Detroit's Tragedy: Its Litter

posted on 1 January 2012 | posted in Cars and Transport

Around late January to early Feburary, the Detroit International Auto show is in full flow. For two weeks, the city is a flutter of activity, the center of attention, set upon the world stage as if participating in pagentry. Detroit becomes a mecca of elegance and cleanliness,and it's sad in a way, because what visitors don't understand, what they can't understand is this clean, emaculate, SAFE city is a mirage which only lasts for those special and all too short two weeks. Detroit is in decline.Has been for almost forty years, since the riots of 1967,when flight to the suburbs were at its zenith. Detroit was a golden jewel in the Midwest, now, it is an eyesore, with gutted, abandoned houses, delapitated buildings which either should be demolished or repaired, and streets not made of gold, but filled with litter and dirt, and nary a road sweeper to be seen. Detroit's problem is not with the citizens, but with the system, the government which does not have the money to repair broken roads, and with layoffs going through the roof, repavement of asphalt is all but a distant, unattainable dream. No money is coming from the State of Michigan either. In fact, this year, and possibly in 2012, the govenor will seriously want to place a "Financial Manager" over the city, stripping the current mayor of his power to lead. The city is in such a bad state,that ordinary citizens, the few that are left in the city, take it upon themselves to pick up the trash that is thrown into the streets. Volunteers have donated recycling bins for plastic and paper garbage. The financial straits are so bad, the Mayor (The Honorable David Bing), has had to cut millions reserved for street sweepers, which included funding for new vehicles and snow plow trucks. There is an exploding rat, bed bug and cockroach population. Stray dogs and cats are becoming common place, along with the infestation of drug pushers, prostitutes, and addicts. These issues are being addressed, but unless the Mayor can get some sort of financial help (which the State is unwilling to provide), it will only get much, much worse.