Shrinking Detroit has 12,000 abandoned homes

AFP ^ | Sun Aug 14, 5:03 PM ET

[Quick Shot]

Sorry, He/s from Jackson. A significant step up..

[GBA]

"Suburbanites are taking the bodies of their relatives out of cemeteries because they're afraid to come to the city," Vogel said. "There are about 400 to 500 hundred (being moved) a year which shows you the depth of racism and fear."

I don't get it. How is someone moving their dead relatives out of the cemetery b/c they're afraid to go to the cemetery showing "the depth of racism"?

[yankeedame]

Well... yes, but aside from the crumbling buildings, criminals, arsonists and wild animals, its white people's racism that is keeping people out of Detroit.

Well, of course! My goodness, that just goes w/o saying, doesn't it?

[ninonitti]

This is a great article that I'll tell every lib I hear weezing about "affordable" housing to read.

There's plenty of houaing around it's just not where they want to live.

[the invisib1e hand]

don't cry. at least you ha-ha-haaaave (snickers)bwhaha Bob bwahah Bob Seeeheeeheeeheeger@!!!!!bwahahahahahahahah@! (just funnin' ya). Oh,and Madonna!!!! bwahahahahahahahahahahahahah!

[goldstategop]

Big cities in America are run by liberals. But none has been so badly mismanaged as Detroit. And it ain't the racism, its just the policy choices made by Detroit's leaders - poor planning, higher taxes and stifling bureaucracy. All of which has set back the city's growth and actually led to its hemorrhaging population. Yes, its the policies, stupid.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[P.O.E.]

Cool photos of the disappearing history in Detroit, from a Detroit thread a few days ago.

[bella1]

"I'm sure there are parts of the city which are nice"

No there isn't. You obviously have never been there!

[caver]

Yes, the most liberal city and the most depressing city.

[bobjam]

The city is having trouble locating the owners of these properties? I find that hard to believe. Whom do they send the property tax bill to? Besides, if it absolutely, positively must be destroyed overnight, call the Marines. Another solution (and fairly common) is to have the fire department set old abandoned houses ablaze for training purposes. In fact, the city could bring other departments in for training.

[NZerFromHK]

I agree. I was there in 2003 visiting my brother in the suburbs and the thing I noticed at the "better" parts of the Detroit city proper was sealed windows on buildings. It's simple to extrapolate on what the really bad neighbourhoods look like...

[bella1]

Correct me if i'm wrong, but I believe Ted Nugent is from Ann Arbor.....or was that Bob Seger??

[CasearianDaoist]

Here is your answer:

There are more than 12,000 abandoned homes in the Detroit area, a byproduct of decades of layoffs at the city's auto plants and white flight to the suburbs.

Also, see the remark form some academic hack about "a lack of regional planning" and "tax-sharing."

You see it is really all the fault of those evil corporations and those bigoted white people that have the cheek to move out.

Whose else could possibly be at fault? Honestly now! What coulls you be thinking? I am surprised that you even had to wonder about this for only a second.

[Lauretij2]

Behold, the most liberal city in the country according to that recent study.

[Jacquerie]

Are there any livable majority minority cities?

[goldstategop]

You're safer across the river at night in Windsor. No one stays out late at night in downtown Detroit.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[Shawndell Green]

Yep.

[the invisib1e hand]

I don't think Ted Nugent is from Bob Seger.

[IC Ken]

Timelord...white racism is dead. The only racism I see anymore is from Black America.

[Klickitat]

Yes it's interesting how wanting to avoid being murdered is a racist thing. Shows just how bad it is when people are having their deceased relatives moved to safer cemeteries.