We hear whining and moaning that people in those ravaged communities can’t get access to basic services, can’t get stores to buy food at, can’t get a cab to take them home because it is too dangerous for the cabbies. And they decry the people who left to survive as “racists” and characterize their leaving as racially based “white flight”.
That's why I think its so important to pay attention to the changing attitudes of Detroit. There are some major opportunities there for smart republicans to capitalize on.
A few days ago I was watching some kind of town hall meeting with the police chief about Baltimore and the fiscal disaster coming to the city. One woman said she used to complain about white flight but says that after 50 years it just doesn't matter anymore. She and others said that they need black owned businesses to open but any business was more important than one owned by their own race. Basically it came down to admitting their own guilt and looking at ways to create a welcoming environment for business in their own neighborhoods starting in their homes.
Its important to note that Detroit residents have embraced school choice and are abandoning the traditional public schools at an ever increasing rate.
While the billionaires are dumping truckloads of cash downtown, the real important change seems to be taking place in the neighborhoods and Chief Craig appears to be the catalyst for a lot of it. He had some interesting things to say on CNN this morning.
Are police tactics too tough?
I guess that for parts of Detroit, there is no place to go but up.
I am one of those that wrote off Detroit, but I think your outlook is more constructive.