There is an island in the middle of the Detroit River called
BELLE ISLE and it has played a big role in my life.
As kids we went there to picnic and canoe in the summer and
ice skate in the winter. The Polish community in Detroit held their parades
celebrating various Polish holidays there and gave speeches in the band shell
there. We loved to go to the aquarium there and who can forget the botanical
gardens glass dome where you can enjoy flowers and various greenery even in
winter.
I took my kids to see the animals in the small zoo there and
a few years back, my daughter Tanya was married at the Yacht Club there. A
Grand Prix race is also run on the island.
A great place that meant so much to so many but in recent
times the Belle (beautiful) Isle has become the Crappy Isle due to neglect by
Detroit and its people.
You would think that when our governor offered to bring the island
back to its former glory by making it a state park, the people of Detroit would
welcome the offer with open arms…not so!!!
Detroiters were screaming at City Council meetings, that
allowing the state to manage the now decrepit island with state money (Detroit
is basically bankrupt), was tantamount to allowing whites to take over a black
asset…yes, some Detroiters are very racist and unfortunately also very vocal.
Cooler heads tried to prevail knowing full well that the
state’s offer was absolutely necessary to bring the island back to snuff FOR
THE ENJOYMENT OF ALL DETROITERS…black and white.
The problem is that the Detroit City Council is still made
up of a few arrogant, incompetent racists that make decisions based on
unfounded and irrational racist delusions to the detriment of all Detroiters.
Yesterday, when a council subcommittee voted to table the state
Belle Isle offer for “more study”, the governor took the state offer off the
table and told the city council to basically go fuck itself…very good move on
his part but very bad for Detroit and Detroiters.
I just hope Detroiters realize that some of their leaders
are causing Detroit great harm and if they allow this small but very loud group
of Detroit racists to have their way; Detroit will collapse and all its assets
will go on the block anyway, to pay off its debts so what have you accomplished
by killing the state's offer?
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