Few placenames in America are as vivid as Detroit’s, with its legendary music scene, its never-ending line of ghost workers who created those stunning, showy fantasy cars of the mid-century, and its vanished splendor. The belle epoque was followed by, of course, the fall: falling auto sales, rising racial tensions, the landmark riot in July 1967, the “white flight” to the suburbs, the skyrocketing murder rate, the crime, and its decades-long obscurity as a town of ruin and disgrace.Now, in the tense autumn of 2024, Detroit is a city and a mindset combined. It is evident everywhere: in the brand-new condominiums and apartments, the newly established companies housed in historic buildings, the completely demolished streets, and in the catchphrases painted on the concrete walls of the city’s reclaimed downtown, which express the city’s defiance and resolve to reinvent itself as a bright, future metropolis without sacrificing any of its history. Even the city’s adored but miserably successful football team, the Lions, is back to winning.Kamala Harris visited the city on Tuesday in order to have a live interview with Charlamagne tha God, the host of a hugely famous podcast. Harris found the debate to be ideal, as it offered a serious and meaningful dialogue along with a clear appeal to African American male voters, who are crucial to winning Michigan and potentially the White House. You would not know it from strolling through Detroit is peaceful downtown on a bitterly cold Tuesday night and listening to the Harris broadcast that 78% of the city’s residents are black.Detroit has emerged as a major focal point for both candidates vying for this crucial state in the final weeks of the election. In a public interview at the Detroit Economic Forum last week, Donald Trump insulted the city, offending Democratic sensibilities. However, he later announced that he would hold a rally in the city on Friday night, sensing support from the deeply disillusioned Arab-American community in the Dearborn suburb, which is home to Henry Ford’s former emporium and mansion. Harris, on the other hand, has been in Michigan for the majority of this week and is planning a protest this Saturday close to Detroit.
As Harris and Charlemagne chatted on Tuesday night, the downtown area’s major thoroughfare, Woodward, was being prepped for evening business by the scene’s bars and eateries.
It seems unusual to walk around Detroit; the streets look too big and imposing for the few people who use them. However, it was intended to be a car-city that would prosper eternally, as seen by the 1,849,000 residents of Detroit in 1950. 633,000 people now live there. Restored from the long-gone department store, Kerns’s Clock is a decorative element that honors that era and serves as a piece of public art.
Harris did a good job speaking on the radio, setting the stage for her explosive turn the next night in the harsh confines of Fox News. However, the concerns and attitudes of the young black Detroiters who will lead their city into the future were mirrored in the live questions.
Zeke, the president of the civic organization New Era Detroit, said, “Madame vice-president and Charlamagne tha God: whatupdoe – and welcome to Detroit.” Zeke questioned whether the vice-president supported the notion of reparations for African Americans. “We are all aware that free Black labor was essential to America’s rise to prosperity. To what extent do you prioritize putting people’s wrongs right? How progressive are you? For the past 50 years, African Americans have been consistently urged to vote Democrat in all elections.
Is it true that Harris persecuted black guys while she was in San Francisco? asked another listener. Charlamagne, her host, brought up recent remarks made by Barack Obama, which appeared to chastise black American men for maybe being reluctant to support Harris because she is a woman. The broadcaster referred to this as “waving his finger at black guys.”
“When will Liz Cheney or Hillary Clinton point a finger at white women? When will Bill Clinton and Joe Biden point a finger at white men?” he pondered. due to the fact that 52% of white women supported Trump in 2016.
This was a world removed from the frothy, irony-laden late-night talkshow circuit and Harris handled it well, if cautiously. Answering that question on reparations, she said, at the beginning of a very long response: “Yes, I am running to be a president for all Americans. That being said, I do have clear eyes to the disparities that exist and the context in which they exist – meaning history. On reparations, it has to be studied. There is no question about that.
“Look, I grew up in the middle class. My mother worked hard and raised me and my sister, and by the time she was in high school she was able to afford our first home. I know what it means for an both an individual and a family to own a home. I am also aware that no one ever received 40 acres and a mule in the context of history. Redlining, the practice of denying people of specific neighborhoods access to insurance and mortgage loans on the basis of their race or ethnicity, is one of the many things we have a history of. Detroit is well-aware of this practice. Across the country, black families are 40% less likely to buy a home.Government figures from Michigan state that 49% of black Detroiters own their own home. According to a recent study by the University of Michigan, the combined worth of black homeowners has increased by $2.8 billion over the last nine years—an 80% increase. Mike Duggan, the mayor of the city, attributes this growth to the efforts of “600 organized block clubs and associations who have been working to rebuild their neighborhoods.”There were 253 homicides in the city in 2023, the fewest in 57 years. Over the last ten years, over 25,000 abandoned dwellings have been destroyed, while an additional 15,000 have undergone renovations. Any Detroiter worth his salt will tell you that their city is growing. The rebirth of Michigan Central Station, which was the tallest train station in the world when it first opened in Corktown in 1914, is the most evident evidence of this. After Amtrak moved in 1988, it was shuttered and neglected, becoming a huge, dark wreck. Now that Ford is the new owner, it has been renovated and open to the public for visits throughout the summer.According to John King, “I remember going in it when it had trains going in it.” It was enjoyable. And then it turned into, well, disaster porn. They hosted guest excursions throughout the summer. The park in front has been fixed. They created a lovely appearance for it. See, the response is the same in every city. Yes, it was such a lovely time! That was a lovely time in the past! When Detroit began to collapse, it was an even greater disappointment. But that is a common occurrence in many cities.A legend in Detroit is John King. Originally an elevator and glove manufacturer’s warehouse, his rare and used bookstore on Layfayette Boulevard is now home to over a million books and artifacts. He appeared out of nowhere on the day I called, beaming a friendly hello from behind the large, untidy desk that takes up most of the entrance. The building is an enchanted labyrinth; he gave me a tour and was courteous, if a little preoccupied with the requests on the walkietalkie he carries to call workers. It is similar to strolling through Iggy Pop and Albert Einstein’s united minds.
He gave me a tour of the city where he was raised as we moved.
That was the major turning point following the unrest in 1967. When the real estate agents called, they would essentially say, “Look, there are black people moving in.” You must leave! And a whole bunch of f**king dumb white people nodded. After the expressway was constructed to facilitate traffic flow, some neighborhoods experienced an abrupt change in color from white to black over night. I do not mean to seem biased, but it seemed like people were leaving the city, and these real estate agents were taking advantage of the racial tensions. It was extremely depressing.
