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Category: Crime

New target for thieves: catalytic converters

A few months ago I was watching an MSNBC special on new crime, and saw a segment on thieves taking the catalytic converters from cars and selling them at scrapyards.

Now, I'm normally all sunshine and roses when thinking about Detroit, but given the epidemic of copper theft we've got here, I figured it wasn't very long before converter theft became all the rage here.

Sadly, it seems that not only was a I right, but I was pretty late to the game as well. This type of theft has been going on in Detroit for awhile.

A co-worker of mine's converter was stolen over the weekend. Today, I learned of two more who have had it happen to them and another whose neighbor was nearly a victim (but thanks to a well-functioning car alarm still has his exhaust system intact). Neighborhood gossips told her others on the street weren't so lucky.

A trip to the junkyard to sell your catalytic converter will net a crook about $600 and repairing your vehicle can set you back up to a thousand bucks.

I can't help but wonder why someone isn't cracking down not only on these thieves, but the scrapyards who buy the stolen goods, too. Like most things though, I'm sure it's easier said than done.

Category: Racial issues

About that 'race thing'

About a month ago I had an interesting encounter at a bus stop with a guy who calls himself Jitney Joe, and vowed to see if I could go a whole day without anyone bringing up the "race thing." And the reason it's been a month since I mentioned it is because A. I've been mulling it over for a while; B. I wanted it to be the perfect storm of a day where there would be a multitude of chances for a multi-culti throwdown; and C. as it turns out, there's not much to report.

Yes, indeed, I was watching and waiting for a "good" day to write about, and Detroit, you made me proud. Nothing happened of note - isn't that great?

I'm not sure what I expected, but in a town where race seems to color too many aspects of life and gets injected where it doesn't need to be (check out the raging response to one of Neal Rubin's blog entries, where his question about some grant money gets him somehow linked to the racist attack on Dr. Ossian Sweet - which happened in 1925, so unless Neal's aged extremely well, I doubt that he played any part in it.) Such is Detroit, and one learns to speak carefully to avoid lighting any potential spark of offense that could erupt into a beat-down.

So I decided to observe a Wednesday, because that's my longest and most diverse day, starting at 8 a.m. with Spanish lessons on the north end of Mexicantown. That day the instructor, Carmen, was describing various terms you might encounter on a government form and came to "la raza." Classmate Rita and I looked at each other, confused, until we got that it means "race." "Soy Latina," said Carmen. "Soy negra," said Rita. "Soy blanca," I said. "Correcto," said Carmen. And that was the end of that.

Over at Burger King on the way to work, a white panhandler was lurking by the drive-through and pouncing on drivers as they placed their orders. I found that annoying, so I told the black woman working at the window about it and she rolled her eyes and called to a co-worker to go ask him to leave. It went against stereotypes, but still, nothing to report.

Nothing during my workday. We have a pretty good slice of Metro Detroit working here at The News, but I have to believe we're more alike than different, at least during the workday. We're all stressed out, sucking down caffeine and staring at computer screens, with short breaks for water-cooler chats, all with the goal of cranking out that durn newspaper and getting out the door. So, other than a compliment to writer Kim Taylor once launching a chat about how African-American women tend to take pride in how they look, and how I usually dress like a bum, I don't encounter people talking about race much near my cube.

After work on Wednesdays I head to Fenkell on the west side to rehearse with a reggae band. I'm a twangy-voiced Hoosier, a minority in the 2/3-black group, and the butt of many jokes as I try to sing with a Jamaican patois. We're definitely different; they're streetwise lifelong Detroiters with a well-earned cynicism about life in our town, but we have fun together.

I cringe slightly when I hear the "n" word roll nonchalantly off the lips of one singer, but she's a sweet grandmother who knows exactly what she means when she says it, and nobody else bats an eye.

Cathy, another backup singer, sings lead on a reggae-fied version of India Arie's "Brown Skin," a hellasexy tune starting with the lyrics "Brown skin/ You know I love your brown skin/I can't tell where yours begins, I can't tell where mine ends ..." and the room heats up about 10 degrees, the way she brings it.

We finished the song that night, and while the men in the group were fanning themselves, I jokingly sang "Pale skin/ You know I'm tired of pale skin/ I can't tell when spring begins, I can't tell when winter ends ..."

And we all laughed.

So in the end, it was me who brought it up.

I don't claim to have learned any deep and meaningful lessons from this, but if anything, I think it's acceptable to poke fun at yourself. I hope Neal doesn't mind if I quote him again, when he says that members of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's church probably thought he was a bad dancer. Good one. And probably true.

If we're looking to have the Big Dialogue on race that Barack Obama called for in March, maybe we can start by laughing at ourselves.

Category: Neighborhoods

Feeding minds and bodies

I have seen empty produce boxes outside of the Cesar Chavez Academy Elementary School near West Vernor and Springwells several times a month and wondered what was going on. My daughter is a student there, but no letters have come home about it.

It turns out the school brings in the produce and gives it way to families of students and people who live in the neighborhood. The school also brings in bread and bagels from Panera Bread to give away. Nothing lasts more than 30 minutes.

