Comments on: Detroit : USA

By: CharlestonBoy

CharlestonBoy — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:41:27 +0000

@parker – if your read Geoff’s tweets as well, you’ll see that he wrote one that said “Detroit is just like N.Charleston – only bigger”.

By: parker

parker — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:10:50 +0000

It’s a shame (and kind of a cop-out) that you didn’t go to Royal Oaks or downtown Detroit. Not saying that you should blind yourself with the nicer areas and forget about the sad, depressed areas but really there was a lot to see, enjoy, and learn. That said, if you drive down Rivers ave. in North Charleston you will see the same plight. Schools have no desks, parents force their children to peddle, they are hungry and desperate. We just don’t see it b.c we live in places like Downtown and Johns Island where the beauty blinds us as we rise each morning. It’s nationwide, it’s in our backyards…

By: amy

amy — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 03:49:49 +0000

Wow. I had no idea..
Where I live the trashed economy is really not that evident to most of us. Very sad.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:45:32 +0000

btw, did you SEE that fucking huge jesus statue on 75 in Ohio? Somewhere near Dayton i think.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:41:53 +0000

i could say a lot, but Mitch Albom has always said it best (we always looked forward to his column in the Free Press)

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/the_bonus/01/07/detroit/

By: Kristen

Kristen — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:31:56 +0000

Well “Roger and Me” is actually Flint, so Detroit not that only depressing city in Michigan. Pontiac also isn’t much better. However, aside from three (and I guess Saginaw), the rest of Michigan generally isn’t as sad.

By: MumTina

MumTina — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:27:25 +0000

Wow Katie, that was pretty moving. Must have been a bit of a shock for you to see that. I have just been watching a BBC programme about homeless people, and some celebs have been sleeping on the streets for real to get the true picture of what it’s like. It makes you realise what an easy life we all have, it was not pleasant viewing. Geoff, pity you didn’t dig a bit deeper, the area may be rough, but the people are probably OK, just flippin’ unlucky. It’s not that bad in England (yet) but it could happen to any of us, Oh except Government ministers, who are all taking care of themselves.

By: Kathryn

Kathryn — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:23:03 +0000

Beautiful, moving post, Katie. My husband lived in Detroit during a good part of his formative years while his father taught at the University of Detroit. We were just talking about how he never felt like it was his “home.”

Shining a light on the situation helps, I think. Thank you.

By: Rudi

Rudi — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:34:05 +0000

Yeah, Detroit is a shock to the system. It’s not all gloom and doom, but it’s not what I would call a healthy environment. There’s a ton of poverty and squalor: entire neighborhoods that could (and should) meet the wrecking ball; failed attempts at revitalization; and a long-standing history of political corruption that sealed the city’s doom many decades before the current malaise set in.

I can understand why you “got the hell out of Dodge,” so to speak.

Still, if you visit Detroit with a native, you’ll see the few flowers in the midst of the scrap heap (think Wall-E here): the local tavern that’s thriving, or the pocket park that shows a lot of civic pride. But these are few and far between.

Other cities where the automotive industry loomed large are also hurting – one drive through Toledo, OH, will show that.

I hope the rest of the trip is more positive!