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08/04/2004: "Ahh, the river"

Detroit seems to be one of those cities that can't decide if it wants to try or simply give up completely.

This year I first became aware of a total dump that, despite living relatively nearby for almost 5 years, I was oblivious to. Part of my lack of awareness came from the fact that it was set back from any main roads far enough that it wouldn't simply be something you'd come across driving to a destination. This year, however, we purchased an old boat kept in a well off of the Detroit River.

In this small section of the river near the lake, one would likely expect to see parks and houses/apartments/overpriced cave dwellings with a river view.

There are indeed a few parks. And sandwiched between a park in Grosse Pointe Park and a city of Detroit park is pretty much the first thing seen when entering the river from Lake St Clair. The dump. Made even more astonishing by the overpriced older mansions lining the lake in the various Grosse Pointes.

When I first spotted this abandoned trailer park, I was fascinated. (Keep the jokes about a girl from the south and trailer parks to yourself, ha. ha. ha.) Taking up a sizable chunk of riverfront property was a dump of trailers. At one time, it was obvious they'd been lived in due to their even placement on the large lot. It was even obvious at one time people had cared - a few had overgrown remains of flower gardens next to them. A rotting dock on the small canal that lined one side of the lot had an ancient rotting boat tied up to it.

This being Detroit, scavengers had hastened up the demise of the trailers. All of the aluminum had been stripped off the sides, leaving in some cases only a wooden frame.

A few trailers had obviously been arson victims recently. A few shells of abandoned cars lined the street in front of the lot. From the river side, the frame of a mattress was against the rock wall, the only clearly identifiable piece of trash.

From the looks of this place, I thought it had been abandoned since the 80's. Early 90's at the latest, but the utter destruction was amazing.

I finally was able to find the name of the place in it's former life - the Lakeside Trailer Court Company.

Imagine my surprise when I found out not only had this place not been abandoned since the 80's, it had been abandoned for less than two years.

The lot had apparently been looked at for development. While I was unable to find any official word on the matter, apparently after all of the residents (some of who apparently did not pay rent) were kicked out, it was determined that there was some sort of contamination.

So there the lot sits, continuing to rot at a most amazing pace.

And how Detroit-like - some person with no brains and too much money to throw around (yet not enough to really do anything with) comes by, buys it, kicks everyone out, only then to determine "oppsie" can't make it how the little vision in his head showed, so he'd rather it just rot until it is magically a sparkling clean lot.

Even if half of the residents before were not paying rent, at least it was something more visually appealing than the dump that exists now.

Only in a city like Detroit would people get away with letting everything go to ruin.

And once again, I'd like to go up to Kwame, slap him, and tell him to get the "bling" out of his ass, act his god damned age and do something.

Replies: 1 Comment

You can take the bling out of the ass but you can't take the ass out of the bling...or something.

Okay, I need to work on that one. Sorry.

Pedro said @ 08/04/2004 07:57 PM EST