From Corruption To Blight: How Did Detroit Get This Way?

It’s not news that Detroit is facing enormous challenges: Mayor Dave Bing recently signed a budget that calls for 2,500 layoffs of city workers. Dozens of public schools have closed over the past few years, broken streetlights won’t be repaired and some working ones will be shut off to save money. Former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to felony charges in a perjury case and is in jail.

A new documentary attempts to explain the causes behind the problems.

Deforce is a film made by Michiganders Daniel Falconer and Andrew Rodney, who say they want to do more than what some call “ruin porn,” focusing on the dramatic images of Detroit’s collapse.

“Our interest is in how and why, not just what’s the worst visual we can find and let’s masquerade it around,” Falconer, who grew up in a suburb north of the city, told Here & Now‘s Robin Young.

Watch ‘Deforce’ On The Documentary Channel

Deforce looks back at many of the policies and practices that went into making Detroit what it is today: Housing policies that allowed whites to get loans and leave the city, police brutality, longtime corruption in city politics, tough drug policies and varied race relations.

Race Relations

African Americans were part of the Great Migration that came to Detroit after the Civil War and the city’s race relations have both troubling and bright spots. There was a race riot in the 1800s, and again in 1943, but at many times relations were positive.

“It was a bastion for African Americans from the early 1800s, into the 60s, 70s, 80s– it has been one of the strongest areas for black businesses,” filmmaker Andrew Rodney said. “But sometimes it appeared better than it was. It’s interesting that right before the riots they were pointing to Detroit as a model city for race relations. A lot of that was just marketing.”

Vimeo: Prohibition-Era Alcohol Runners And Drug Runners Of Today

Urban Decay

Falconer says that though they try not to focus on the urban blight, it’s hard to ignore.

“It’s haunting just to inhabit the space. And I don’t say that to speak ill of the city,” he said. “As a Michigander, as an American, I’m very bothered that we allow a place where other Americans live to get to this condition. Not only allow, but in some cases through policy kind of forced it on the city.”

Guests:

Daniel Falconer
Andrew Rodney

We welcome comments from all of our listeners. Post below. Please stay on topic and be civil. Comments may be moderated by us, but you are solely responsible for the content of your comments.

Filledegriot

I live in Detroit and yes, we have a LOT of problems. What bothers me about this and many other stories “covering” Detroit’s poverty is the use of the long abandoned train station as emblematic of Detroit’s decline. Rome has ruins. Can’t the train station just be our ruins? That train station was in decline when I was a child living in a much stronger Detroit. In fact, if you read the history of that station, it was NEVER completely occupied, and so was rather doomed from the onset. PLEASE — Rome’s ruins are a tourist attraction. Detroit is not Rome, but the train station is NOT the face of Detroit, and it’s demise is not the symbol of what is wrong in Detroit. Is is the property of a rich and greedy slum lord, and is quite interesting to look at and hear about.
- Publis
  
  Filledgroit, From your comment it seems that you’ve looked at the above photo and commented. Please *watch* the documentary.
J Frog

I live a city just north of Detroit and there is no getting around it. Detroit is just bad. Dangerous, blighted, corrupt. Who do I blame? I blame the Democrat party. They’ve been in TOTAL control of Detroit since the early 1960′s…..FIFTY YEARS. They’ve had plenty of time to test their policies and the Democrat social and fiscal policies have been a failure. Same is true of the Detroit’s surrounding county…the Democrat controlled (and corrupt) Wayne County. On the other hand, Republican controlled Oakland County just north of Detroit? One of the richest in the state. Cooincidence?�
Just as one small example…guess when Detroit instituted their city income tax (that tax citizens and non-residents WORKING in Detroit)? 1964….Two year after the last Republican mayor. Detroit has been in decline ever since. Who would want their company to stay in Detroit if they can move it a few miles outside of town and not pay these taxes? Tax policies like these chased businesses away.
- Me
  
  Wow dude your way out there! To much Fox news. Turn the channel and step into reality. Its the corporations that destroyed Detroit, they lobbied both corrupt sides to get what they wanted and the results are what you see. Trying to take sides is hard when they are both corrupt and none of them do what they say. Good Luck.
  - J Frog
    
    Corporation’s fault? Then why aren’t they destroying prosperous Oakland County just north of Detroit?…19 Years under a GOP Executive manager. No income tax (unlike Detroit which taxes residents and non-residents working there), more business friendly policies, better schools, higher standard of living, more jobs.
    - Zaylong10
      
      But our president before obama was republicn for 4 years, and the whole country turned to shit. So what’s your point? With a Republican Congress.
      - Jpervan
        
        Oh right, when Bush was in power and had a Republican CONGRESS in 2006. unemployment was 4.4%. When the GOP took back 1/2 of Congress in 2011. the uneployment rate after two years of a Democrat President and Democrat Congress was 10.1%. Discuss.
Elewisg39

This is sad and disturbing on so many levels
The film was also riveting, although I don’t believe that a 1943 race riot should have much relevance today.
Our nation cannot abandon the people of Detroit.
Send in the National Guard, send in an army of volunteer teachers, create a Marshall plan, enforce the law
Think out of the box, educate children on line, grow food in the deserted lots
Tear down the Packard plant and create a city park
Pass a new urban homestead act.
Tow1

This city DETROIT, has been on the downward slide since the
67 riots. The city’s residents and official leadership have been seeing the
outcome of their ineffective administration and voting record of the constituents.
The taxpaying residents have been fleeing
for more than four decades. All while under Democratic control. This city can
thank John Conyers, Kwami Kilpatrick, Coleman Young. And the likes of; let’s not forget the thieves at the school
board and City council. Racist and thief Monica Conyers, and so on.�
Let’s flush one more time.