. In 1960, Detroit ranked first in average weekly wages to production workers in manufacturing.

Detroit was a shopper's paradise. J.L. Hudson, Montgomery Ward, Crowleys, Winklemans, Kresges all expanded after the war. The Detroiters who built cars also built Northland, the first shopping mall in the country in 1954. Estimates for retail sales ran well above $5 billion in 1960.

In 1909, Woodward Ave was the first concrete mile paved in in the world. By 1960, over 400 miles of expessways were constructed. Detroiters had to get where they were going quickly. Yet, they still took time out to Cruise Woodward Avenue on a Saturday night.

Detroiters dreamed and culture thrived. Detroiters built Cranbrook, the Detroit Institute of Arts, libraries and modern public schools. Detroiters educated their children and sent them to college. Detroiters built Wayne State University, the University of Detroit, the Detroit Institute of Technology. Marygrove and Mercy College.

Detroiters built churches. More than 3,300 representing 120 denominations existed by the year 2000.

They supported the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, one of the finest in the world. Detroiters built Orchestra Hall, the Detroit Opera House and the Music Hall. Detroit can also claim the first commercial radio broadcast made by WWJ-AM on August 20, 1920.

In the Sixties, Detroit became known as MOTOWN. Marvin Gaye "Heard It Though the Grapevine" that Aretha Franklin demanded "RESPECT." The Four Tops made us a promise, "Reach Out and I'll Be There" while Marvin Gaye wondered, "What's Going On? But it was Sam Cooke who sang about "Lonely Teardrops." Detroiters cried and they struggled.

Detroiters also protested. On August 28, 963, Martin Luther King had a dream one afternoon and marched down our Woodward Avenue with more than 125,000 people. Equality for all Americans was his dream.

Detroiters rioted in 1967. The songwriters wrote about "When We Almost Lost Detroit", "Motor City Madness", and "Detroit Breakdown." Many Detroiters experienced "Panic in Detroit." and moved to the suburbs.

Detroit attempted a comeback. In the 70's, the businessmen declared we were to be the Renaissance City. Not many listened to their false promises and bravado.

Amazingly, Detroiters do come back now and again. The streets of Detroit still echo with cheers for the 68' and 84' Tigers, for Ernie Harwell and Sparky Anderson, for the 52", 97" and 98" Red Wings, the 89 ' and 90" Pistons and even the 57" Lions. After every win, there is still, "Dancing in the Streets."

Today, Detroit is burdened by an image of unemployment, poverty and crime.

The image of all that was fine and good and positive about Detroit has been clouded like an old black and white photograph left taped to a rusty, metal locker at the Michigan Central Depot.

Yet, I wonder, where are all the people who built this city? Where are the Detroiters who put America on wheels? Where are all the people who attended Detroit churches and schools? Where are their children and grandchildren? Why have they all driven their foreign made cars past the city limits and never looked back?

Why have they all forgotten that Detroit's heritage is its history and that history is something to be cherished. Detroit is my history. My challenge is to remind others that it is theirs also.