Detroit Riots of 1943, 1967, 2004
Sorry, Dorothy, you're not in Oz anymore.
I'm disgusted.
Detroit, when are you going to grow up??
I have to say, after living there for 4 years, after witnessing firsthand the latent anger, the silent boiling rage, after seeing the behavior of tonight's NBA incident; that I am no longer a believer in hope. I had so much hope for the city of Detroit. It is a city that Wants To Be: it has the PeopleMover, a minor transit train that carries weary workers throughout downtown. It has Greektown, a small 2 block stretch of restaurants owned and operated by, yes, Greek immigrants. It has Mexican Village, (transplant the word "Greek" in the previous statement with "Mexican".) It has the DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts) which houses a large collection of works from Cezanne, Van Gogh, Tiffany, and even Yoko Ono. Detroit hosts one of the largest North American International Auto Shows, with amazing displays by Ford, GM, and Daimler-Chrylser. Within one hour of driving is Ann Arbor, home to UM, yellow and blue. Three hours driving north will take you to the Upper Peninsula, or east to Cleveland; or Northeast to Toronto and Niagra Falls. Five hours west will bring you to Chicago.
And nothing has changed in 60 years. And I'm disgusted. So I must apologize to anyone who witnessed the defamation of the game of basketball.
Now, it's very important that any non-Michiganders realize that the game takes place at Palace of Auburn Hills, which is in Auburn Hills, which is a very nice area. Suburbia, to be exact. You think middle-to upper class surburbanites would be better behaved. You'd think that the audience members consisted of kids from Ponitac, a down-trodden ghetto. Pontiac is more ghetto than Detroit. But the fans come from all over Michigan. So, to any fan of the sport of basketball, I must apologize for the first fan that threw the beer on Artest. He/she had no right. It was ignorant behavior. I must apologize for the players that went into the crowd, swinging angry fists at anybody in the way. I must apologize to the Pacers who had beer and popcorn and chairs thrown at them in the midst of chaos. And I must apologize to the Pistons who wanted to calm the fans; yet by being roused, angered the fans even more. I must apologize even more to the innocent bystanders; by the behavior of the Michigan people, who got caught in the fever of the moment and spit without acknowledging that they were spitting on a human being.
Detroit has a history of spitting first and asking questions later. Look at the Stanley Cup Playoffs of 2002, when mobs rushed the city of Royal Oak in celebration causing police from 3 other counties to be called in.
Or January 19th, 2003 at Joe Louis Arena, when police shut down the Auto Show because of gang fights and riots in the building.
I could go on, but those are the only ones I witnessed with my own eyes. The rest is what I've seen on tv or read in history books. Like the riots caused by the striking union workers of the Free Press and Detroit News (1995), shutting down the plant. Are you disgusted yet? I know I am. Not just because Detroit hasn't figured out how to get over it's own hatred, not just because basketball players get paid 8 million dollars for 3 years of work and bitch that they don't make enough, not just because people are so stupid they get sucked into "mob mentality"--
I'm disgusted because of all the 5, 6, 10 and 12 year old KIDS that went to the game to see their heroes, Rasheed and Big Ben and Rip (nice enough to be a Spur, Rip) play a game. And this game has ruined their childhood and child-like beliefs. We all know that particular moment in our lives when we stopped being children, stop believing in magical fairy dust and Kumbayah and how a kiss on your boo-boo made everything okay.
And tonight's basketball game will be a defining moment for the next few generations.
Add another hash mark to Detroit's history of violence. Add another hash mark to a game ruined by egos. Add another hash mark to children's idealism smahed by idiot adults.
Sorry, Dorothy, Oz is nothing but a disgusting dream.
Just like the city of Detroit is.
