And I love it..

When you think of the place you grew up, what do you think about? I’m sure you are flooded with memories, good or bad and because of this, I think it is more than safe to say that because of where you grew up, you are the person you have become.

We see movie after movie that depict the small town person trying to make it big, the city person trying to survive the ways of the streets, or an average suburbanite made interesting by either being sent to a small town or big city – no joke, many movies have these basic plot lines. Yet, what I’ve noticed is that they all serve as countless examples of  how the places we live truly shape us and how it effects the way we think, act and eventually, becomes the reason we do things the way we do them.

Detroit is where I was born, where I grew up. It is the city that has shaped the way I think, act and it effects my decisions everyday. Detroit is my motivation. I don’t want to be another statistic. I want to do more, be more, achieve more, because of the challenges that I know my neighbors have gone through, because of the poverty, because of the shambled education system and rocky economy. Regardless of all of the negative headlines, regardless of the poverty, shambled educational system and economy, I love my city, and I know that whoever I turn out to be it is because of the experiences of living in Detroit.

Being a Detroiter means to rise above all challenges, because we have an innovative spirit, and a don’t-get-in-my-way attitude. This city will rise above all of the challenges it has, and it will return to greatness, so long as the people in Detroit take a stand and always remember to love this city. This isn’t Chicago, it ain’t no New York, but it is Detroit and that should not be taken lightly.

“This city is my city, and I love it.”

There is good

Since I was 11, I always had some kind of job. Whether it was babysitting, mowing grass or shoveling snow. I’ve always had the opportunity to make an honest living. For that, I have always been thankful. For others this isn’t always the case. When I turned 13, I applied to work anywhere I could. My dream job at that age, was to work at Kroger’s, a grocery store in a suburb 10-15 minutes away. I was never hired there. I still persistently applied to work anywhere that would accept my application. It wasn’t until the summer after 10th grade that I got my first “real job.”

I was hired to work in the summer of 2009 as a Youth Leader at Alternatives For Girls. Alternatives for Girls (AFG) is a Detroit-based non-profit organization that is a shelter for women trying to get their lives headed in a new direction. There are three departments that compose their organization: Shelter, Outreach, and Prevention. The shelter houses women, and their children and helps them prepare for employment and education. The outreach department goes into neighborhoods, informing people of the resources that they have to offer, all for free of charge. I had the opportunity to work in the Prevention Department, where I served as a camp counselor to my group of eight girls, providing them with an educational, cultural, and social experience of activities.

I could go on and on about how great this organization is, but I’m still only going to have one point after I finish. In Detroit, there are good things happening, there are many, countless organizations like AFG.

Despite all of the negativity, all of the bad headlines; there is good. There are people making efforts to change lives. To change situations. To give people better opportunities.

There is good.

Statistics

POPULATION:

*2006 stats – the latest statistics available

Founded
July 24, 1701

Population
City – 918,849 (U.S. Census Bureau 2007);
Metropolitan area – 4,008,474
(Source: October 2007 Southeast Michigan Council of Governments [SEMCOG])

City Government
Mayor and nine-member Detroit City Council, all serving four-year terms.
Mayor: Dave Bing

Metro Detroit is composed of three counties
Macomb, Oakland and Wayne

Land Area
City: 138.7 square miles (218.5 square kilometers)
Metropolitan: 2,026.1 square miles (3,241.7 square kilometers)
Altitude: 581 feet (177 meters), measured at the Detroit River

Climate
Average high and low temperatures (Fahrenheit/Celsius)

Month High/Low (F) High/Low (C)
January 31/16 -1/-9
February 34/18 1/-8
March 44/27 7/-3
April 58/37 14/3
May 69/47 21/8
June 79/56 26/13
July 83/61 28/16
August 82/59 28/15
September 74/52 23/11
October 63/41 17/5
November 48/31 9/-1
December 35/22 2/-7

Record High Temperature: 105/40.5 in July 1934
Record Low Temperature: -24/-31 on Dec. 22, 1872
Mean Annual Temperature: 48.6/9.2
Average Snowfall: 41.1 inches/102.75 centimeters
Average Wind: 10.4 mph/16.64 kph

Major Industry
Internationally known for automobile manufacturing and trade, the world headquarters of General Motors Corp.and Ford Motor Company and Chrysler L.L.C are located in metro Detroit. The area ranks as a leader in the production of alternative fuel, auto manufacturing and life science. The area ranks as a leader in the production of paints, non-electrical machinery and automation equipment, as well as pharmaceutical, rubber products, synthetic resins and garden seed. Other national and international corporations headquartered here include The Budd Company, American National Resources, Kelly Services, SBC, Federal Mogul and Kmart, plus pizza giants Domino’s, Hungry Howie’s and Little Caesars. These companies employ more than 2 million metro Detroiters.

