A Leaner Detroit may Not Be So Bad

Can Detroit turn a loss into a long term gain? that is the question being asked now that the Census figures are out, showing the Motor City's population is now less than what it was in 1910, an entire century ago.

The numbers are being disputed in certain corners, yet that really isn't particularly important. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to see that the City is way down from its both recent and extended past. The simple fact is that, with a few exceptions in areas of town which seem more oases than anything else, where a commitment to neighborhood has stayed in place, as folks have found greater prosperity they've a dying Detroit.

Indian Village, Woodbridge, Corktown, Old Redford; these and a few other areas are strong because the people there believe in them. That's something that a government can't really ensure, a government at any level. True, it can help by providing the stability of services which make neighborhood possible. It can make sure there is adequate police protection and that the trash gets picked up. On the whole, Detroit has had questions about those and other areas of legitimate public function for years.

Things appear brighter now, what with hip hop mayors out of the way and a serious respected local hero is running the show. Detroit can survive; she will simply have to do it with fewer numbers. Yet there is a strength in that. It should be easier to service the city with less to service. Ultimately, all we can do is hope and pray, and for those of us still here, keep the faith. In the end, that's all that accomplishes anything worth doing.