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The Power's Out: Social Negligence in Detroit, 1973-2003

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THE POWER’S OUT: SOCIAL NEGLIGENCE IN DETROIT, 1973-2003 Ryan Arnold A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS August 2018 Committee: Nicole Jackson, Advisor Michael Brooks Rebecca Kinney ii ABSTRACT Nicole Jackson, Advisor The Power's Out: Social Negligence in Detroit, 1973-2003 examines the ways in which the city of Detroit has deteriorated in the late twentieth due to the incompetent functionality of the power structure within the city and how they have overlooked the needs of Black inner-city residents. This thesis utilizes a combination of primary sources and secondary sources such as newspaper articles, community organizational records, autobiographies, blog posts, and interviews to contribute a narrative of Detroit that discusses the conditions of Detroit post-1967 into the twenty-first century. Although industrial decline and white flight were major contributors to Detroit’s decline, the negligence of the city administration to provide an inner-city efficient infrastructure, adequate public housing, and proper civic service response and police-community relations. Research about Detroit revealed the city corruption within Coleman A. Young's city administration was vital to the overall decline of Detroit during his twenty-year tenure. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my advisor and mentor, Dr. Nicole Jackson for her outstanding support and belief in my ability to create this thesis. I would also like to thank Dr. Rebecca Kinney and Megan Goins-Diouf for additional support, advice and guidance within my research and journey creating this thesis. I would like to thank all three of you for being my support system throughout this project. I would like to thank the History Department, specifically, Dr. Michael Brooks for our many conversations about Detroit and the additional sources he provided that made my thesis possible. I am truly blessed to have had you all there through this process, and without you all this thesis would not be possible. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER I. COLEMAN A. YOUNG'S PLAN FOR A NEW DETROIT ................................. Black Mayor...................................................................................................................... 18 The Young Administration and the New Detroit .............................................................. 22 Metro-Detroit .................................................................................................................... 25 Conclusion: Devil's Night ................................................................................................. 29 CHAPTER II. CORRUPTION IN DETROIT'S HOUSING PROJECTS .................................... 33 Inner-city Nieghborhoods ................................................................................................. 34 A History of Housing Discrimination ............................................................................... 36 The Projects ...................................................................................................................... 37 Discrimination in Housing ................................................................................................ 42 Corruption ......................................................................................................................... 44 CHAPTER III. POLICING DETROIT......................................................................................... 49 Most Violent Police in the Nation .................................................................................... 51 Policing Black Youth ........................................................................................................ 55 Gross Negligence .............................................................................................................. 57 Malice Green ..................................................................................................................... 59 Coalition Against Police Brutality .................................................................................... 62 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 66 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................... 70 1 INTRODUCTION A banner reading “See Detroit Like We Do,” featuring a crowd of only young White people was hung in the window of the new Vinton Building in downtown Detroit, at the intersection of Congress street and Woodward avenue, incited controversy amongst Detroiters on July 23, 2017. The banner was problematic for two reasons: First, the poster made its debut on the weekend of the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Detroit Rebellion. And second, even though Detroit’s population is majority Black and has been since the 1970s, the advertisement alluded to the idea that the new Detroit under construction was only for White people.1 The controversial billboard and its message was sponsored by Bedrock Detroit, a real-estate company owned by Dan Gilbert, founder of Quicken Loans and owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Gilbert is considered a “visible investor…most prominent behind Detroit’s recent development in terms of both financial investors and boosterism.”2 Gilbert responded to the controversy by ensuring that the full banner planned to be installed “was a very inclusive and diverse set of images that reflects the population of the city.”3 Bedrock also issued a public apology on Facebook by acknowledging the image “was unfortunately, not diverse or inclusive when looked at by itself.”4 Bedrock ultimately canceled its campaign, however people continued to respond to the apology message posted on Facebook. One White woman left the following message: For someone to take this campaign and see the words “See Detroit as we do” and turn it into a race issue instead of something along the lines of: a company that invests billions of dollars every year in this city, employs people that live in this city, pays taxes to support this city, restores buildings to preserve the rich history 1 The 1967 Rebellion have also been commonly referred to as the 1967 Riots. For my thesis, I will be using Rebellion in place of riots, except when the event is mentioned in quotations. 2 Rebecca Kinney, Beautiful Wasteland: The Rise of Detroit as America’s Postindustrial Frontier (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2016), Kindle Version, location 2802. 3 Keith A. Owen, Senior Editor, “This may be how YOU see Detroit, Bedrock, but Detroit doesn’t see Detroit that way,” Michigan Chronicle (Publication Date) Accessed January 10, 2018, https://michronicleonline.com/2017/07/24/this-may-be-how-you-see-detroit-bedrock-but-detroit-doesnt-see-detroit- that-way/. 4Ibid. 2 here, etc. – then its [sic] you that’s the problem. It’s you that’s keeping racism alive. Everything can be turned different ways and misconstrued. I’m personally sad to see this campaign go because I do see the city the way they see it – and know that the banner had nothing to do with racism. #riseabove #coexist.5 Not satisfied by that answer, a Black woman responded: You have to love all the white people in the comments section, who don’t even live in Detroit or just moved here last year, attempting to police and negate Black feelings, thoughts, and emotions. Clearly this “apology” isn’t directed towards you, because it doesn’t offend you, you’re represented, and you always are…This ad was done in poor taste, this apology was fake and horrible, and we know that we’re wanted to make money for you, but the “New Detroit” you’re creating is not for us.6 This exchange between these two women reflects the duality of the Detroit experience. Although both of these women are Detroiters, they live in divergent realities with different understandings of the city. After WWII, Detroit has most often been represented as a Black city, reflecting its overwhelmingly large Black population. In the last fifty years, Detroit has changed from a growing hub of working class White opportunity to a derelict husk of its former glory. Contemporary residents often refer to Detroit as “The Murder Capitol” or “The Dirty D” because of the city’s high crime rates, widespread poverty and failing infrastructure.7 Lacking adequate housing, a quality city infrastructure or reliable emergency services, one must wonder how the city changed so drastically. The answer lies in the issues to which Detroit has become synonymous: governmental corruption, municipal decline and urban blight. In a moment where the city has become a center of urban renewal, to which Bedrock Detroit has financially invested, 5 Keith A. Owen, Senior Editor, “This may be how YOU see Detroit, Bedrock, but Detroit doesn’t see Detroit that way,” Michigan Chronicle (Publication Date) Accessed January 10, 2018, https://michronicleonline.com/2017/07/24/this-may-be-how-you-see-detroit-bedrock-but-detroit-doesnt-see-detroit- that-way/. These conversations happened over Facebook in the comments section. 6 Ibid. 7 Rupert Cornwell, “Obituary: Coleman Young,” Independent @IndyVoices (Tuesday 2 December 1997), Accessed February 12, 2018, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-coleman-young-1286415.html. 3 it
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