I haven’t really talked much about the problems in Detroit. The unemployment. The crime. The crazy city politics.
Am I avoiding it on purpose? Am I afraid to talk about it?
No. I just feel the negative aspects, the problems of Detroit, are well documented worldwide. When we told our neighbors in England that we were moving to Detroit they brought over this article from the Sunday magazine in the London Times, America’s darkest fear: to end up like Detroit. The neighbors meant well.
Now, I’m talking about a problem.
One big problem in Detroit are the abandoned homes. These homes are always dangerous, always an eyesore, and many times taken over by drug dealers.
How many abandoned homes are in Detroit?
There is no exact number. Tens of thousands was the closest I could pin point it. More homes are being abandoned every day. One statistic I found was that there are 44,000 empty homes in Detroit. But are empty and abandoned the same? I don’t know. I don’t think anyone is counting these derelict houses anymore.
So, what can we do?
As I mentioned in Actions Speak Louder Than Words, we volunteered last week. We helped fight the blight. Working with Motor City Connect and Motor City Blight Busters we helped tear down these homes, clear these lots.
Motor City Blight Busters (MCBB) is a community based non-profit organization that was founded in 1988.
It is Motor City Blight Busters’ primary mission to help stabilize, revitalize and rejuvenate the socio-economic plight of the city of Detroit. Our aim is to restore the city to the state of great prominence it once held.
We feel that the achievement of this objective hinges on our ability to instill our unwavering sense of pride (for the city) in each and every one of its residents. For only through such pride, can the long desired standard of excellence be re-established and maintained.
John J. George, the founder & president of Motor City Blight Busters said, “when we do these projects crime goes down, property values go up, and community spirit soars.” And I believe him.
My husband and I had fun, met new people, and made a difference. Yes, it was hard work. We sweated and afterwards we smelled a bit. The next day I was sore. All the volunteers worked hard with passion and determination. And I can tell you this, our spirit soared.
What is the payoff?
Yesterday, I took a ride by myself back to the site. We only worked on Wednesday and I wanted to see how much progress they made on Friday and Saturday. I wanted to see what it looked like now.
I stood in front of one home that was demolished. In the house behind me, two boys appeared on the porch. They lived across the street from these abandoned homes. They were probably curious why this crazy lady was there all by herself, looking at…well, looking at nothing.
Those two boys won’t have to live across the street from drug dealers. Those two boys won’t go exploring these dangerous homes with glass strewn all over. Hopefully soon, those two boys will have a nice view from their porch. That is the payoff.
(You can also read about the whole week of Blood, Sweat, & Gear in Actions Speak Louder Than Words or about me giving blood for the cause in Blood, Life, and Beer.)