Exactly how ****ed is Detroit?

[Sibirsky]

None of the big five Australian cities are like that, at all.

Then feel fortunate. Major cities in the US are quite violent. And I am sure there isn't just one cause for that.

The major cause is poverty.

The major city in my metro, DC, used to duke it out with Chicago and Atlanta for the glorious title of murder capital of the US. But the overwhelming majority of those murders took place in just several neighborhoods. The rest of it, is actually good. With several neighborhoods being very nice.

[Fr33domland]

Heh, I remember when i was like 10 me and my dad went to Detroit to watch a Tigers game. We drove by a McDonalds in an area where I did not see one white person, I asked if we could stop there, he replied "no, you don't go into a black McDonalds".

Well, you don't. It ain't safe. A black person wouldn't go to a white McDonald's either. It's segregated. I mean, not officially, but still.

Well, I'm Canadian, and there's nothing even remotely like that here, so it was pretty wierd. Hell, the first friend I ever made was black.

[Sun Aut Ex]

Madrid has it's bad spots. But I'm not sure if it's caused by the locals or by large influx of immigrants from others countries like Colombia or Africa that we've had in the past decade. I don't want to say that they're the problem, but we've got problems like gangs, stemming from areas where these immigrants concentrate.

We've had some minor problems lately with young African refugees going around thinking that they're African-American gangsters. Not exactly helping the refugees' case in a country where asylum seekers are very controversial.

[Servantium]

I heard a news story somewhere that said that bears are re-inhabiting the outskirts. So there's that.

Michigan is probably the shittiest state to live in.

[Sibirsky]

Well, I don't think western Europe is really like that either. Maybe the UK, but I've been to Germany, and it's hard to mentally picture anyone in that country as threatening.

Madrid has it's bad spots. But I'm not sure if it's caused by the locals or by large influx of immigrants from others countries like Colombia or Africa that we've had in the past decade. I don't want to say that they're the problem, but we've got problems like gangs, stemming from areas where these immigrants concentrate.

It's only because they are relatively poor by comparison.

[Sunny Marionette]

Well, you don't. It ain't safe. A black person wouldn't go to a white McDonald's either. It's segregated. I mean, not officially, but still.

Well, I'm Canadian, and there's nothing even remotely like that here, so it was pretty wierd. Hell, the first friend I ever made was black.

Lazyass! Sorry...XD

Where do you live in Canada?

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

Madrid has it's bad spots. But I'm not sure if it's caused by the locals or by large influx of immigrants from others countries like Colombia or Africa that we've had in the past decade. I don't want to say that they're the problem, but we've got problems like gangs, stemming from areas where these immigrants concentrate.

We've had some minor problems lately with young African refugees going around thinking that they're African-American gangsters. Not exactly helping the refugees' case in a country where asylum seekers are very controversial.

I know. By acting badly, they shorten their chances of getting any asylum at all.

[F1-Insanity]

Everyone knows about the states', and local governments' financial problems. We may see major cities declare bankruptcy. If that happens, I have no doubt that the first one will be Detroit. The Feds may bail them out though.

The feds better not...

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

Madrid has it's bad spots. But I'm not sure if it's caused by the locals or by large influx of immigrants from others countries like Colombia or Africa that we've had in the past decade. I don't want to say that they're the problem, but we've got problems like gangs, stemming from areas where these immigrants concentrate.

It's only because they are relatively poor by comparison.

Something I understand but, is there a necessity to re-enact the same behaviors that prompted them to leave their countries for something better?

[Sunny Marionette]

I heard a news story somewhere that said that bears are re-inhabiting the outskirts. So there's that.

Michigan is probably the shittiest state to live in.

I wouldn't say that. The Upper Peninsula is GORGEOUS. ^^ But be careful around the thumb.

[Fr33domland]

Well, I'm Canadian, and there's nothing even remotely like that here, so it was pretty wierd. Hell, the first friend I ever made was black.

Lazyass! Sorry...XD

Where do you live in Canada?

Hamilton. It's another city that has gone down the drain in the last 30 years because of the declining manufacturing industry.

[Sun Aut Ex]

I know. By acting badly, they shorten their chances of getting any asylum at all.

Well, we have a lot of boat people coming here. Apart from the fact that they don't integrate and tend to form ghettos (though not to "go there and get shot" levels like in the US), I'm pretty sure that the very idea of boat people is found offensive. It's like an invasion without guns.

[Sunny Marionette]

Lazyass! Sorry...XD

Where do you live in Canada?

Hamilton. It's another city that has gone down the drain in the last 30 years because of the declining manufacturing industry.

>.> Where the hell is Hamilton?

[Cosmopoles]

I've been there for work and it was pretty crap. I was expecting it to be on par with some of the other big American cities I've been to but it really wasn't.

[Maraque]

Heh, I remember when i was like 10 me and my dad went to Detroit to watch a Tigers game. We drove by a McDonalds in an area where I did not see one white person, I asked if we could stop there, he replied "no, you don't go into a black McDonalds".

Well, you don't. It ain't safe. A black person wouldn't go to a white McDonald's either. It's segregated. I mean, not officially, but still.

Um... I'm black. I go into the "white Mcdonald's" no problem, seeing as how all the McDonald's in the area are in predominantly (>90%) white areas.

