Signs of Spring

The red-winged blackbirds are back on the Riverwalk in the state park that runs parallel to the Detroit River. It’s one of the sure signs of Spring.

They’re starting to swoop and attack walkers.

The next sign of spring are the aluminum fishing boats that dot the river fishing for walleye. They should appear in a week or so.

 

The System – A Detroit Story – Free Download

The System – A Detroit Story – is now part of Kindle Prime and will be a free download on Amazon.com from Friday September 26th through Tuesday September 30th.  It’s available here: http://www.amazon.com/System-Detroit-Story—ebook/dp/B005HZKIBE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1313788718&sr=1-1

Winter is Coming to Detroit

Winter is coming to Detroit. I plan on producing another photo essay book entitled Broken City, Big Hearts. It will be about organizations in Detroit that help people survive, especially during the winter.
The entire essay will be shot in grainy black and white. I took these test location shots today.

 

I’ve begun shooting this month during late fall…

 

…and plan on shooting and developing the narrative throughout the winter.

Heavy shooting will take place during December, January and February where the chances for surviving in the city hits bottom.

 

 

 

Bankrupt Detroit

The City of Detroit declared bankruptcy yesterday, the largest municipality in United States history to do so.

Here is a tiny subset of issues that precipitated the filing:

• Detroit has 100,000 creditors
• Detroit has at least 18 billion dollars in accrued obligations
• Detroit experienced a 63% decline from a peak of 1.8 million residents to the current 706,585. To put this in perspective, Detroit has a smaller population than Columbus, Ohio or Austin, Texas.
• Detroit hosts 78,000 abandoned structures.
• More than half of Detroit’s 305,000 properties did not pay their tax bills (2011 statistic)

On the city services level, which directly affects people, Detroiters experience:

• an average police response time of 58 minutes compared to a national average of 11 minutes.
• 8.7% of crimes are solved in Detroit compared to 35.5% statewide. Commit a crime in Detroit and there’s a 91.3% chance you won’t get caught. CRIME PAYS IN DETROIT.
• 40% of Detroit’s street lights don’t work.
• 33% of city ambulances are functional. That’s one out of three.

On the brighter side, the small core of downtown Detroit, emanating from the Renaissance Center is beginning to thrive. Buildings are being purchased, restored and populated with automotive, medical and financial white collar workers. This has little to do with the average citizen of Detroit, with 36% of the population at or below the poverty line and with a 47% literacy rate.

The citizens of Detroit need and deserve the most basic of civil services, those being adequate and reliable:

• police protection and response time
• fire protection and response time
• street lighting
• garbage collection

With the bankruptcy filing these much needed resources can be prioritized and improved. Detroit can move forward from there. As for me, I want to visit the DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts) before the 60,000 paintings, sculptures and other works of art potentially sold off (the Emergency Financial Manager ordered them appraised). More on this later.

Communique From Detroit

A storm swept through Detroit this morning, bringing with it a storm of new violence.

A worker jumped off of his fork truck this morning at the Chrysler Jefferson North Assembly Plant and stabbed another worker in the face and neck, killing him. He then drove to Belle Isle and shot himself. I heard the police siren from my office.

Details here: http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/19593495/chrysler-employee-kills-co-worker-self-at-detroit-factory

A 14 year old boy was fatally shot running away from a gas station robbery. Details here: http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/09/20/3-wanted-for-questioning-in-detroit-teens-death/

To top it off, a Google Street View camera car cruises through a neighborhood and the crew have a shotgun pointed at them. Illegal? Nope- not in Detroit. Details here: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120920/METRO01/209200458/Google-Street-View-captures-man-Detroit-pointing-gun?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Just another day in this dangerous city…

Welcome to Detroit

I pulled into the Millender Center parking structure in downtown Detroit, which is supposedly under video surveillance, and here’s what I saw on the first level so I snapped a picture:

All four wheels are missing on this nice new car. In the novel, The System – A Detroit Story – Zippy Sanchez teaches Pauli Tucci how to boost wheels like this.

Welcome to Detroit! 

The System Free for Five Days

Starting January 1st, The System – A Detroit Story – is available for free for five days on Amazon.com.

They all had a system…

The professional car thief….

The cop….

The sex trade operator….

The heroin dealer….

The DEA agent….

But in Detroit all bets are off…and you’re on your own.

Follow Elena Krizi, duped into sex slavery on the promise of a job, dancing and hooking in an 8 Mile Road strip club owned by Vlad “The Dragon” Dragovic. Ride with professional car thief Chris Wolfe boosting Escalades and busting them down at Eddie Siegler’s chop shop, deep in Detroit. Watch Cletus B. Lincoln, the  Mayor’s personal bodyguard conspire with The Dragon and drug dealer Alanzo Hendricks to open a new, massive heroin distribution route through Detroit. Take them down with DPD Inspector Freeman Washington and pole-dancing DEA agent Ann Peabody. Take a wild ride on the lawless streets of Detroit.

Get it here: http://www.amazon.com/System-Detroit-Story—ebook/