making detroit suck less

blight removal underway in detroit neighborhood

i'm just going to drop a pre-emptive "haters gonna hate" right here at the start of the thread.

is it a perfect effort? no.

is it a good start? yes.

i'd prefer to see planting apple trees, corn / tomatoes / cucumbers / melons / etc, let the people in the neighborhood get some free produce out of the deal. IDK if this is already part of the plan, but all the articles i've read speak only of planting wildflowers.

would some people take advantage of the free produce, picking it and selling it in other neighborhoods or at local farmers markets? probably, to some extent.

discuss, without being shiny happy people, please.

In reply to AngryCorvair:

The problem is having communal food sources could hurt businesses.....

yamaha wrote: In reply to AngryCorvair: The problem is having communal food sources could hurt businesses.....

How can business be hurt much more in Detroit? I don't mean that facetiously... Isn't it already at the bottom of the barrel?

In reply to yamaha:

but it might help reduce the welfare burden, and maybe people would eat a free tomato instead of using their bridge card to get a bag of pork rinds and a grape Nehi, which could then reduce the burden on the ER/healthcare system.

berkeley, you're making me sound like a commie!

Bobzilla wrote:

yamaha wrote: In reply to AngryCorvair: The problem is having communal food sources could hurt businesses.....

How can business be hurt much more in Detroit? I don't mean that facetiously... Isn't it already at the bottom of the barrel?

i hear you. not sure you can buy produce in that neighborhood. i am also not trying to be facetious. brightmoor is a berkeleying dump.

In reply to AngryCorvair:

I'm not attempting to make you sound like a commie......unless you've painted everything red

I guess what I am saying is that of those on welfare in the city, how often do you see them doing anything resembling work(I am making a generalization that SOME are no different than the problem ones here). There will be a few who actually do things, a few that take most of it and sell it off under the table, and the bulk won't even bother to do anything other than sit on their porch or pace at their mailbox for hours waiting on their welfare check to arrive.

Some people will work, those are the ones who are just down on their luck. At the same time, at least the same amount will fleece society for all its worth. The trick is recognizing the difference and doing something about it.

AngryCorvair wrote: maybe people would eat a free tomato instead of using their bridge card to get a bag of pork rinds and a grape Nehi, which could then reduce the burden on the ER/healthcare system.

Yea.......that isn't going to happen, so long as they have their "bridge" and snap cards, or welfare check...

At least someone is trying. I hate giving credit to Condescending Baggins, but since he's involved, I will.

yamaha wrote: In reply to AngryCorvair: I guess what I am saying is that of those on welfare in the city, how often do you see them doing anything resembling work(I am making a generalization that SOME are no different than the problem ones here). There will be a few who actually do things, a few that take most of it and sell it off under the table, and the bulk won't even bother to do anything other than sit on their porch or pace at their mailbox for hours waiting on their welfare check to arrive.

i wasn't thinking of the community garden taking any more work from the neighbors than the "planting wildflower seeds" would. just let that E36 M3 grow.

I've often thought they should return alot of those blocks to a true rural like setting in the places where only like 1-2 homes are inhabited anyways. Like literally bulldoze the entire street and terminate the sewer connections and the like. No sidewalks. If anyone still lives there, grant them dirt driveway access to the nearest main road, it's all vacant anyways. .... just like people do it out in the country. Well water and septic tanks. If people don't like that option, they may elect to move to one of the other city owned properties in a more populous block with supported city services. The gridwork of pavement/pipes/streetlights is ridiculous to maintain with so little tax base/inhabitants.

In reply to AngryCorvair:

you have to do more than "Just let that E36 M3 grow"

Also, the quickest way to make 6 figures before you get raped on taxes is to be a farmer.....hell, we've grossed 7 figures before, but after expenses and taxes, end up with 45-55k.

Liabilities and soil contamination...

You really want to get food out of that soil? Someone is gonna get sick, then sue.

That might be a reason for not planting food there.

Detroit News 2018: Gang War Results in Salt Gardens

Can we just cede Detroit to Canada?

Yeah, not sure the water table under a major city (esp. one as polluted as Detroit) would produce good drinking water. Could you get a septic tank and lateral field to fit under a city lot? Interesting thoughts though. Especially in a city where actual infrastructure is crumbling or basically gone already.

You're going to hate this.

I think it's a great idea.

