How much is Detroit like Ferguson?

As Ferguson and St. Louis prepares for the outcome of the grand jury decision, I thought to myself could this happen in Detroit? I myself believe it could. The major differences between Detroit and Ferguson is that there is no major majority of white people running the city of Detroit like Ferguson has. I believe the residents of Detroit have to know that they are fairly represented by council people, and administrators that are black. Politicians they voted in. Politicians that have appointed and hired the administrators for years.

Up until Mayor Duggan got elected we have had a black mayor for over 25 years. The majority of city council is black. The police chief is black. I myself do not live in the city or am not black so I cannot say how they view the administration. Whether they feel that it is just and provides equal justice for all races. I do not know that answer and that is one of the keys in the Michael Brown case. Whether a grand jury will be biased towards a white policeman in a community that has a majority of black residents but yet governed by a white majority. Everybody wants justice. I believe that people in the minority always feel they are getting the short end of the stick when they are in the minority. It is human nature. If only I was ........ I would not be treated this way.

I myself do not understand how they can be upset about the “white” authority. They had the power to elect whatever Mayor they wanted. Yes I know that the police chief, the prosecutor are hired. But changing the race of the elected officials does have an effect on who is hired. As a Michigan realtor I see perceptions of areas all the time from clients. Like every major city across America, Detroit metro area, Chicago metro area, and New York ( to name a few). They all have areas where the same ethnic groups, racial groups, affluent people, or religious groups gather to live. New York and Chicago have little Italy’s. San Francisco and a few other major cities have China towns. Detroit has a Mexican town in Southwest Detroit, Dearborn is mainly Arabic, Southfield and West Bloomfield have many Jewish residents, Canton has a high Indian population. It is human nature to want to belong. So people move to areas where they fit in where there are more members of their religion, their race, their culture. It is the way America and Detroit is. You will never change that.

I hope that Detroiters would not react the way Ferguson residents have. It has only hurt their community. Store keepers have fled, and shuttered businesses. That has an impact on residents that do not have transportation. Having good stores and restaurants to get daily necessities is vital to any community. Unfortunately rioting and burning your own city only hurts the residents. Looting those stores may put some of the stores out of business if they have no insurance.

Any decision, just or unjust in the resident’s eyes does not give protesters the right to break the law. No matter how mad, or upset they are. It is wrong to burn a store down, it is wrong to loot a store, it is wrong to beat up a member of the opposite race because of a decision. Whatever the decision you must protest within the limits of the law and not become a criminal. Getting arrested for protesting is one thing, getting arrested for looting, vandalism, arson, or assault is wrong. You are just hurting yourself.

I always have people relocating to the Detroit area. One of the first questions they usually ask is “Is Detroit really that bad”? It is up to Ferguson and Detroit to change their image. The residents have the right to vote and the power to make their cities better.