After the riots, in the late 60’s, each city that had experienced destruction in certain neighborhoods, took different approaches to the ruins.
In some cities, the neighborhoods were rebuilt, so that today, if you travel through those neighborhoods, you would never know.
In other cities, like Toledo, some of the burned out neighborhoods were bulldozed and turned into green space. If you drive through those neighborhoods today, they just look like parks.
In Gary, the political machine was majority black. Their decision was to leave the burned-out buildings in place, as a testament to “black power”. The power of destruction.
For over thirty years, the other cities moved on from the 60’s riots, but Gary was like a burned-out set from an apocalyptic movie, frozen in time. A few years ago, enough residents of Gary got fed up and elected some people with a different vision. They even elected a white mayor!
Gary has made a few baby steps of progress, but how much change can you expect overnight? The biggest problem, of course, is the mindset of many of the residents. I personally know people who have invested their own money and sweat equity in rehabbing properties in Gary, to improve the neighborhoods and hopefully to earn a living; only to have everything stolen from the property in the middle of the night - plumbing, wiring, furnace, water heater, the windows, and even the siding.
Yeah, blame the steel mills for Gary's problems. That's a good story. While you're at, blame Detroit's problems on the auto industry. It certainly couldn't have anything to do with the residents, and the people they elect to run the place.
Quite right as well. In fact you hit the nail on the head. Didn’t want to come across as too non-PC in my earlier post but the facts are what they are.
I don’t know which story is the right story, but the original column didn’t blame the steel mills, it blamed the unions.
That makes sense to anyone who knows anything about unions.