Friday, March 29, 2024

SN article didnt show true Detroit

Although it was refreshing to see The State News highlight the attractions of Michigan’s largest city, (“Rock City provides a trip into the past,” SN 9/22) Jennifer Meese’s writing displayed a disposition to the city that was ill-informed and amateurish at best.

Aside from factual errors - the oxymoron of the Detroit People Mover as an “above-ground subway,” or the claim that the Renaissance Center has four, rather than seven, towers - the piece contained an unfortunate and unnecessary slur on the city’s reputation. Meese’s conclusory statement that “the crime rate in Detroit is high” and “leaving before dark is a good idea,” is silly and unfair.

While it is true that Detroit has suffered severely from urban problems such as crime and decay in the last three decades, the overall crime rate in the city has been on a decline for several years.

Areas such as Greektown and Foxtown are as well-policed and safe as tourist areas of Toronto, Chicago or other major cities. And to advise potential travelers to leave by sunset betrays a frightened suburbanite mindset that misses out on the vibrant and growing night life in the downtown area.

Nowhere is there mention in the article of the Detroit Institute of Arts, Mexican Town, Orchestra Place, the Opera Theatre, Lafayette Coney Island, the State Theatre, the many nightclubs or any number of renowned attractions in the city and metro area. While no article can provide an exhaustive list, one is still left with a sense that Detroit was slighted once again.

Although I grew up in northern Michigan, the Detroit area is my birthplace and the home of many family members and friends. It saddens me that this opportunity to expose The State News readership to the ongoing and long-awaited rebirth of downtown Detroit is tainted with such blatant errors and tired misconceptions.

David Towne
MSU-DCL second year
law student

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