Why wouldn't I go in there? On the other hand, many of the black establishments where I live are frequented by white people, and again, why wouldn't they go there?

[Sun Aut Ex]

Something I understand but, is there a necessity to re-enact the same behaviors that prompted them to leave their countries for something better?

That comes up a lot here too. Especially with Muslims; they leave oppressive, violent theocracies, and then tend to pull shit like that here.

[Sibirsky]

Heh, I remember when i was like 10 me and my dad went to Detroit to watch a Tigers game. We drove by a McDonalds in an area where I did not see one white person, I asked if we could stop there, he replied "no, you don't go into a black McDonalds".

Well, you don't. It ain't safe. A black person wouldn't go to a white McDonald's either. It's segregated. I mean, not officially, but still.

In most neighborhoods it's just preference, not racism.
Segregation explained.
http://web.mit.edu/rajsingh/www/lab/ali ... lling.html

[Planeta de los Muertos]

Pretty fucked, to answer your question. I grew up in a school so crappy...god damn...

Looking back, I think my gym teacher molested the kids when he "called them into his office" for 20-30 minutes. I remember finding crack on the playground and eating it. I also remember that there was this one really poor black girl who had to prostitute herself out to keep her family in their house...she was in junior high. Racism...god, you wouldn't even believe. We had basically four groups: The whites (rich bastards), blacks (dumb shits, dealers), Mexicans (didn't speak english, did anything) and the Canadians (lazyasses). If you were part of one, it was all out on the other ones, so basically everyone bullied the shit out of eachother. Terrible. In school we were taught more about the fur trading business, Ford, Motown and French history more than anything else. The math was nill (which I had problems with later when I moved to Iowa). Writing had a very strong focus, though. Science was nill.

As far as the economy goes, it wasn't so bad early on. There were a lot of Fords, Chevy's and GM's though. Never a Toyota in town. It got bad later. My dad used to design cars for Ford and he had to give that up and move here. His job was just eliminated.

As far as scenery goes, well, those pictures are accurate. There was a lot of a wasteland-ish feel to it. Graffiti was abundant, lots of overgrown with weeds parkinglots, stores rusted over, that sort of thing. A lot, a lot of graffitti. that's what I remember the most. Broken concrete and graffiti. And then the homicides on the news, always the homicides. there were a shitload. If anything was less than a homicide it didn't make the news.

That's Detroit.

Woah, you ate crack?! That's horrifying.

I've lived in a squalid place called Santa Ana, a neighborhood of Panama City, Panama. Turf wars are rampant, drugs are stashed in the rickety apartment complexes, and most of my childhood friends are either in jail, on drugs, having kids early, in a gang, or dead. I would have been next if I hadn't moved to the US.

At least we aren't in a state of chaos like some African communities.

[Oterro]

Well, you don't. It ain't safe. A black person wouldn't go to a white McDonald's either. It's segregated. I mean, not officially, but still.

Um... I'm black. I go into the "white Mcdonald's" no problem, seeing as how all the McDonald's in the area are in predominantly (>90%) white areas.

Why wouldn't I go in there? On the other hand, many of the black establishments where I live are frequented by white people, and again, why wouldn't they go there?

Do you live in Detroit?

[Fr33domland]

Hamilton. It's another city that has gone down the drain in the last 30 years because of the declining manufacturing industry.

>.> Where the hell is Hamilton?

Lol.. It's about a 4 hour drive from Detroit. About 45 minutes from Toronto and Niagara Falls, at the south-western edge of Lake Ontario.

[Sibirsky]

Everyone knows about the states', and local governments' financial problems. We may see major cities declare bankruptcy. If that happens, I have no doubt that the first one will be Detroit. The Feds may bail them out though.

The feds better not...

I heard something about Obama hinting at it. But, have not heard the speech they are referring to.

[Sunny Marionette]

Um... I'm black. I go into the "white Mcdonald's" no problem, seeing as how all the McDonald's in the area are in predominantly (>90%) white areas.

Why wouldn't I go in there? On the other hand, many of the black establishments where I live are frequented by white people, and again, why wouldn't they go there?

Do you live in Detroit?

I grew up there. I'm just saying that's what it was like. I'm not trying to be racist.

[Sunny Marionette]

>.> Where the hell is Hamilton?

Lol.. It's about a 4 hour drive from Detroit. About 45 minutes from Toronto and Niagara Falls, at the south-western edge of Lake Ontario.

Doesn't count as down the drain in comparison with Detroit.

[Oterro]

Do you live in Detroit?

I grew up there. I'm just saying that's what it was like. I'm not trying to be racist.

I was referring to Maraque; I believe he may have misread your post and interpreted that when you said "you don't go into a black McDolands [in Detroit]" as anywhere.

[Servantium]

I heard a news story somewhere that said that bears are re-inhabiting the outskirts. So there's that.

Michigan is probably the shittiest state to live in.

I wouldn't say that. The Upper Peninsula is GORGEOUS. ^^ But be careful around the thumb.

Yeah, the UP is nice to look at, but there's nothing up there except trees, deer, and an engineering college.

Worst unemployment in the nation, horribly run state government, at least three cities consistently ranked in the top 10 for worst crime rates in the nation. I'm surprised that you can live here and not think the same.