It is a powerful reminder of how tough times are for some in the community. It also is nice to see the school, which has always worked hard for its kids, extending the care to parents and residents, some of whom have no connection to the school other than living near it.

Category: Architecture

On Detroit's vast avenues -- a reader weighs in

ArchBlogger loves his loyal readers.

The following interesting observation comes from Roger Gienapp, in response to A.B.'s blog on the old Trumbull Avenue Presbyterian Church on Grand River:

Dear ArchBlogger:

I enjoyed today's blog about the beautiful old Trumbull Avenue Presbyterian Church on Grand River, and your comparison to the Jefferson Market Library in New York.

Inadvertently perhaps, you may have hit upon a key point when you stated that "... the avenue's breadth swamps the low-rise buildings on either side."

The asphalt desert at Grand River and Trumbull in Detroit.

The design, or lack thereof, of the streets themselves in our city has done more to destroy the architectural character of the adjacent structures than any other force at work.

Major arterials, like Grand River, were designed for street cars in the median and curbside parking. As traffic increased throughout the 1950s, due in part to the removal of the streetcars, what had been local roads became highways leading to the suburbs.

Streetcars disappeared to make room for left-turn lanes and parking was removed for another traffic lane. Businesses and retail stores along the route gradually disappeared as speeds increased and the very purpose of the street changed.

Then came the interstate highways, which removed the very traffic the road was redesigned to accommodate. The result is an environment totally hostile to pedestrians -- as well as a road with no parking and, consequently, no "street life" to support businesses.

Contrast the environment you highlighted with what is beginning to happen on Gratiot, which suddenly has a new landscaped median near downtown.

The result is a reduction in the perceived open space between buildings on either side as well as the reduction of the amount of asphalt in favor of green landscape -- an entirely different look and feel! Traffic apparently has not been hurt, and with the introduction of curbside parking, a few of the local retail establishments have begun to reappear.

Many of our architectural treasures are lost to all but the most perceptive observer.

If more of our major streets, such as Grand River and Michigan Avenue, were given similar treatment, our beautiful old buildings would be given a greater chance to survive.

Medians with landscaping, which reduces pedestrian-crossing distances, and curbside parking could create the kind of environment people want to be while accommodating current and future traffic needs.

Category: Transportation

Comparing Detroit, you can't win 'em all

I just took a family vacation to Jacksonville, Fla., and, because it's what I do, I spent quite a bit of time comparing Jacksonville to our fair city of Detroit.

First, this crazy city Jacksonville has a downtown split in two parts. Separated by a river. That you need to take a big ol' bridge to get across. Detroit not might be a pedestrian city, but I can stroll from my office to a number of restaurants or stores in well under five minutes. There isn't a whole lot of walkability in the area we're in Jacksonville.

Detroit: 1, Jacksonville: 0

Because of the bridge issue, an exceptionally patient valet spent some time explaining how I can get across to Downtown Part 2 without a car by taking the JTA Skyway, which he calls a train that goes nowhere.

"Ha!" I say. "That sounds like the People Mover!"

He goes on to tell me he's been to Detroit, and -- get this -- that Detroit's rail transport is way ahead of theirs.

Huh?

Turns out the People Mover has more stops, leads tourists to actual stops like sports stadiums, travels to different areas of the downtown and rides in a complete loop. I squealed in delight as our meager, struggling transportation system received kudos.

Detroit: 2, Jacksonville: 0

Then it happened. He laughed off my delight and said, "But what about your mayor?"

Jacksonville: 1, Detroit: Oh, never mind.

Category: Neighborhoods

Couldn't clean up, so I'll green up

Talking to Santiago yesterday about his participation in the Motor City Makeover, I felt guilty about having not joined in. Two major streets near my house were included, and students from nearby Detroit and Grosse Pointe schools were among the sweeper-uppers in my area.

But, as I told him, there are only so many hours in the day, and since I had gone to the opera house the night before for their big Bravo Bravo shindig, seeing "9 a.m." and "Saturday" in the same sentence... well, it ain't gonna happen. It's kind of like having to decide between going out on Thanksgiving Eve (the biggest bar night of the year) or marching in the parade the next morning (with a 5 a.m. meetup time - yikes.) You can't do both.

Anyway, I plan to make up for it by helping with a mass tree planting effort in two weeks. The Greening of Detroit is always seeking volunteers to replace some of the thousands of trees that have been munched by the evil ash borer in the past few years. My block looks like a desert, after city crews came through a few months back and cut down all but two trees in the strip of grass between the sidewalk and street. I also lost this 80-footer in my back yard (the red circle is the guy from the tree service who referred to himself as "Spiderman.") Depressing.

The plan is to put in some 200 young trees on May 17 in my neighborhood, and the Greening hosts plantings all around Detroit, every weekend of the spring and fall. So, I plan to do my part, and you can too. Call the Greening of Detroit at (313) 237-TREE.

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Category: Neighborhoods

Motor City Makeover gets Detroiters involved

One of the nicest things about Saturday's Motor City Makeover event on the city's east side was the fact that almost all of the 100 or so volunteers were Detroiters. A few similar events I have covered in recent months did not have that sort of turnout.

