The rise and fall of Detroit: A timeline Sign Up for Our free email newsletters On Thursday, Detroit made history — and not in a good way. July 24, 1701Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac establishes a French settlement, Fort Ponchartrain du Détroit (the strait), along with 100 French soldiers and an equal number of Algonquins. 1760Britain wins the city from the French. 1796U.S. forces capture Detroit from the British. Feb. 1, 1802Detroit becomes a chartered city, covering about 20 acres. 1827Detroit adopts its forward-looking city motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We hope for better days; it shall rise from the ashes). 1850Bernhard Stroh opens Stroh Brewery Company. The Stroh Brewery Company, circa 1864. June 4, 1896Henry Ford test drives his first automobile on the streets of Detroit. 1898Ford establishes the Detroit Automobile Co., producing all of two cars before the company fails three years later. 1899Ransom E. Nov. 3, 1901Ford opens his second car company, Henry Ford Co. The crumbling Packard plant, in October 2009.
Detroit bankruptcy another setback for unions Detroit's historic bankruptcy filing is a major setback for public employee unions that have spent years trying to ward off cuts to the pensions of millions of government workers around the country. If the city's gambit succeeds, it could jeopardize an important bargaining tool for unions, which often have deferred higher wages in favor of more generous pensions and health benefits. It also could embolden other financially troubled cities dealing with pension shortfalls to consider bankruptcy, or at least take a harder line with their unions in negotiating cuts. "This is essentially the union's worst nightmare, said Gary Chaison, professor of industrial relations at Clark University in Worcester, Mass. "It means that the most sacred of sacred things they've negotiated for, the pensions of their retired members, are going to be severely cut." Detroit's bankruptcy filing comes on the heels of some public unions losing most of their collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin.
Detroit firefighter shares hundreds of photos showing 'Death of the Motor City' DETROIT, MI - Shane Klug doesn't want to hear ill-informed smack talk about Detroit. The city is far from fixed, and the 40-year-old Detroit firefighter is in a unique spot to document the city's most obvious struggles; he has no reservations about showing the world the parts of Detroit that haven't been touched by redevelopment, but those who aren't from the city are better off keeping their mouths shut, he thinks. "Detroit's like your sibling, like your crazy sister, and you know she's crazy, but no one else better say that about her," Klug said over breakfast at Zeff's Coney Island in Eastern Market. Klug has been fighting fires -- countless fires -- since 2002 in Detroit, a city that's fascinated him since the first time he drove through it with his dad in the '80s. "I'd never seen ruins like this," he said. View full sizeDetroit fire fighter Shane Klug started an Instagram account in 2012, focussing mainly on Detroit's blighted and abandoned buildings. He only wants to tell a story.
Detroit’s white population rises Detroit’s white population rose by nearly 8,000 residents last year, the first significant increase since 1950, according to a Detroit News analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. The data, made public Wednesday, mark the first time census numbers have validated the perception that whites are returning to a city that is overwhelmingly black and one where the overall population continues to shrink. Many local leaders contend halting Detroit’s population loss is crucial, and the new census data shows that policies to lure people back to the city may be helping stem the city’s decline. “It verifies the energy you see in so many parts of Detroit and it’s great to hear,” said Kevin Boyle, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian who studies the intersection of class, race, and politics in 20th-century America. “The last thing I want to do is dampen the good news, but the problem is Detroit is still the poorest city in the U.S. “I think it’s a trend. “It’s not creating an even playing field.”
Fires burn across Detroit as high winds knock down power lines By the CNN Wire Staff September 8, 2010 7:34 a.m. EDT High winds spread fires in Detroit The fire department responded to 140 calls for wires downFire crews from Dearborn, Warren and Harper Woods assistedHigh winds are believed to have knocked down power lines Are you there? (CNN) -- Firefighters in Detroit, Michigan, grappled with 85 fires in a four-hour period Tuesday night, officials said. "A lot of these fires were due to high winds and downed wires," said Karen Dumas, a city spokeswoman. There were no reports of deaths or injuries, she said. "We had winds from 30-50 mph and have a number of downed power wires," said Detroit Fire Commissioner James Mack Jr. Video: Dozens of homes burned in Detroit Video: Police: Someone setting fires? Mack said that between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. the fire department responded to 140 calls for wires down before the evening outbreak. Detroit firefighters received assistance from fire departments in the neighboring towns of Warren, Dearborn and Harper Woods.
