Free Republic

Paige Stalker might be alive today had she learned about Routine Activity Theory. But she is dead and two of her friends are critically wounded, the latest poster children for R.A.T.: White people in black neighborhoods should expect to be the victims of racial violence. Paige was one of five teenagers from an upscale neighborhood in nearby Grosse Point who were on their way to the movies three days before Christmas when they decided to pull over and smoke marijuana in Detroit. While they were getting a high, a black man with a high-powered rifle approached their car and fired...

On one side, there are dilapidated houses, gardens overflowing with weeds and a high crime rate. On the other, there are streets filled with spacious homes, well-manicured lawns and yoga studios. This is one of numerous fences that have been erected by the wealthy 'haves' of the Michigan suburb of Grosse Pointe Park to 'prevent 'have-nots' from Detroit from driving into the city'. The brick barrier, reading 'Road Ends', represents a significant divide between the two cities, which despite their proximity, differ greatly in terms of average salary, crime rates and general desirability.