One, also on the east side, featured volunteers from as far away as East Lansing planting trees and cleaning lots while people who live in the neighborhood sat on their porches and stoops and watched. Where do they think the chip bags, broken bottles and other trash came from? Sure there was garbage that appeared to have been illegally dumped there, but there was plenty that did not appear to have been tossed by a contractor or business owner looking to beat hauling fees.

Check out the photos from Saturday's event.

The Motor City Makeover will hit the northwest side this Saturday and southwest Detroit on May 17. More than 60,000 volunteers from Detroit and the suburbs are expected to participate over the three days of the cleanup. Check the city's Web site for more information on how you or a group can get involved.

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Category: Neighborhoods

Cinco de Mayo parade needs more floats

I took my family to Detroit's annual Cinco de Mayo parade Sunday on the city's southwest side, which featured an impressive float from the Skillman Foundation. The float had three large spinning dancers that looked like they could be giant pinatas. There were plenty of young dancers in traditonal garb adding a touch of culture. And cowboys and a mariachi band also were great touches.

Overall, however, I thought there were too many vehicles in the parade with no decorations other than a Mexican flag hanging out of a window or taped to the hood. The Mexican Patriotic Committee, which organizes the parade, might be better served cutting the parade route in half. It runs from Patton Park to Clark Park, a distance of about two miles, which is a lot of space to fill.

Another way to make sure better entries are in the parade might be to require every vehicle to have decorations and that the decorations be approved by the committee.

Although many of the people marching in the parade had banners or signs, it would have been nice if there was a spot along the parade route where someone could read off the names of each entry over a public address system and give them a chance to have a few seconds of fame. The annual Christmas parade in Wyandotte was handled this way last year and it was nice.

Still, the Cinco de Mayo parade was fun and featured loads of free goodies for the kids, which is always a plus.

Category: Architecture

High-Victorian glory at Grand River and Trumbull

A couple weeks ago when the traffic backed up, ArchBlogger veered off I-94 onto Grand River. He was scooting through the intersection at Trumbull when the full morning sun broke upon this orange-brick church -- and its forest of delicate little towers and turrets.

His mission clear, he slammed on the brakes and bolted out, camera in hand. Forget about getting to work (almost) on time. A.B. had some high-Victorian woohoo to document.

The old Trumbull Avenue Presbyterian Church.

The church boasts a riot of towers and turrets.

Tipsy spires and crumbling masonry.

Built by Julius Hess in 1887, the Trumbull Avenue Presbyterian Church is a great example of high-Victorian Gothic, as the superb "AIA Detroit" guide notes.

(A sign now says it's The Pilgrim Church, but it was unclear whether it's still open or not.)

Indeed, even allowing for the building's gentle dilapidation, you can almost feel the heavenly exuberance in the remarkable corner turret, and all those soaring little towers and points, with their decorative spires leaning this way and that.

The intersection of Grand River and Trumbull is a tad bleak, in part because the avenue's breadth tends to swamp the low-rise buildings on either side.

Grand River at Trumbull, with the Motor City Casino Hotel looming second building from left.

Part of what's always charmed A.B. about this particular church is the striking resemblance it bears to another High-Victorian Gothic monstrosity of great charm: the old Jefferson Market Library in New York's Greenwich Village, a looming landmark that even the architecturally blind can't help but notice.

The Jefferson Market Library in NYC's Greenwich Village -- another high-Victorian, whoop-ti-do fantasy.

Of the two, ArchBlogger would take Detroit's Trumbull Avenue church, largely because its smaller scale gives it a charm and delicacy that's hard to beat. (He still loves Jefferson Market, though. Don't get him wrong.)

Despite its present down-at-the-heels appearance, the area around the Trumbull Avenue church still shows some vestiges of former elegance, including a handsome entry gate right across Brainard Street, and a garden pavilion along Trumbull on the edge of the tiny Scripps Park.

A gate to nowhere at Trumbull and Brainard Streets.

A genteel remnant in Scripps Park.

Category: Entertainment

Please, please, oh art thief, don't try to use the matches

A few months back three of us artsy types from the News (well, two artsy types and me the poseur) visited the Carnivora exhibit at CPop gallery. Nestled among the large wacky, inventive and jaw-dropping works of mayhem and magic was a tiny charmer that caught our eyes: A graphite etching of jolly little critter driving a jolly little car done on the inside of a matchbook cover by Jason D'Aquino. How adorable, right?

Well, apparently someone else thought it was adorable enough to take home, because CPop is spreading the word that it's been lifted. There's no reward for its return, but CPop and the artist warn that "anyone familiar enough with the artist's work to want to steal it, should also be aware of the toll that would be extracted were the piece not be returned."

And that's just so Detroit, in every way.

If you should happen to see the little guy, CPop asks that you contact Tom Thewes (tom@cpop.com or 313-833-9901) or the artist (jasondaquino@hotmail.com) to report it, and let the piece be returned to its rightful owners - or the toll be extracted.