Sunday, March 30, 2008

For the Love of God, Kwame, Just Stop!

I love Detroit. Growing up, my mom would go down there sometimes, into downtown to buy art supplies, or maybe to check out the city, when we had a little bit of time to waste before a Tiger game. I was always fascinated by the history I could see everywhere I turned, and just knowing that it was a place that was full of life. Unfortunately, I could also tell it was in disarray.
But there was progress. Dennis Archer did great things for the city. Ford Field and Comerica Park were born, the Fox theater was resurrected. Detroit was on the national stage twice, for the MLB all-star game in 05 and the Super Bowl in 06. We succeeded in both ventures, led by the great leadership and dedication of Roger Penske, Mike Illitch, and other successes from the area who wanted to help. The city was growing, and becoming more upscale. Lofts were sprouting everywhere, going for $200,000 or more. Development plans were proposed to build condos along the Detroit River. Compuware moved their headquarters here, and Google temporarily moved their headquarters to Ann Arbor, briefly considering setting up shop in Detroit.
But one man stood in the way at every turn. Kwame Kilpatrick. Scandal after scandal. The Navigator. Running up bills at sporting events, paying for ridiculous things with money from a city that was almost out of the woods, but not quite there. And now here we are. He had an affair, illegally fired people who found out, and used 8 million in city funds to sweep it all under the rug.
And now, the city of Detroit is a punchline. The nations media is telling everyone that Detroit is, in fact, just a dirty, run down city with a thug running it.
I wish I was angry. I wish I was disapointed. I wish I was frustrated. Instead, I just have this empty feeling, as though the efforts of hard working people, the hope of a city, a state, a region, are being pissed away by a Jackass who rode in on Mama's coattails and immediatly placed himself securely above the law.
And all iI can think is that everything that was happening, all the success, progress, and again, the hope, is all for nothing. And the only thing we can do is start over. Again.