I like to run. If you don't know this by now you don't know me very well. In which case, thanks for reading! For the rest of you, you'll be happy to know that I had a great time at the Detroit Marathon this weekend. Unfortunately, I was not running this year as I have a race in a week and a half and needed to rest and instead volunteered on Saturday and Sunday to make sure I didn't miss out on the action. True, looking at the maps for the race I longed to be lacing up my shoes and running across the bridge, thinking of how tired my legs should be leaving the tunnel, and how I would need that last boost of energy to get off of Belle Isle.
But, alas, I decided to dedicate my time to supporting those who would be going through the race, first by giving out packets on Saturday and then sitting at mile 24 for encouragement. I was the guy that was cheering people on when all they really wanted to do was stab someone for how long they had been running. The early runners didn't see me. The middle runners were happy to see me. The runners at the end hated that I was smiling and wanted to throw me into the river in a body bag.
That's how marathons work. And its fun.
But before I start gushing too much about why I love to run and the spirit of the race, let's get to the point of all this. I was volunteering on Saturday with a guy named Lou. This was his first marathon. He was 67 years old and filled with a lot of stories about life. He was a bit shorter than I was and had a lot more belly on him, but not any more than any other 67 year old man should.
Lou grew up in Detroit. I know because he told me, unsolicited. In fact, he told me a lot of things unsolicited. He now lives in Brighton, about as far from Detroit as you can be to still be considered part of that blob on the east side. He had a heart attack recently due to his exposure to Agent Orange during Vietnam, and in Vietnam he nearly died one day when he ventured to Cambodia by mistake. These are just a few of the unsolicited tales from good ole Lou.
Anyway, Lou met me at 6 am in Tim Horton's at the foot of the Belle Isle Bridge. 6 am on Sunday is already pretty early, but meeting Lou at 6 makes things really early. Lou is a talker. In fact, I don't think he knows how to stop talking. It was always a challenge to get a word in edgewise. But, he's also one of those grandfathery people who you enjoy listening to for hours, even if you don't know what the heck he's talking about.
Standing in Tim Horton's he immediately informed me that he had scoped out the place where we'd be for the day and found a great parking place. Parking was really the least of my worries as we would be standing for the next 7 hours unable to move our car, but nevertheless I was appreciative of his preparedness.
After sitting in his car waiting for the sun to rise, I learned a great deal about Lou. Not just the aforementioned stories, but also that Lou had grown up on the east side of Detroit in the 1950s and remembered a lot of great things about the city. Downtown Detroit was the place to go for first-run movies. I was unfamiliar with this term, but apparently movies weren't released all at once back in the day. Only the biggest places got the first-run movies. And Downtown was the biggest place around. He would take a date downtown, put on a suit jacket, and have a fancy dinner. Then it was off to the movie to see a brand new film that nobody else around could see. Those were the days.
He also told me about how Belle Isle was the place to go in the evenings. You could stay at Belle Isle until midnight or later, watching the stars and feeling the breeze off the river. His go-to line was to ask the girls to come watch the submarine races with him. If you know anything about submarines, you'll know they are underwater and that it would be quite challenging to watch them race. In other words, this was his code to get girls to Belle Isle to make out. Ah, thanks Lou, I got it now.
Lou is one of those guys that you could easily roll your eyes at and seek others to help take pressure off the conversation. When Vietnam is a central part of a guys' life and that's his lead off story, its easy to write a guy off as a crazy nut job. But, I wanted to give him a chance. First off, I was stuck with the guy for the next 7 hours and it was highly unlikely anyone would be along to take the pressure off. Secondly, I did find his stories interesting. And as if some kind of young person, unspoken duty came over me, I decided that I needed to listen to him.
As any good listener does, I asked questions. I asked Lou why he left Detroit. I figured I knew some of the answers. The riots, white flight, the usual suspects, but I heard different things from Lou. Yes the riots had scared him. But Lou was in Vietnam when the riots took place. It wasn't that he had been changed by the riots, it was how the riots changed Detroit that scared him. When he returned from Vietnam, not only was he returning to a different country from when he left, he was returning to a different city. Neighborhoods weren't quite a safe as they had been. People weren't quite as friendly as they had been.
Lou still worked downtown at this time, though by now he had bought a house and moved to Warren. What finally pushed Lou as far from Detroit as he could possibly go was an escapade he had at work. He worked in a cubicle that he shared with whom he described as a 'black woman who was very nice.' One day while rummaging through her purse, a tiny object fell out and rolled over to Lou's desk. He bent down and picked up a small bullet for a handgun. It was then that Lou knew his time in Detroit was over.
Lou has never looked back. When he came downtown for the marathon, it was his first time back in a long time. He was still nervous of any person walking by themselves, suspicious of their motives. He wanted his car within sight so he could watch it throughout the race, in case one of those suspicious characters decided he liked what was inside. Lou even told me be brought his wife's car down instead of his because hers was older. He was glad I was there so he wasn't alone.
