Memorial Day in Detroit

Postal Shutoff South of 8 Mile

In the block bounded by Greenlawn, Pembroke, Woodingham and Chippewa, residents are currently being told to pick up their mail at the College Park Post Office at Livernois and Eight Mile. According to the postmaster, the shutoff of postal service was prompted by loose dogs and dogfighting in the area. The Post Office is demanding that the city of Detroit work with Animal Control to contain the problem. They're also demanding Animal Control escorts when service resumes (reminiscent of the Bus Union's recent demand for police escorts on buses).

Caught in the middle of this battle between the City, the Post Office and Animal Control are CITIZENS. These citizens may or may not be able to easily get to their mail.

Although postal workers in metro Detroit have been bit 34 times this year (including 3 incidents in Livonia and 4 in Westland), there was no SPECIFIC incident cited by the postmaster other than reports of dogfighting on the block. It is predictable but sickening to see Detroit residents paying the price for bad dog owners everywhere.

The Water Front

Tonight was the first ever public screening of a new documentary, The Water Front. The Water Front documents the struggle of the people of Highland Park to demand affordable water, resist the privatization of their water system and shut-offs of running water set in motion by the "managers" appointed to run Highland Park. The filmmaker had an extraordinary amount of access and video of the state-appointed city officials as they attempted to gouge already disadvantaged residents with rate-hikes, bully them with water and sewage shut-offs and privatize the city's water system. The film was shown at the Highland Park Community High School.

Clip from The Water Front here!

Abe's on Lincoln

One of my favorite sights around town (the scrubbing-bubble looking thing) has been covered up at Abe's...


...but lives on elsewhere, like Eastern Market.

International Workers Day in Detroit

From the always low-brow freep:

UPDATED AT 1:33 p.m. -- Thousands of immigrants jammed into Clark Park in southwest Detroit on Tuesday, calling for immigration reform and an end to deportations that they say are splitting up families.

- A crowd estimated as "Thousands of immigrants". Firstly, there were many non-immigrant U.S. citizens there, including many families with non-immigrant child born here. Secondly, "thousands" is a pretty half-assed estimate (1000-999,999). I would say that at least 10,000 people were there (including many "immigrants").

- "...jammed into Clark Park". Poorly chosen words? Actually there was plenty of space to walk around at Clark Park, even though "thousands" turned out. We also "jammed" Vernor Highway with a 2-mile march from Patton Park.

- "...deportations that they say are splitting up families". Are we actually going to debate whether or not deportations split up families? Who's "they"? And who could deny that the majority of deportations separate family members from each other?

Anyhow, enough freep-bashing. Here are some pictures:


The march gets underway at Patton Park.




Around the curve at Vernor and Dix...


...and under the train tracks


Clark Park