1. Clear the blight - if nothing else it gives the wrong element less places to hide out and commit evil acts.
2. If people want to be "urban" farmers, let them. That's as good a use for the land as any. In my city we've had great success with micro farms growing produce and selling it. No problems with pollution or anything else.
3. I like Xflowgolf's idea but I think letting the water mains and sewer pipes degrade may cause issues further down the road. I think curtailing city services into what is now a rural setting is positive. I just don't know how to implement that so an ignorant of the details.

Thanks for posting Angry. Detroit is ripe and ready for a monstrous change. With this sort of clean slate I'm waiting for someone to go in and create the future of cities in the U.S. Detroit is the perfect place to attempt this as it's hit rock bottom.

Xceler8x wrote: You're going to hate this. I think it's a great idea. 1. Clear the blight - if nothing else it gives the wrong element less places to hide out and commit evil acts. 2. If people want to be "urban" farmers, let them. That's as good a use for the land as any. In my city we've had great success with micro farms growing produce and selling it. No problems with pollution or anything else. 3. I like Xflowgolf's idea but I think letting the water mains and sewer pipes degrade may cause issues further down the road. I think curtailing city services into what is now a rural setting is positive. I just don't know how to implement that so an ignorant of the details. Thanks for posting Angry. Detroit is ripe and ready for a monstrous change. With this sort of clean slate I'm waiting for someone to go in and create the future of cities in the U.S. Detroit is the perfect place to attempt this as it's hit rock bottom.

I like it.

But how about instead of waiting and coming up with ideas, go ahead and move there and get to work?

Xceler8x wrote: Thanks for posting Angry. Detroit is ripe and ready for a monstrous change. With this sort of clean slate I'm waiting for someone to go in and create the future of cities in the U.S.

Someone representing a company called OCP is on the line, should I take a message?

Knurled wrote:

Xceler8x wrote: Thanks for posting Angry. Detroit is ripe and ready for a monstrous change. With this sort of clean slate I'm waiting for someone to go in and create the future of cities in the U.S.

Someone representing a company called OCP is on the line, should I take a message?

Apexcarver wrote: Liabilities and soil contamination... You really want to get food out of that soil? Someone is gonna get sick, then sue. That might be a reason for not planting food there.

would the people that live there even recognize that stuff coming out of the ground as "food"?

probably not.

I think a free garden would either get vandalized or the produce stripped pretty much as soon as it produced anything....unless you plan on hiring security for the free gardens.

Swank Force One wrote:

Xceler8x wrote: You're going to hate this. I think it's a great idea. 1. Clear the blight - if nothing else it gives the wrong element less places to hide out and commit evil acts. 2. If people want to be "urban" farmers, let them. That's as good a use for the land as any. In my city we've had great success with micro farms growing produce and selling it. No problems with pollution or anything else. 3. I like Xflowgolf's idea but I think letting the water mains and sewer pipes degrade may cause issues further down the road. I think curtailing city services into what is now a rural setting is positive. I just don't know how to implement that so an ignorant of the details. Thanks for posting Angry. Detroit is ripe and ready for a monstrous change. With this sort of clean slate I'm waiting for someone to go in and create the future of cities in the U.S. Detroit is the perfect place to attempt this as it's hit rock bottom.

I like it. But how about instead of waiting and coming up with ideas, go ahead and move there and get to work?

Absolutely BRILLIANT! I heard Alex Murphy is a decent cop up there.

I was born and spend my younger years in the Brightmoor neighborhood, on Dolphin. It was bad then, and got worse every year. We moved a few miles away to an area no better. I'm delighted to see the blight removed, even if it'll never be farmed. Getting the houses torn down and THE DEAD BODY removed is a HUGE step in the right direction.
Having abandoned houses on your block does some nasty things to a neighborhood. Having 50% of them abandoned is a nightmare. I might have to spend a saturday or two down there helping out.

Cotton wrote: I think a free garden would either get vandalized or the produce stripped pretty much as soon as it produced anything....unless you plan on hiring security for the free gardens.

Yup. Some would ruin it because they hate to see things getting better (don't know why), but I think the major issue is nothing will be on the plant long enough to ripen.

In reply to DrBoost:

yeah, there would be a rise in crashes on 96 due to watermelons and tomatoes being chucked from the Burt overpass...

Swank Force One wrote: But how about instead of waiting and coming up with ideas, go ahead and move there and get to work?

I'll send you as my consultant. You don't mind working cheap. I like that in an employee.

Knurled wrote: Someone representing a company called OCP is on the line, should I take a message?

Tell them that my consultant Swank Force One will be in touch. Could you take their number and relay it? That'd be great......Thanks.