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Thousands moved out for a new GM factory; now it's closing
Reuters ^ | November 26, 2018. | David Shepardson;

Posted on 11/30/2018 5:59:21 AM PST by george76

General Motors Co on Monday pulled the plug on the Chevrolet Volt hybrid and the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant that builds it, both examples of a costly gamble that is not paying off.

GM’s widely touted factory of the future, forced on a town desperate for jobs and hailed decades later by former resident Barack Obama, is set to wind down over the next few years, leaving beleaguered Hamtramck wondering what happened.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said at a news conference Monday that he told GM chief executive Mary Barra Monday that “we moved thousands of people out of that neighborhood ... to create that assembly plant and I felt that the city of Detroit deserved more consideration.”

The Detroit-Hamtramck plant stands on 465 acres of land that was once a neighborhood known as “Poletown.”

In 1981, the Michigan Supreme Court approved a decision to allow Detroit to tear down up to 1,500 homes, more than 140 businesses, a hospital and six churches to build the $500 million plant. The Detroit News reported 4,200 people lost their homes as a result.

GM convinced officials in the cities of Detroit and Hamtramck, the state of Michigan - and ultimately the state’s highest court - to use eminent domain, a controversial process in which government seizes private land.

Karen Majewski, the mayor of Hamtramck, told Reuters that the GM plant is one of the largest contributors to local property taxes. Empty, she worried the factory will discourage other investments.

“They destroyed homes and churches and local businesses, all to build that plant,” Majewski said. “Now that the plant is going to close, people will wonder why that neighborhood had to be sacrificed in the first place.”

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Canada; Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Connecticut; US: Illinois; US: Indiana; US: Michigan; US: New York; US: Wisconsin
KEYWORDS: 140businesses; 150000soldin8years; 1500homes; 6churches; automotive; barra; chatforum; chevrolet; chevroletvolt; detroit; duggan; electriccars; eminentdomain; generalmotors; gm; governmentmotors; hamtramck; hybrid; hybridcars; majewski; obama; obamacar; obamalegacy; poletown; solyndra; subsidies; travel; volt; volthybrid
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To: PetroniusMaximus

#31 That is new housing : )


61 posted on 11/30/2018 12:36:21 PM PST by minnesota_bound
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To: MileHi; george76
Resident of the White Hut, not Hamtramck.

Thanks. I went back to the original Roto-Reuters story and found that a "P" was dropped from the cut-and-paste story excerpt that george76 posted above. So the sentence should have read "former President Barack Obama," not "former resident Barack Obama."

62 posted on 11/30/2018 12:45:07 PM PST by Yo-Yo (Is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: Yo-Yo

But it was perfect the way it was. LOL


63 posted on 11/30/2018 12:58:08 PM PST by MileHi (Liberalism is an ideology of parasites, hypocrites, grievance mongers, victims, and control freaks.)
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To: george76

And ghost towns dot the west as the boom and bust cycle repeats.


64 posted on 12/02/2018 4:30:13 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Sacajaweau
In 1981...

They've had 39 years worth of good times.

65 posted on 12/02/2018 4:31:16 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: DungeonMaster

Come to Indiana and ride a leisurely trip on the Whitewater Canal.

This little experiment caused the re-writing of parts of our state constitution!


66 posted on 12/02/2018 4:34:05 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Alberta's Child
The people of this town should consider themselves lucky. At least they got the auto plant for almost 40 years.

That is correct. And for what it's worth, the vast majority of the plan't workforce live in the suburbs now.

There's a reason that area is called "Pole" town and that's because it was primarily Polish. Not so much anymore. The original residents are now dead, their children who grew up there are my age and have long since moved to the suburbs. The area has been taken over by people from the Middle East and there's a mosque that blares a call to prayer. In the downtown area there are still a couple great Polish restaurants and deli's. In fact a friend of mine still drives down there to get all his Polish sausage and other traditional Polish food.....

67 posted on 12/02/2018 4:48:40 AM PST by Hot Tabasco
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To: IamConservative

nope 40 yo


68 posted on 12/02/2018 4:53:41 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: george76
GM’s widely touted factory of the future, forced on a town desperate for jobs and hailed decades later by former resident Barack Obama, is set to wind down over the next few years, leaving beleaguered Hamtramck wondering what happened.

You followed the leadership of Obama, superfool, jive turkey extraordinaire who is now living much better than you.

69 posted on 12/02/2018 4:56:45 AM PST by Vision (Obama corrupted, sought to weaken and fundamentally change America; he didn't plan on being stopped)
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To: Sacajaweau
This seems to have been kept well hidden.

I remember it being all over the Internet in 1981. No, wait. what were those things that blew all over the place when it was windy? Papers. Yes, it was in all the papers.

70 posted on 12/02/2018 5:02:58 AM PST by Larry Lucido
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To: lgjhn23

Sigh...

Even the very best and most efficient buggy whip manufacturers went belly up when gasoline was invented.

Indiana is littered with the remains of the automotive industry.

Some win - some lose.

You pick up the pieces and move on.

(Yes; a period of grieving is allowed.)


71 posted on 12/02/2018 5:04:36 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Olog-hai
Since 2010, GM has sold about 150,000 Volts

That is SHOCKING; considering the current state of affairs!

Who knows watt will happen next?

Will company honchos be brought up on charges?

Or will the status quo remain static??


It's enough to get St. Elmo fired up!

72 posted on 12/02/2018 5:08:44 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Buckeye McFrog
They've become convinced that the free market is nothing but a scam.

Look who convinced them!

73 posted on 12/02/2018 5:10:17 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: redangus
GM’s long term goal is to stop production of all fossil fuel powered vehicles and move solely to electrics by I believe 2030.

Sounds like France's newly passed law to stop all oil drilling and petrol production by 2040.

74 posted on 12/02/2018 5:12:08 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Kickass Conservative
The redesigned Volt fills a nice niche.

I can't afford a niche car and a real one; too.

75 posted on 12/02/2018 5:14:05 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Elsie

Those cycles came to be with the attempts to impose socialistic policies, and the subsequent pushbacks.


76 posted on 12/02/2018 6:20:46 AM PST by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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To: Elsie
“Since 2010, GM has sold about 150,000 Volts
That is SHOCKING; considering the current state of affairs!

Who knows watt will happen next?

Will company honchos be brought up on charges?

Or will the status quo remain static??

It's enough to get St. Elmo fired up! “

Look, it's obvious the plant had too much capacity, and their was apparently a reluctance to effect change. It output more Volts than were required. Perhaps management never really understood the potential of the place.

77 posted on 12/02/2018 8:20:15 PM PST by Nik Naym (It's not my fault... I have compulsive smart-ass disorder.)
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To: Elsie

.........move solely to electrics by I believe 2030. Powered by fossil fuel generation power plants


78 posted on 12/02/2018 8:25:51 PM PST by Nailbiter
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To: Nailbiter

Yup!


79 posted on 12/03/2018 1:59:10 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Nik Naym

Management decisions oscillate back and forth.

But; they are positive about their intentions to turn off the plant(s); caring not about the negative implications of it all.

It’s no wonder they’ve met so much resistance. The tension is REALLY high in Poletown. People are just going to have to insulate themselves; somehow.

Perhaps if they just keep plugging along; management will switch their position.


80 posted on 12/03/2018 2:04:57 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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