Lou reminded me of how big a battle Detroit really is. I'm a kid here, young and naive. I see a lot of the momentum of the city and tend to dismiss a lot of the talk of how it was. I suppose that's the trouble with youth, we know only as much as we've experienced, which usually isn't much. But, I think, in that way, we are able to renew. We don't have the experiences and stories that Lou has. We don't know what Belle Isle was like or how amazing downtown was. We only know what it is like now.
We need to remember that there are many people like Lou out there with stories. And people like Lou, who have these traumatic experiences and memories of simpler times in the city, are always going to be afraid. Until we are able to provide Lou with solace and comfort, Detroit will always be a place filled with haunting memories and fearful people. And think its important that as Detroit moves forward, we don't forget the people who saw it first.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
Marvelous Mondays: 5 Reasons Why I Liked 'Detropia'
Recently a film came out called 'Detropia.' Its a documentary set in Detroit that documents the struggles the city is facing and follows a few of its citizens around while outlining the efforts being made.
Notably, this film was released earlier this year in many worldwide locations... but not Detroit. I remember hearing that the film had screened for a group of Detroit leaders who did not like the way the city was portrayed.
As with anything that has some controversy behind it, me being human, I was curious to know what the fuss was about. One thing is certain, the striking image of two people in gas masks in front of a crumbling home makes me think this film is only going to show the bad parts of the city and call it Detroit. I have a phobia of gas masks which is probably appropriate for another post, but I get angry when the image makes me think I have to wear one to live in Detroit.
The film was different than what I expected. Here are 5 reasons why I liked it:
1). The film showed all parts of the city
Yes, the film did indeed show a lot of abandoned buildings. Its a film about Detroit, I think its in the contract film crews have with the city: 'In order to film within the city limits you must film 1 abandoned building for every 2 minutes of film.'
BUT, the film also showed a few parts that are doing well. And while the entire film is very gritty and sad, I think it accurately portrays Detroit. Detroit is a bit gritty and sad. And to show anything else wouldn't be entirely truthful. There are an awful lot of rah-rah cheerleaders (myself included sometimes) that will gladly skate over some of the grosser parts of the city. While I've flipped and flopped on this issue, I think its far more important that the problems are front and center than swept under the rug.
2). The film was larger than Detroit
I remember reading this defense from the filmmakers upon hearing the screening reviews. I think I agree with them that the focus is not just Detroit. It harkens to something I've been saying all along: Detroit's problems are America's problems. For whatever reasons all the major problems we as a nation face are collected in Detroit. And for whatever reasons the nation has chosen to largely ignore Detroit.
BUT, if we manage to think about these problems Detroit faces and find solutions, even the smallest baby steps of solutions, than we can certainly solve these problems in other places. Detroit has been described as a clean slate and a place to experiment. I think its important that this experimentation shouldn't just be through art, but through social issues that have plagued our country for decades.
3). The film was a bit ahead of the game
The film was filmed in 2010. This caused one major portion of their film to now be inaccurate, which I at first was angry about, but then realized how great that fact is. In just 2 years, a major program has changed into something far more positive for the city. I can't recall anything that has happened in Detroit in such a short period of time that is good for the city.
At any rate, I remember a quote from one of the people featured in the movie about the gap between the rich and the poor, something that hadn't hit the spotlight in 2010 from things like Governor Romney's 47%. The man being interviewed spoke of how we can't keep pushing the upper and lower classes apart. If we rip apart the middle class there is no buffer. And when there is no buffer you are left with revolution. Startling stuff to think about.
4). The film hit familiar spots, but focused on the people
I think another caveat in filming in Detroit is that your film must contain at least some reference to the 1967 riot. This film actually had footage. Of course the Michigan Central Station was featured in the film and several abandoned plants.
But what I felt the film did a great job of was using people to paint the context of these places. It wasn't just about the riots, but how the riots caused such a great change in the city. It isn't just about giant abandoned buildings, its about the people who used to work in those.
I had the opportunity to chat with a 67-year old man who had grown up in Detroit. He was terrified to be in Detroit helping with the marathon this weekend. I often forget the experiences that people have that shape their lives. His experiences have stuck with him for so long that he was constantly looking over his shoulder in a place that I have never seen anything suspicious. Ever.
Detroit, like any city, is a living, breathing place, and as these historical events happened, people's lives changed.
5). The film focused on the resiliency of the people
This was where I thought the film excelled. The film followed a few people around the city and heard their stories. One was a union leader, one was a nightclub owner, one was a blogger, and others filled in the gaps to make the city breathe.
I think with a place like Detroit it is very easy to find people down in the dumps, people with nothing good to say. I think it'd also be quite easy to find people who would have everything good to say about the city, glazing over the problems in education, poverty, homelessness, unemployment, corruption, and the countless other problems that are a part of the reality in Detroit.
But, this film did something I haven't seen from other pieces about Detroit. It managed to find people who were frank about the situation, but still optimistic about the future. I didn't sense anger about what has happened, just observations of how it happened. And in the end, everyone had a very positive outlook of what was ahead. Well, maybe positive is too strong. I should say that these people had a very realistic ideal of what happens next. Things turn around, like they always do, and things change like they always do. And these people living in Detroit will do the best they can until then.
