The mostly white people moving into the central city get a lot of attention, but the ones who most need jobs, help and attention are the ones who’ve been here all along.
Detroit
Posted inChildren & Families
In Detroit, only a mighty few can open new charter schools
The NAACP urges a moratorium on new charter schools. A new law, though, already limits their growth in Detroit.
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
Police alone can't pacify a violent culture
AS AMERICAN AS APPLE PIE: A culture that catapults violent video games to the top of sales charts cannot be pacified simply by adding more police officers. (Screen capture of “Grand Theft Auto V”) Public safety is and remains a primary topic of concern for Detroiters. From campaign conversation to political platforms to administrative agendas, […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Homeless in Detroit: Deep in the trenches of poverty
Ericka Murria was 17-years-old when she first went to Coalition on Temporary Shelter with her one-year-old daughter. Murria, a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault, she lived on hard times after her mother passed away. She’d been living with friends who were into drugs and alcohol. But after her friends stole her Bridge card […]
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
Now more than ever, say nice things about Detroit (because they’re true)
NOTHING BUT BLUE SKIES: If you think Michigan’s largest city is defined by its fiscal troubles, you haven’t been there lately. At least not downtown. (Photo by Flickr user April Janowski; used under Creative Commons license) After weeks of press about Detroit’s bankruptcy, I am clearly not the only one who feels compelled to speak […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Metal pirates strip too much of what’s left from Michigan cities, lawmakers grope for answers
TRASHED: The pastor of a Detroit church hoped to convert the closed Vetal Elementary School in Detroit into a career training center. However, once scrappers gained entrance to the building, they quickly made it unusable. This bathroom’s damage is typical. (Bridge photos by Nancy Derringer) When it comes to scrap-metal theft in Detroit and other […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links: Pensions, safety when studying abroad, and would you pay a penny of sales tax to help college students pay for school?
Conservative thinker and writer Josh Barro prescribes reforms that will displease conservatives and liberals alike when it comes to public pension programs and their weaknesses as exemplified by Detroit. How safe are your college kids when they study abroad? Probably safer than they used to be. More and more universities are hiring “risk managers” to […]
Posted inChildren & Families
How high is rent in six Michigan cities?
(courtesy image/used under Creative Commons license) Finance guidelines say housing should not cost more than 30 percent of household income. But in 2013, thousands of Michigan rental households fall below that standard. Michigan Two-bedroom fair market rental: $768 Hourly wages needed to afford two-bedroom fair market rental: $14.77 Mean renter hourly wage: $11.62 Rent […]
Posted inPhil's Column
‘Aerotropolis’ project finally taking off; could provide much-needed lift for Southeast Michigan
Phil Power is founder and chairman of the Center for Michigan. “What could be the single largest economic development project in Michigan history has been sitting there, right under our nose.” That’s the first paragraph of a column I wrote way back in 2001. In it, I advocated prompt action by Michigan leaders to make […]
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
Detroit, a tale of two cities – and worth checking out
RISING IN DETROIT: Avalon International Breads, an early pioneer in Midtown’s rebirth, is always worth a visit. (Photo by S.J. Carey, used under Creative Commons license) Things are pretty tough in Detroit, what with an emergency manager and a possible bankruptcy lurking just around the corner. But despite that, there are enough good things going […]