In Detroit, it’s so ******* poor that fire is cheaper than a movie. And this is no more evident than in the struggles of the city’s firefighters, up against impossible odds: That factory closed in 1956 and was left to rot, pulling down the east side, which pulled down the city.ĭuring and after the Great Recession, Detroit was a city dominated by fear, violence, graft, and incompetence. And while Detroit led the nation in per capita income and home ownership, automation and the beginnings of foreign competition were forcing automobile companies like Packard to shutter their doors. LeDuff lays out a compelling case that Detroit’s troubles began in the 1950s:ĭetroit actually began its decline in population during the 1950s, precisely the time that Detroit-and the United States-was at its peak. Yes, it has a long way to go, but justice did prevail in rooting out the corruption of the Kilpatrick regime, and the city continues to make strides. Thankfully, the intervening years have proven LeDuff’s proclamation false. “ Detroit: An American Autopsy ,” published in 2013, chronicles one of the more corrupt periods in Detroit history, during the reign of mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who resigned in disgrace in 2008 before being found guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice.Ĭharlie is a talented writer who elicits powerful emotions in his readers: anger, disgust, and even despondency.īut he’s prone to some hyperbole, and seems resigned to declare the city dead-an understandable position, given what he witnessed and wrote about every day. Writer and reporter Charlie LeDuff moved his family from Los Angeles back to his native Detroit, where he went to work exposing corruption, violence, and incompetence for the Detroit News.
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