The French Ghetto - Future of Detroit?

[Business_Casual]

No offense, but I don't get the connection between Detroit and that article at all (which really says nothing other than a lot of cars got burned in France).

The suburbs of Paris are self-contained ghettos full of unemployed North Africans (former colonies, heavily Muslim), illegally in the country yet drawing pubic benefits for a subsistence lifestyle. There are annual riots with a high level of property damage. There are sections of the public housing estates where the police don't go and the EMTs are at high risk if they enter.

The Detroit metro is a segregated urban landscape with very high unemployment and a large Muslim population. The current job and economic climate is trending toward a majority of the population being on public benefits living a subsistence lifestyle. There are annual riots, leading to a high degree of property damage. There are high crime areas where public services such as police and fire are at risk.

The two sound fairly similar to me.

M_P

[RSS1911]

The Detroit metro is a segregated urban landscape with very high unemployment and a large Muslim population. The current job and economic climate is trending toward a majority of the population being on public benefits living a subsistence lifestyle. There are annual riots, leading to a high degree of property damage. There are high crime areas where public services such as police and fire are at risk.

Really? News of the annual riots doesn't seem to make it out here in the northwestern suburbs.


Detroit most certainly has its problems, but it's a far cry from the suburbs of Paris.

[RogerinTPA]

Really? News of the annual riots doesn't seem to make it out here in the northwestern suburbs.


Detroit most certainly has its problems, but it's a far cry from the suburbs of Paris.

Ageed.

I haven't head of a "riot" since the 1967 riots, with simultaneous riots breaking out in most of the large cities in the country. LA and Miami have had more riots since the 60's. The predominant Muslim areas are in the suburbs. Dearborn ( probably the largest Muslim population in the USA), is a suburb of Detroit. Last time I checked, it was doing far better than Detroit , but it's still in an economically depressed region of MI. As far as car burnings in the street, not so much since I grew up in the inner city. A combination of things started "Devil's Night": Building/ businesses started to burn for insurance fraud in the 60's. Homes started burning to do the same, since then, neighbors started burning abandon homes to stop drug/crack addicts from moving in since the City, didn't have funds to do anything about it. Others, used Devil's night as an excuse to collect insurance (fraud) over the same period. The rest is left up to urban youth and traditional "fun" vandalism on Devil's night, since the 60's. It's a sad but self perpetuating saga, but to parallel it with true French ghettos, that's a stretch.

[MistWolf]

Detroit doesn't even have a Wal Mart within city limits!

See? You can always find something positive in any situation

[lil'Zeus]

Interesting topic...could you have imagined what would have happened to that city or other major cities if the presidentical elections had gone differently? I bet many more cars and properties would have been burned all across the country...

[cobra90gt]

No annual riots around here to speak of.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Nobody ever riots in Texas.

[GMZ]

Here is an interesting video of Detroit, I think a lot more cities will become like that. While maybe not as bad as the suburbs of Paris, I wonder what it will look like in 5+ years as I dont think it can get much worse.

[ZDL]

*******

[6933]

Would it be that much of a loss if the in question areas went up in a hail of self-inflicted(i.e. no LE or Firemen were harmed) and self-absorbed gunfire/fire? I'm speaking qualitatively not monetarily.