Detroit vs. Everybody

I have only ever had one quick glimpse of Detroit, and from that mere glimpse I fell under the common impression that this city was a bad place.  My dad grew up there as a kid before the city fell apart.  He decided to drive my family past his childhood house that he had not seen in over 35 years.  We got off at our exit and that’s when my heart dropped…houses were barely standing, grass was nonexistent, and the neighborhood looked as though it had been completely abandoned aside from the skinny stray animals wandering the roads.  Dad’s face was blank as he looked at the place he used to call home.  We quickly drove down the street as Dad pointed to his old house; it was far too dangerous to stop the car because of all the violence.  From that point on, that was the only experience I had to develop my opinion of Detroit.

            Upon reading the beginning of the article, I completely agreed with Rembert’s statement that the thought of Detroit is “off-putting”. I found myself entirely engaged in his story about his first moments in Detroit because his initial opinions matched my own experience.  But the end of the introduction threw me for a complete loop.  And I thought to myself, maybe I should approach this article free of biases too and learn alongside Browne.  So, I did exactly that and ignored the vague memory of Detroit lingering in the back of my mind; giving Browne the unlikely chance to change my opinion of the city.

            To be honest, the first two sites Browne visited did not impress me at all.  I do appreciate art but I had a hard time seeing the beauty of the Heidelberg Project; perhaps I had not completely let go of my biased opinion at this point.  But as I read further, my opinion actually began to shift a little.  A glimmer of Detroit’s beauty began to shine as I read about Belle Isle Park and the Hart Plaza Amphitheater. Browne’s strong description of these sites shocked me.  He made a smelly amphitheater and an empty 150-acre park sound beautiful. Despite the ruins of the city that surrounded them, Browne was able to see the beauty beneath it all.  These places were once important to people and with time they became abandoned.  I was surprised at how Browne was able to describe this crumbling city in a way that made it feel like a home that any one of us could relate to.  I appreciate Browne’s optimistic outlook on Detroit, although I am still not sure he was able to completely convince me that there is still hope for recovery.  However, I no longer think of Detroit as the dangerous motor city but more as the misunderstood city.