“Enter At Your Own Risk” is what the Detroit Police union is telling visitors about the city of Detroit. The Detroit Police Officer Association (DPOA) held a political rally warning Michiganders that the city is becoming more dangerous. The union warned that the department is "grossly understaffed", while the homicide rate continues to soar. Detroit Police Officer Association (DPOA) Attorney Donato Ioriotold the press that the police force is shrinking as more officers exit the city.
Enter At Your Own Risk: Police Union Says ‘War-Like’ Detroit Is Unsafe For Visitors
Frankly, I don't blame them. Many cops simply can't afford to work in Detroit. They pay is dropping, but the cost of living is raising.
I live 60 miles north of Detroit in a city that shares more than a few similarities with Motown. Like Detroit, my home town (Flint, Michigan) is a decaying industrial city littered with abandoned buildings, burnt out homes and a struggling economy. Both Flint and Detroit have extremely high crime rates. They are consistently ranked as the most violent cities in the country every year. In 2011, Flint was ranked the most dangerous city in America, even beating Detroit. Flint had the second-highest murder rate and the highest rates of aggravated assault, burglary and arson in the country.
Most Dangerous Cities In America Based On Analysis Of FBI Statistics>
The state police added detectives to help Flint police officers, but the problem seems to be bigger that staffing. It's bigger than manpower. I travel to Detroit quite often to visit family members. I've brought family members to Belle Isle, Greektown, The Detroit Zoo (in Royal Oak), The Detroit Institute of Arts. I've even toured the neighbors where I grew up (in Detroit) and other locales. So unlike most commentators bashing Detroit, I've been inside the city.
I've seen the good that the city has to offer. But when it comes to crime, I think Detroit is experiencing a social and moral breakdown. The government is corrupt to the core, the tax base can't support a decent education system, too many drug addicted zombies are willing to kill for almost nothing, too many young people have embraced a thug culture of degeneracy, criminals have become emboldened the citizens' fear and too many incompetent people are having too many children and not installing good values in the youth.
I have family in the Detroit suburbs and in the city who are afraid to enter many parts of the city. And some family members' fear of being out at night resembles Robert Neville fright in the 1971 classic film "The Omega Man."
So how can I respond to this threat? Should I avoid the city at all cost. I don't blame you if you decide to never visit. But I will walk a different path. I have family in Detroit and I already live in a dangerous city. My plan is to continue enjoying the jazz festivals that Detroit has to offer. I'm going to visit the Detroit Opera House and visit Mexicantown. I'll walk through Downtown Detroit the same way I walk through Flint: armed with my Glock 21 (45 ACP). I have a Concealed Pistol License and am I want to live as peacefully as I can. But I refuse to be a prisoner in my home.
I refuse to let the bad guys keep me away from Detroit. I will walk through Detroit with a great sense of awareness and learn to survive. Because as the United States declines economically and politically, millions will be too desperate, too drugged out or too spiritually drained to care about morality.
Whether you know it or not, Detroit is coming to a town near you.
The Other Side of Detroit: GREEKTOWN
The Other Side of DETROIT: The Detroit Institute of Arts
The Other Side of DETROIT: The Detroit Zoo (Royal Oak, MI)
I'm seeing considerable similarities between the individual states of the United States to the individual countries of the EU. Countries (states) forced to take austerity measures are driving more people in to poverty, which increases crime.
ReplyDeleteAnd the recession (depression) marches on...
It might be that Detroit is just the canary in the coal mine.
ReplyDeleteTake care of yourself and your family.
It may be considered the most dangerous, but there sure are a lot of other cities just like it.
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