Preserving a Treasured Detroit Landmark

Detroit has a lot of vacant land. Most of it will never be used, at least, not anytime soon. The situation is a burden on the city in many ways. Upkeep is costly and difficult, and no tax dollars come in off unused land. No one really knows what to do with it all.

Well, one group does, with one parcel anyway But the city doesn't want them to act. That group is the Navin Field Grounds Crew. All they want to do is keep the site of Old Tiger Stadium in reasonably good condition, and maybe toss the ball around the old ball yard a bit when they're done. The city calls them trespassers and doesn't want them setting foot on The Corner. It has even placed No Trespassing signs on the fences which surround it.

This is precisely the kind of asinine attitude which hurts Detroit in the long run. When the citizenry of their own volition want to do something as benign as mow a lawn and pick up the trash on a lot nobody else wants yet are told they cannot do so legally, well, you begin to think that Detroit deserves its fate. What possible harm can be done?

The reason the city gives is that, because a city owned building once sat there, there are liability issues. If someone gets hurts while on the grounds, they could sue Detroit. While it is pitifully obvious that too many people are too quick to sue these days, that surely would not be so with a dedicated bunch who loved the old stadium and simply want to keep the venue clean and available. Why not take the chance and let them work and play ball? That's what the space was for for well over a hundred years.

But, of course, ridiculous. And Detroit wonders why the rest of the state thinks it vain and, well, stupid. Locking out the Navin Field Grounds Crew simply displays, in microcosm, the troubles Detroit has with itself.

Change comes generally in small increments. This would be an easy first step for Detroit if she is serious about returning to her former glory. Let the people who want to maintain the Tiger Stadium grounds alone. It will solve at least one vacant lot issue and show a decent pliability on the part of city leadership. Short of that, maybe the Emergency Manager will step in and allow it. It's not as though Detroit is willing to act in any positive manner these days.