2006 Employment by Industry (Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties)
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 1,453
Mining 316
Utilities 4,978
Construction 67,328
Manufacturing 245,969
Wholesale Trade 78,173
Retail Trade 192,714
Transportation and Warehousing 50,663
Information 31,930
Finance and Insurance 75,301
Real Estate, Rental and Leasing 27,897
Professional and Technical Services 154,982
Management of Companies & Enterprises 42,767
Administrative & Waste Services 138,708
Educational Services 24,269
Health Care & Social Assistance 226,019
Arts, Entertainment & Recreation 31,115
Accommodation & food services 52,967
Other services 54,312

(Source: Detroit Regional Chamber)

EDUCATION:

• Only 3 percent of Detroit’s 4th graders and 4 percent of its 8th graders meet national math standards(source: www.excellentschoolsdetroit.org).
• 2010 Michigan on-time high school graduation for African American students was 58%, compared to Latinos (64%), Native Americans (66%), whites (82%), Asians (88%) and 76% overall.
• Only 2 percent of Detroit’s high school students are prepared for college-level math and 11 percent for college-level reading
  (source: www.excellentschoolsdetroit.org).
• African-American males in Michigan have the lowest high school graduation rate in the country at 33%. White males in the state gradate at a rate of 74% (source: www.umich.edu).
• The achievement gap continues to persist as evidenced by the 2009 Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test – see chart
  (source: www.michigan.gov/mde).
• Nationally in 2008, the status dropout rate for white persons was 4.8% compared to 9.9% for black and 18.3% for Hispanic persons. “Status dropout rate” is defined as the percentage of 16- through 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in school and have not earned a high school credential
  (source: nces.ed.gov).

(Source: New Detroit, The Coalition)

ECONOMICS:

Detroit Financial Statistics
Median household income (per year)	$32,272
Income change over time (increase since 1990)	63.42%
Sales tax	6.00%
State income tax rate (highest bracket)	n/a
State income tax rate (lowest bracket)	3.90%
Auto insurance premiums (average for the state)	$868
Detroit Housing
Median home price	$126,389
Home price gain (2-5 year gain)	12.31%
Detroit Education
Colleges, universities and professional schools (within 30 miles)	29
Junior colleges and technical institutes (within 30 miles)	9
Detroit Quality of Life
Personal crime risk (100 is national average, lower is better)	432
Property crime risk (100 is national average, lower is better)

(Source: Home Insight)

CRIME:

How does this make you feel?

South West, Baby!

 

 

Known as South West Detroit it is a small town in a big city. This area of Detroit is loosely defined as the area south of I-94 and west of the I-75/I-96 interchange. Within this boundary, you will find a community rich in Mexican heritage. You will be able to walk into stores that are bilingual with Spanish and English. Sometimes, you will find stores that only speak Spanish. It is usually referred to as Mexican Village or Mexican Town. I would say it is most famous for its Mexican restaurants located near the I-75 Ambassador Bride entrance and our Cinco de Mayo Celebrations, with a parade, parties and fun.

What most people don’t know about South West is that it has people full of dedication. These people are rebuilding this part of the city, renovating businesses, fixing roads, making efforts to grow. There is talent, hope, but most of all a chance for something positive to take place.

Check out these videos to get a feel of what the area looks like.

A dancing man:

A homemade rap music video:

The burbs…

It was always the goal of my mom to move from the city of Detroit to a suburb. I’m not sure why, I liked my house, my neighborhood. Why would we move? Maybe it was for the location of the stores? Perhaps it was the false sense of security that comes from living that picture idea of the glorified American Dream?

All I know is that if I would have grown up in the suburbs I’d be different from who I am today. Maybe not by much, but something would be different.

Mr. Nosy

He is a tall, round man with salt and pepper hair. He wears the same outfit everyday: one of those white t-shirts with a chest pocket and light blue jeans. He smells of cigarettes, and talks like he walked out of an old western. He has lost everyone who has ever lived with him on Howard. Yet, he is still living his life. I know he has children, because he was once arrested and put into prison for not paying child support. My mom does his taxes, and helps him with legal documents. Mr. Nosy never learned how to read. He is about 56 years old. He chats with everyone on the street, finding out information, just because. Sometimes we will get a call from him. Where are you at, your car isn’t home. What’s for dinner? Can you give me a ride? What ya’ doing? He is nosy, but a vital component to our neighborhood, and city.  Without people like him, there is no binding glue that keeps us all somehow intertwined. Which is exactly what he does.

People and their porches

Sitting on the porch is one of the most common summer activities in the city of Detroit. It’s just people watching, waiting and hanging out. It’s a way of life…