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The 7 - Current Events & Politics - Anoother Proud Moment in Racial Harmony....
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Grimis
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#1 Posted on 8.10.04 1048.58
Reposted on: 8.10.11 1054.33
It's amazing how many city councils do stupid stuff like this.
    Originally posted by Bryan DeBose in the 10/8/04 Washington Times
    The Detroit City Council, in defiance of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, likely will move forward with plans to create an "African Town" in the tradition of Chinatowns and Little Italys nationwide, even though the issue has turned into a racially divisive economic-development proposal.

    In July, the council resolved to build up a section of the city devoted to African and black American literature, cuisine and art, which Mr. Kilpatrick endorsed. He vetoed the resolution, however, when it became clear that the council's plan would allow only black businessmen and investors to use the $38 million earmarked for the project.

    Mr. Kilpatrick argued that the resolution is both racist and unconstitutional.

    "It's not the African Town proposal. We like the idea," said Howard Hughey, spokesman for Mr. Kilpatrick. "But what they are proposing is to create a publicly funded private entity and give one man $40 million to use and distribute to investors, and it is unconstitutional to do that based on race and [the resolution] says very clearly that it would be."

    The nine-member council -- which has two white members -- voted 7-2 to override Mr. Kilpatrick's veto and passed the resolution. In addition, they resolved that Detroit is a "majority-minority" city that is underserved.

    Council member Kay Everett, who is black, said the first resolution was "ridiculous" and opposed the African Town resolution for being illegal and divisive.

    "It is reverse racism, and you can't right a wrong with another wrong. It's reparations with public money," she said.

    The resolution isn't legally binding, and Mrs. Everett, council member Sheila M. Cockrel, who is white, and the Asian, Hispanic and Arab chambers of commerce are working to have the resolution rescinded during a third and final vote on Oct. 11. The three chambers said they will file a class-action lawsuit against the city if the council chooses to move forward beyond the resolutions.

    The city's African-American Chamber of Commerce also opposes the bill, calling it unconstitutional, but has said it wouldn't file a lawsuit.

    Typically, Chinatowns, Little Italys and other locales, such as Spanish Harlem in New York, were created by immigrants in a time when they were not accepted in other areas of the city and forced to build their own businesses and communities centered on their respective cultures.

    Recently, several cities, including the District, mayors and developers have used the ethnic tag to promote economic development, but never to this extent and never in favor of one ethnic group over another.
The number of people offended by this proposal is impressive all in itself.
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Malarky
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#2 Posted on 8.10.04 1052.30
Reposted on: 8.10.11 1054.37
Aren't you glad we have such a high caliber of individuals handling the public purse?

BTW, isn't inner city Detroit pretty much Africatown already? ;)
DrOp
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#3 Posted on 8.10.04 1111.19
Reposted on: 8.10.11 1114.57
    Originally posted by Malarky
    BTW, isn't inner city Detroit pretty much Africatown already? ;)


I'd really appreicate it if you could refrain from making statements like that as I find it offensive. Thanks.

Grimis--I'm firmly behind you on the stance that this is a ridiculous idea. Totally ridiculous and not at all needed.
Malarky
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#4 Posted on 8.10.04 1120.50
Reposted on: 8.10.11 1126.30
I assure you good sir I couldn't give two licks of a donkey's rectum as to what you may find offensive.
messenoir
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#5 Posted on 8.10.04 1530.37
Reposted on: 8.10.11 1536.32
I truly hope you didn't mean to respond like that to someone who didn't insult you or yell at you, simply asked nicely for you not to make jokes like that.

It was an offensive joke, and I hope you could make jokes that aren't offensive to people.
Freeway
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#6 Posted on 8.10.04 1549.56
Reposted on: 8.10.11 1550.06
    Originally posted by messenoir
    I truly hope you didn't mean to respond like that to someone who didn't insult you or yell at you, simply asked nicely for you not to make jokes like that.

    It was an offensive joke, and I hope you could make jokes that aren't offensive to people.


I'm in an Urban Studies course in university and this basically reeks of the cities trying to reverse the gendrification process that's been taking place within cities throughout North America. Unfortunately, building areas like this only stigmatizes the areas and keeps things almost exactly the same.

Such a terrible idea.

EDITED: Because I didn't wanna sound like I was modding.

(edited by Freeway420 on 8.10.04 1537)
CRZ
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#7 Posted on 8.10.04 1831.32
Reposted on: 8.10.11 1833.51
    Originally posted by Malarky
    I assure you good sir I couldn't give two licks of a donkey's rectum as to what you may find offensive.
Please take that attitude to some other message board. Your "second chance" is over.
asteroidboy
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#8 Posted on 8.10.04 1957.05
Reposted on: 8.10.11 1959.03
What's silly about this is that they're trying to re-create something that has sprung up naturally in other communities. And with public money.

If a group of businessmen got together and wanted to pool their own money to start such a district, more power to them...
Roy.
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#9 Posted on 8.10.04 2116.21
Reposted on: 8.10.11 2117.11
    Originally posted by asteroidboy
    What's silly about this is that they're trying to re-create something that has sprung up naturally in other communities.


Right. I've been to Little Italy and Chinatown dozens of times, and the thing about them is that they feel historical. We took a field trip in high school to Little Odessa (a relatively new neighborhood) and it was amazing. An artifically constructed area funded by public money seems stupid and pointless to me.
StaggerLee
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#10 Posted on 9.10.04 0017.33
Reposted on: 9.10.11 0018.33
Kwame Kilpatrick? They got a Irish Mayor in Detroit?


Anyhow, I think if the business people want to group together, fine, but dont spend city cash on it.
Leviathan
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#11 Posted on 9.10.04 0111.15
Reposted on: 9.10.11 0111.54
    Originally posted by Roy.
      Originally posted by asteroidboy
      What's silly about this is that they're trying to re-create something that has sprung up naturally in other communities.


    Right. I've been to Little Italy and Chinatown dozens of times, and the thing about them is that they feel historical. We took a field trip in high school to Little Odessa (a relatively new neighborhood) and it was amazing. An artifically constructed area funded by public money seems stupid and pointless to me.


Any resident of any maor city anywhere can, unfortunately, tell you how this neighbourhood engineering projects fail miserably. 99% of the time they end up creating dead-zones with no character and nothing to offer.
Freeway
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#12 Posted on 9.10.04 0121.46
Reposted on: 9.10.11 0122.05
Typically, North American cities were founded as largely Anglo-Saxon communities. Immigrants tended to cluster together and live near work. Chinatowns & Little Italy districts clustered near the city centers are indicitive of this. The problem is that nobody crowded these groups together, they just clustered due to want of familiarity. Heck, most of these communities have institutional completeness to some degree, as there are Chinese schools & churches, Chinese shops and tons of other little touches in Chinatown that make it a distinct historical area. Calgary has no Little Italy, but I imagine it's fairly similar. Forcing groups to live in a certain area is illegal (or should be), but encouraging them to live in areas is good politics...if that group is in the minority. Urban sprawl has been a byproduct of fear. Fear of crime, and fear of groups different from the status quo (typically visible minorities), so everyone flees to the suburbs. So cities try to clean up the inner cities using programs like this one...and they don't work.
MoeGates
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#13 Posted on 10.10.04 1715.30
Reposted on: 10.10.11 1718.53
    Originally posted by StaggerLee
    Kwame Kilpatrick? They got a Irish Mayor in Detroit?.


Never mind that, how the hell are there two white members of the Detroit City Council?
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