Detroit in Meltdown
A Detroit Homeless Shelter?
The City of Detroit reportedly has 21% unemployment. The average home sold for less than many cars in 2008. There are even people wanting to go to jail to be warm for the winter. However, that part is nothing new (perhaps more common) as I have known from my time being a volunteer Chaplain in prisons that individuals would prefer jail and intentionally get arrested for the security of jail. I knew one individual that burst into tears from his fear of being released into the world to fend for himself.
One measure of how tough times are in the Motor City: Some of the offenders in jail don’t want to be released; some who do get out promptly re-offend to head back where there’s heat, health care and three meals a day.
“For the first time, I’m seeing guys make a conscious decision they’ll be better off in prison than in the community, homeless and hungry,” said Joseph Williams of New Creations Community Outreach, which assists ex-offenders. “In prison they’ve got three hots and a cot, so they commit a crime to go back in and come out when times are better.”
Thing is that they know exactly what kind of crime to commit to be out by late Spring when it is warm again.
The jobless rate has climbed past 21 percent, the embattled school district just fired its superintendent, tens of thousands of homes and stores are derelict and abandoned, the ex-mayor is in jail for a text-messaging sex scandal. Even the pro football team is a pathetic joke — the Lions are within two losses of an unprecedented 0-16 season.
About 83% of Detroit’s population is black.
Detroit’s crime, poverty, unemployment and school dropout rates are among the worst of any major U.S. city. The bus system is widely panned; car and home insurance rates are high. Chain grocery stores are absent, forcing many Detroiters to rely on high-priced corner stores.
In 1950, Detroit had 1,800,000 people. Last year, it dropped below 900,000 and is the first American city in history to drop below a million. People of good will in Detroit (of which I know a few) will need to double their efforts and try to hold things together while the politicians continue to make a mess of things.
My fear is that Detroit’s mess could spread to other areas of the country.
Filed under: Bad Culture, Community of Compassion
It sad to hear about about the state of Detroit.
It’s so unfathomable to believe how the city was once this thriving Motor City. Detroit has has it share of problems for a while, but it doesn’t help with the economic crisis that is taking place. My mom’s friend left Georgia for Detroit 40 years ago during the Jim Crow Days. Now she’s going to retire from being a nutritionist and is planning to come home. She said that she’s very depressed about her second home.
I believe that Detroit could be a far prosperous city if it was not for some of their politicians. They may not could do it all, but they continuously have failed the people of that city. With some of them it wasn’t about the people it was all about them and it shows. there have been American cities that have been on the brink of sinking and have managed to pick themselves up Detroit should have been no different in helping their city.Right now every major American city is feeling the pinch of this economic crisis and maybe it can be excused, but in the past, I believe that them politicians could have done better than what they did. They just took advantage of their citizens.
The Detroit Lions are 0-16? Geez! now that is bad.
The Lions are not 0-16…yet
Knock Knock
Who’s there?
Owen
Owen who?
Owen 16
@ Abu Usamah
Hold on. There is a perfectly good chance that they may go to Green Bay and pull out a victory.
LOL LOL
Tariq I stopped drinking the Ford/Lions kool-aid two years ago, they have the dubious distinction of being the losingest (if that’s a word) professional team in any of the major sports
people wearing t-shirts saying “0-16 Yes We Can” LOL oh did mention they haven’t won in Green Bay since his royal highness (shout to Swarth Moor & Daud who’s yah teacha) of the gridiron Mr. 20 himself was running the ball in 1991.
@ Abu Usamah
Well, at least the Pistons acquired Allen (PRACTICE???) Iverson to lead them back to championship glory and to knock off the juggernaut in Boston
Detroit a contradiction in motion, in some respects much worst than mentioned in these articles and in some respects much better.
for example the high school drop rate (heighten by student exits to charter schools) in the city is horrible, yet the High School I attended Kettering has a top class nursing/medical assistant for program which allows the students to be certified by graduation.
With regards to the housing, working class folk for whom the thought of owning a home was out of reach, now with the lowered house value people who saved a little and kept their credit reasonably intact, are able to purchase a home with much more in the way of amenities. Out of chaos there is opportunity.
In the last five years there have at least 3 to 5 church complexes built at budgets from 10 to 25 million right in the city. And there are litterally thousands of churches in Detroit yet they have done nothing to stem the tide of immorality and corruption.
More than anything else this “I got to get mine” mentality from the so-called educated party Saturday then attend church Sunday crowd is causing the greastest set backs. I’m not blaming all Christians, I’m talking about the degree toters who at every opportunity are robbing city government at every level.
It difficult to get children to believe in righteousness when they see open corruption
The thing about our urban areas is that we’re going to have an honest conversation starting with places like Detroit because if we can’t have an honest conversation about the mess in Detroit then we will not be able to have an honest conversation about poverty and other problems in America.
To be clear although there is regional discord in metro detroit which results into everything from artificial insurance redlining to predatory leanding to up the region being the most segregated in the country, which contributes to the misery index, but by far most of Detroit’s wounds are self-inflicted, both the city council and school board should be elimanated. They serve no demonstrative positive purpose.
Yet all the political changes in the world won’t matter if the zeal of righteousness and the zest for learning is not inculcated in the coming generation of children. And that is the honest truth.
Battles were fought many years for Blacks to again political control of Detroit now we have become the worst in terms nepotism and outright theft.
Don’t get me wrong I love Detroit and in my estimation this is the best place for urban hijr/dar Islam to be created yet the collective vision isn’t there from leadership, huge tracks of city blocks could purchased to form Muslim held and owned safe zones right with in the city. Not only Detroit but Highland Park or even Flint are other options, there many well-off Muslims with the knowledge, wealth as well as Muslims with political connects who could with the help of Allah make that a reality. Allahu Alim
This is an oppportunity for to seize the chance to win hearts, with handouts but with handups, the Detroit I believe is unique in the number of Professional Muslims consolidated in one area.
There is already a free clinic and many generous donations yet what is missing is mentoring in the professional fields.
The NOI (no I was never a member) won people over not with convoluted theology but by providing services and in addition to merely feeding people or giving the clothes, he put them to work or prepared them for finding work.
If he can do that with blatant shirk
what should we be able to accomplish with the Qur’an and Sunnah?
@Tariq
I know I may have just set off the alarm for the aqidah police but it needed said just to be candid
Besides Qur’an surah Tauba 9 verse 60 sums up the mandate
Abu Usamah, ya lost me on this:
“they haven’t won in Green Bay since his royal highness (shout to Swarth Moor & Daud who’s yah teacha) of the gridiron Mr. 20 himself was running the ball in 1991.”
When i used to follow football, i was a Dolphins fan. Now i am clueless about that stuff.
At least the Lions made history in some respect
As I’ve stated for the last 6 months, cats in Detroit are about to go into Somali prirate mode.
RE: AI with the Pistons, I thought that leting Chauncey got was a foolish move. Stuckey scored 40 last night amazingly to save the Pistons from an ugly AI performance.
Asalaamu Alaikum,
My family and I moved to Michigan about year and a half ago from Maryland. Our youngest daughter attends Tawheed Center School in Detroit . Al hamdullilah for the hard work the brothers and sisters do to run the school and the masjid. Inspite of the difficulties facing the city, I am very grateful to be here and to know people who truly care about the city and want to make a positive difference. May Allah help us all to continue to increase our good deeds wherever we are.
P.S. Brother Tariq do you have a section on your site for the names of organizations/programs which are helping to make a difference especially in our cities?
For the sake of their loyal fans sake, I hope that they’ll win at least one game. Nothing is would be more humiliating than having a 0-16 record.