Enough with the "This is our city BS"

What is it with so many residents of Detroit always declaring it their city? They have sat back on their collective rear ends and watched their city wallow into distress all these years and now they want to act as if someone is taking the city away from them. Folks, you just happen to reside in Detroit and it is in no way just relegated to being your city.

If you want to have so much pride about your city, then change the way in which people’s perception of the city is. Take some darn ownership over the way it is ran by start electing people to lead you that are not as inept and incompetent as what has been shown by those on the 11th and 13th floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Building. How about caring more about the crime that impacts the way your city is viewed and less about the possibility of an Emergency Financial Manager taking over? Then start caring more about your kids getting a quality education and less about them rocking a freaking pair of the latest edition of Michael Jordan gym shoes.

As I listened to a radio call-in show on Saturday morning, I was amazed at the lack of accountability being expressed by the callers while at the same time they continued to blast away at those whom they perceive as trying to take their city away from them. Wake the heck up people; you allowed this to come to be and now want to proclaim it your city that no one will take away from you. If I had the power to do anything, I would let you have your city and sit back and watch it continue down the road of irrelevancy and financial ruin. It is really laughable to listen to the mindset of those that call into these radio shows and act as if their rights are being infringed upon. This after the residents have allowed themselves to be disrespected by the very same people that they elected into office to represent them. Really now!

In declaring the city ‘yours’ is as ridiculous as black people in this country thinking that they are solely responsible for electing Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States. Take away the many people that come into the city to work and spend money; the patrons to the many restaurants and sports venues; then those who attend the cultural destinations. Without these people coming to your city, you would have already witnessed something resembling a third world country.

What makes you really think that it is your city? From the looks of things lately, it appears that the city will soon belong to Dan Gilbert and all of those that are investing in it financially. Ironically, it is not your people making an impact in your city, but those on the outside buying up your city right from under your noses. However, you choose to think that your city is being taken away from you based of your misguided sense of what it right or wrong from a public policy point of view. And if John Conyers and Jesse Jackson are your standard bearers for being the voice of reason for your city, then you are definitely in a world of hurt.

So if you feel that you will do whatever it takes to protect your city; go right ahead. The time to bitch and moan about caring and protecting your city was well before the threat of an EFM. The previous governor(s) have done nothing for you and so too have those that you have cast a ballot for at he mayoral and city council level.

The screams and cries about your city are too little/too late. The time to make a difference was well before trying to stand in front of the locomotive called ‘SS Inevitable EFM’. The train has now left the station and at a gaining speed which will far outweigh the silence of your voices from all the years that have passed that you have been silent.

Yeah, it is your city alright and you have collectively done a terrible job at protecting it from inevitable ruin. Now you want to play the role of big brother protecting little sister from those that are picking on her? Yeah, good luck with that. The deafening silence of the past thirty or so years is now coming home to roost.