As published in Riverwise magazine How state policy legalized the destruction of Detroit. Detroit is a city with so much to lose and so little to spare. Popular narratives which attempt to describe Detroit’s struggles resort to abstract reasoning, such as the ‘invisible hand of market forces’. Other times, corporate submission to global market trends […]
[Originally published by ModelD. All photos depict homes that were occupied when they were acquired by Detroit Land Bank Authority but are now vacant.] Detroit’s greatest paradox is its abundance of space and its scarcity of quality housing. The massive stock of single family homes once sustained double the current population. Yet each year, more […]
Above the land, exposed and hard they’re aching just for touch. They chase a thousand beaded dreams but never have enough. When aching grows, it overflows- a sharp and biting cuss, Our eyes showed their reflection, so, they tried to bury us. Inverted dome, we made it home- a womb beneath the crust. We bore […]
Originally published by ModelD Media In the early morning light, a line of people slowly builds at the front doors of the 36th District Court. A bail bondsman in parachute pants stands patiently beside the line, waiting for the grinding gears of justice inside the building to churn out some clients for him. The 36th District […]
Originally published by ModelD From where he sits in his tiny booth on the north side of the Fisher Building, Gerry can see about half of a city block. Gerry is the attendant for Tony’s Parking on Lothrop Street. He has spent at least 60 hours a week here for the past 30 years, and […]
Originally published by ModelD Gov. Rick Snyder has apologized for the inexcusable failures of leadership that led to the current situation in Flint, where tens of thousands of individuals, including children, have been poisoned, dismissed, neglected, and lied to. What’s clear at this stage is that great harm has been done to both people and […]
Since I moved to this city, I’ve kept a note on my phone to keep track of the weird ways that my phone interprets the word Detroit. They’re not exactly electronic Freudian slips, but it’s still fascinating to see how my careless spelling is contorted. Det Riot Serpent Tide trot Detour Devote Fisher Dishrag Deceit Dwight Delete Elite Work […]
Post-bankruptcy Detroit is a place of undeniable opportunity, and people from all walks of life are eager to make the most of it. Massive tax foreclosures led to a record 24,000 properties being up for auction this fall, pitting residents against speculators for the chance to buy a home on the cheap. Everyone is trying to take […]
Detroit rendition of Janis Joplin’s classic satire “Mercedes Benz” . .. … …. ….. Oh Lord won’t you buy me a Model T Ford? The bus just ain’t coming and my feet are sore worked hard at the factory til it motored no more, oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Model T Ford? […]
“One-year postscript to You Robbed the Right Girl” Today is the one-year anniversary form the day my soccer team bought me a brand new computer. With one exception, it is also the longest I have gone without throwing up in 11 years. 5 years ago, I enjoyed a 3 month reprieve during which I truly believed […]
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