Michigan Youth Political Alliance

While the Olympics are going on in Beijing, Detroit is engaged in its own event: The 100m Running itself into the ground. It’s rather sad to think that not long ago before the current mess, there were signs that Detroit was again on the rise with the upshot in investment and downturn in crime. Within the course of a few months, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s indiscretions have succeeded in turning Detroit into the “Mississippi” of cities- the one to which everyone else can say “at least we’re doing better than them.”

Its at a time like this that its best to consider what is really the problem here- Who’s to blame?

At its core, the answer to this question is simple- You. You are to blame for what is going on, which is to say all of us have contributed to the situation that gave rise to a mayor such as Kilpatrick. After all, there is much wrong with Metro Detroit in general that precedes Kwame, although he didn’t help matters.

Perhaps the most central element is the split present between the city of Detroit and the numerous other cities in the Metro area. We currently live in an area with one of the most striking racial divides in the US ( Detroit is 81.6% African-American (1) while Livonia is 94.1% White (2) according to the 2000 Census). This divide lends itself to the true problem plaguing our area – the absence of interaction between the two groups.

This level of segregation has lent itself to the creation of an unfortunate ‘other’ complex among people in the area. Besides the obvious racial misgivings, Detroit tends to be wary of outside investment, while the Suburbs tend to resent Detroit’s control over water systems, among other dependencies.

Although recently there were more attempts to encourage cooperation between Detroit and the surrounding municipalities, the business of Kwame’s multiple charges and investigations, along with his insistence on being discriminated against have succeeded in setting intercity relations back to square one. It should be the top goal of both Detroiters and others living in the Metro Detroit area to try and rectify this and work together instead of at cross-purposes.

While one could argue that Detroit’s problems are Detroit’s, but in truth it is still the central part of the Metro Area. While it seems that the other cities may prosper without it, the region as a whole will not be truly healthy or develop as much as it could without the resurrection of Detroit.

Removing Kwame from office is a necessary element of this but there are also other steps that need to be taken. All of the communities in Metro Detroit need to abandon the quasi-racial antagonisms that have been keeping them at odds. The City Council of Detroit, considering the damage done by Kilpatrick, will need to initiate this partnership in order for it to get off the ground. In establishing this partnership, it will become possible to establish the regional cohesiveness and potential investment needed for Detroit to reassert itself and bring the rest of the region up with its own rising tide.

On a more personal level, we should collectively try and work to break down the barriers within Metro Detroit. Contact your city government, work for non-governmental organizations seeking greater regional connections or start one yourself. All of this will be needed in order for Detroit to rise from a laughingstock to a respectable, if beleaguered, city.

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