I’m happy to hear that you were treated well. I sincerely, hope you return.

Matt Dibble & I aren’t originally from Detroit (we went to high school together) but instead Flint, a smaller city about an hour up I-75 with very similar problems and unique problems of its own. Eh, you may have heard of it. ;)

Flint and its problems are a whole ‘nother Oprah for a whole ‘nother time, but I know from a personal experience that I actually feel more “at home” in the Detroit area, and am honored when my friends consider me an “honorary Detroiter.” Though I don’t live in MetroD right now I have before (and may soon again), and IMHO, to feel much more welcome there than I do in my own “hometown” speaks volumes for its people.

Yes, Detroiters are some proud folks, but yes, there is tension, however there is something intangible that does tie us all together, and it’s not just when the Red Wings (or Tigers or Pistons or … uh, nevermind about that other team) are winning. . . though that helps. :)

For all its good, for all its bad, I love Detroit. I can’t add much else here except thank you for writing such an honest and heartfelt post.

Thanks for talking about the real Detroit, and for empathizing rather than kicking us while we’re down like so many others are wont to do.

And Shannon, I respectfully disagree. Detroiters don’t hate Detroit, we hate what has happened to it and how others view it. I think those from the Metro Detroit region are some of the most fiercely loyal to their city that you’ll find anywhere. It amazes me how many people who’ve come up here and could live anywhere in the world still choose to spend most of their time in the D (see Aretha, Eminem, Kid Rock, etc).

Viva Detroit!

Do we roll our eyes (or smack our fists into our hands) at the bumbling city council and its example after example of how not to lead? Absolutely. Are we mortified when our mayor makes a mockery of the law and turns into a drawn out embarrassment for our city? Yep. But do we “hate” Detroit? I have never seen that.

It’s true, many 40 year old suburbanites have lived their entire lives without ever having been in the city itself. And there’s no shortage of ignorance floating around the burbs about what Detroit is or is not, what could happen to you if you go there, etc. But while many despise the city’s leadership, I have never spoken to anyone here who’s actually been in the city who “hates” the city. It’s like I always tell my seven year old about broccoli: how do you know you hate it if you haven’t tried it?

Yes, there are sections of Detroit that look like a post-apocalyptic movie set. There’s also a world class art museum, a fantastic Science Center, one of the nicest baseball parks I’ve ever been to (and I’ve seen games in 12 parks now), a great restaurant scene, and a Riverfront that is as much fun in the summer as anyplace in the midwest. It all depends on what one chooses to see most clearly, I guess.

You asked, “why wouldn’t the nation abandon Detroit” since we are so polarized and can’t get along. I guess my response is that if the world took that attitude, America would be screwed… we are quite a polarized nation on so many axes (axises?): racial, socio-economic, and the ever-cliched Blue State vs. Red State – just to name a few. If the attitude toward polarized places was to dismiss or abandon them, our whole country could be a candidate for the next ice floe. Thankfully, I think both the world and Americans are forgiving enough to look past divisions enough to see the good hearts that lie beneath.

Despite the many challenges — many of them admittedly self-inflicted — both our nation and this city are strong enough and good-hearted enough to rise above them. I believe that our city will be back. I believe that we will get tired of demagogues and spotlight hounds, and demand real leadership — and that our city will provide those leaders. I believe that our city and state will diversify their economies and can be not just a recovered economy but a leading growth engine. It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen. I believe that suburban residents will eventually realize and come to terms with the fact that our fate is inextricably linked to that of our center city, and that dismissing Detroit in order to try and go it alone is short-sighted and self-defeating. I believe that Detroit’s best days are truly yet to come.

Call me naive. Or maybe I just haven’t lived here long enough to be worn down by it all. But my family and I have chosen to make our home here, and we’re intending to be here for the long haul. We’ve fallen in love with what this city was, what it is, and most of all what it can be. I don’t think we’re alone.

Michigan’s economic downslide began a long time ago. Growing up in suburban Detroit and realizing upon high school graduation that the majority of the economy was dependent upon the auto industry. Work for one of the Big 3, join the Union… and be set for life!?

I left when I was 21 and returned to Northern Michigan twenty years later. There’s no sugar coating the situation here in Michigan — IT IS BAD / VERY BAD.

People have lost their jobs. Small manufacturers are closing. Families are losing their homes. Loss of tax revenue that fuels our schools, fixes the roads and much more is beginning to have an impact.

How do we fix it? I just don’t know.

However, I support my local businesses because these are my neighbors, their children attend the same schools with my kids, the lady who cuts my hair, the college student serving up coffee, the family that owns the coffee shop…

Bobby
@rmercader