Rush Limbaugh: Detroit Went Bankrupt Because Blacks Drove Out Whites Economists are attributing Detroit’s recent bankruptcy filing to problems facing the entire Rust Belt region: a shrinking tax base, high health and pension costs, sprawl, and general dysfunction. But on Tuesday, Rush Limbaugh added another cause to the long list of factors that have contributed to the city’s downfall: black people. During an appearance on Fox News’ On The Record with Greta Van Susteren on Tuesday, Limbaugh claimed that “unchecked” Democratic rule “since the last Republican mayor [in] 1957” created a lazy and bloated culture of out-of-control spending and corruption. “You’ve had that — that town has been a petri dish of everything the Democrat Party stands for, everything the Democrat Party loves — massive unions, massive pensions, pay people pensions and health care long after they’ve stopped working,” he said, before arguing that the city’s first black mayor exacerbated the city’s spending and sparked racial riots that chased white people into the suburbs:
Detroit Fires: Nearly 100 Homes Burned By Wind-Whipped Flames Detroit firefighters say downed electrical wires and high winds are responsible for a sudden rash of fires that burned dozens of homes on the city’s east side Tuesday afternoon. No injuries or fatalities were reported, but the flames burned 85 homes, including 18 that were vacant, the Detroit Free Press reported. As many as 50,000 people were left without electricity. Wind gusts of up to 50 m.p.h. were responsible for spreading the flames, according to the National Weather Service. One resident, Louvenia Wallace, 31, told the Free Press she and her children fled their neighborhood and had to stay at a nearby home in a safe area.
Mapping 60 Years of White Flight, Brain Drain and American Migration You can tell a lot about a place by who doesn't want to be there any more. Or, conversely, by who wants to move in. A city that seeps population over time invariably has deeper problems driving its demographic change, like poor school districts that can't keep young families, or weak job prospects for its college grads. A county that attracts new residents, on the other hand -- maybe young people in particular, or retirees -- likely has the right amenities to lure them. Maybe a certain job sector. In this way, we can divine some of the fortunes of different corners of the country simply by watching how Americans move around over the years. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin, Michigan Technological University and the University of New Hampshire have built just such a database dating back to the 1950s. Here is a map of total net migration across the 2000s in the U.S., with orange counties losing the most people and purple counties gaining the most. 1950s 1960s
Auto Bailout or UAW Bailout? Taxpayer Losses Came from Subsidizing Union Compensation June 13, 2012 | Backgrounder on Economy By James Sherk and Todd Zywicki Key Points Bankruptcy law calls for similarly situated creditors to receive equal treatment. Abstract: The U.S. government will lose about $23 billion on the 2008-2009 bailout of General Motors and Chrysler. The government bailout of General Motors (GM) and Chrysler between 2008 and 2009 will cost taxpayers approximately $23 billion. Legally, the UAW’s claims had the same status as those of other unsecured creditors, but the UAW recovered a much greater proportion of the debts that General Motors and Chrysler owed the union. UAW members at General Motors and Chrysler are among the most highly paid workers in America. Detroit Bankruptcy General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford were in serious trouble well before the recession started. GM and Chrysler instead asked Washington for a taxpayer bailout. A substantial amount of these funds will never be repaid. Defending the Bailout Bankruptcy Liabilities Lost Savings. Conclusion
Ford to invest $1.6 billion for new plant in Mexico Ford sparked outrage from the UAW and Republican front-runner Donald Trump on Tuesday, uniting two unlikely foes, after the automaker said it would invest $1.6 billion to build a new plant in Mexico and create 2,800 jobs. The Dearborn automaker has been among Trump's targets for months because of the widely expected investment south of the border. The UAW, which reached a new four-year contract with the automaker last November, also has long been critical of automakers increasingly building new plants in Mexico. The union and Trump said Tuesday that America's trade deals lead to job losses. "These ridiculous, job-crushing transactions will not happen when I am president," Trump said in a statement issued by his campaign. "NAFTA has incentivized plants to move to Mexico, closing factories across the United States. Trump has previously said if elected president he would threaten the company and any other automaker with a 35% tariff on products or parts imported into the U.S.
Detroit Rising: Life after bankruptcy One year after a federal judge approves Detroit's bankruptcy exit plan, progress has been made while looming challenges remain, especially city pensions The City of Detroit has more than enough cash to pay its daily bills. Thousands of busted streetlights have been replaced. City retirees still receive pension checks, and valuable paintings remain ensconced in the gilded halls of the Detroit Institute of Arts. That's the good news. Among the greatest concerns: a multibillion-dollar pension bill that starts coming due in less than a decade. The city is on the hook to make a balloon pension payment estimated at more than $100 million in 2024 alone. So far, the early returns for the investments since the bankruptcy are falling short. It was officially known as a plan of adjustment. Some, especially retirees, remain embittered by pension cutbacks. "I think the early indicators exceeded our expectations," former Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr said in an interview late last month. Peter J.
Shinola has perfect timing in Detroit By Kai Ryssdal January 21, 2016 | 3:48 PM There's a new term out there to describe a recent manufacturing movement in America - "Make-tailers." It's a category of "embedded-in-the-community" companies that produce small-batch, high-quality artisan products. One of the marquee examples of this movement is Shinola. Kartsosis is from Plano, Texas, but he chose Detroit for his new company's headquarters and production facility. Shinola has been divisive amongst Detroiters. But Shinola's growth signals corporate success. Marketplace visited Shinola's headquarters in Detroit where the company also has its leather shop. Produced by Tommy Andres.