Leaving the film, everyone was quite somber. The music and the scenes shown were cold and gritty, and it shed some light on the major problems that we as a nation will be facing. It didn't show all the pretty new things happening in the city and the pretty new buildings being redone. But, it did show the true story. From all angles. And most of all, it showed that the people here are not done fighting, even if the rest of the country (and state of Michigan) is.
Notably, this film was released earlier this year in many worldwide locations... but not Detroit. I remember hearing that the film had screened for a group of Detroit leaders who did not like the way the city was portrayed.
As with anything that has some controversy behind it, me being human, I was curious to know what the fuss was about. One thing is certain, the striking image of two people in gas masks in front of a crumbling home makes me think this film is only going to show the bad parts of the city and call it Detroit. I have a phobia of gas masks which is probably appropriate for another post, but I get angry when the image makes me think I have to wear one to live in Detroit.
The film was different than what I expected. Here are 5 reasons why I liked it:
1). The film showed all parts of the city
Yes, the film did indeed show a lot of abandoned buildings. Its a film about Detroit, I think its in the contract film crews have with the city: 'In order to film within the city limits you must film 1 abandoned building for every 2 minutes of film.'
BUT, the film also showed a few parts that are doing well. And while the entire film is very gritty and sad, I think it accurately portrays Detroit. Detroit is a bit gritty and sad. And to show anything else wouldn't be entirely truthful. There are an awful lot of rah-rah cheerleaders (myself included sometimes) that will gladly skate over some of the grosser parts of the city. While I've flipped and flopped on this issue, I think its far more important that the problems are front and center than swept under the rug.
2). The film was larger than Detroit
I remember reading this defense from the filmmakers upon hearing the screening reviews. I think I agree with them that the focus is not just Detroit. It harkens to something I've been saying all along: Detroit's problems are America's problems. For whatever reasons all the major problems we as a nation face are collected in Detroit. And for whatever reasons the nation has chosen to largely ignore Detroit.
BUT, if we manage to think about these problems Detroit faces and find solutions, even the smallest baby steps of solutions, than we can certainly solve these problems in other places. Detroit has been described as a clean slate and a place to experiment. I think its important that this experimentation shouldn't just be through art, but through social issues that have plagued our country for decades.
3). The film was a bit ahead of the game
The film was filmed in 2010. This caused one major portion of their film to now be inaccurate, which I at first was angry about, but then realized how great that fact is. In just 2 years, a major program has changed into something far more positive for the city. I can't recall anything that has happened in Detroit in such a short period of time that is good for the city.
At any rate, I remember a quote from one of the people featured in the movie about the gap between the rich and the poor, something that hadn't hit the spotlight in 2010 from things like Governor Romney's 47%. The man being interviewed spoke of how we can't keep pushing the upper and lower classes apart. If we rip apart the middle class there is no buffer. And when there is no buffer you are left with revolution. Startling stuff to think about.
4). The film hit familiar spots, but focused on the people
I think another caveat in filming in Detroit is that your film must contain at least some reference to the 1967 riot. This film actually had footage. Of course the Michigan Central Station was featured in the film and several abandoned plants.
But what I felt the film did a great job of was using people to paint the context of these places. It wasn't just about the riots, but how the riots caused such a great change in the city. It isn't just about giant abandoned buildings, its about the people who used to work in those.
I had the opportunity to chat with a 67-year old man who had grown up in Detroit. He was terrified to be in Detroit helping with the marathon this weekend. I often forget the experiences that people have that shape their lives. His experiences have stuck with him for so long that he was constantly looking over his shoulder in a place that I have never seen anything suspicious. Ever.
Detroit, like any city, is a living, breathing place, and as these historical events happened, people's lives changed.
5). The film focused on the resiliency of the people
This was where I thought the film excelled. The film followed a few people around the city and heard their stories. One was a union leader, one was a nightclub owner, one was a blogger, and others filled in the gaps to make the city breathe.
I think with a place like Detroit it is very easy to find people down in the dumps, people with nothing good to say. I think it'd also be quite easy to find people who would have everything good to say about the city, glazing over the problems in education, poverty, homelessness, unemployment, corruption, and the countless other problems that are a part of the reality in Detroit.
But, this film did something I haven't seen from other pieces about Detroit. It managed to find people who were frank about the situation, but still optimistic about the future. I didn't sense anger about what has happened, just observations of how it happened. And in the end, everyone had a very positive outlook of what was ahead. Well, maybe positive is too strong. I should say that these people had a very realistic ideal of what happens next. Things turn around, like they always do, and things change like they always do. And these people living in Detroit will do the best they can until then.
Leaving the film, everyone was quite somber. The music and the scenes shown were cold and gritty, and it shed some light on the major problems that we as a nation will be facing. It didn't show all the pretty new things happening in the city and the pretty new buildings being redone. But, it did show the true story. From all angles. And most of all, it showed that the people here are not done fighting, even if the rest of the country (and state of Michigan) is.
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