Flint Artifacts: Flint Voice Press Card

Doug Sanders, who just might have shorter hair now, provided this gem.

Thanks for Giving Back to Flint

ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MI

The fundraising campaign to demolish 6608 Parkbelt Drive in Flint in now complete. More than 150 donors gave everything from $1 to $1,000 to help us reach our goal. In the end, we raised $11,113. It's a reminder that even people who haven't lived in Flint for years still want to do their part to help all the current residents who are doing such inspiring work in the city. Flint has a storied past, but I think this shows that it also has a future.

“The land bank is very grateful to all the generous donors who have contributed and made this campaign a success,” said Douglas Weiland, executive director of the Genesee County Land Bank. “You can rest assured that the results in this one neighborhood will not only be significant in eliminating this blighted house and the detrimental effect it has had, but it is also a great reflection on our society that people still come to the aid of others that they don’t even know. The neighborhood residents will benefit from your generosity for years to come.”

Here is the tentative schedule for the demolition of the house provided by the land bank:

September: Complete all demolition inspections, surveys, and request utility cuts.

November/December: Pending utility cuts, complete demolition, backfill lot, and complete winter grade inspection

May: Complete final grade, seed, and mulch lot. Conduct final inspection.

June: Make lot available for sale as a side lot to eligible adjacent homeowner.

Thanks again to everyone who contributed to the campaign. They are listed below using their Indiegogo username.

ketambellini

becketbessolo

mikelmower

Anonymous

momfrillici

Anonymous

sondra139

Beth and John Kirkpatrick

Anonymous

scott.hiteshew

dlfolsom2

daynewalling

bob19

ptmalloy

Anonymous

Anonymous

Anonymous

Anonymous

bodrell.b

Anonymous

ljlewis14

Anonymous

Carl Hamilla

Anonymous

Anonymous

jimbleicher

emily_sattler

Carlo & Cindy

perkinspatti

jwackles

Anonymous

Amy Salunga

kmmRtus

Anonymous

gyoung10

sarah_torri

sandybch

sarah16768

ruth.mowry

Anonymous

aschroed44

jamatz

ak.kraft

MaryMcNally

erin6241

andrew.c.yost

Anonymous

Sam Perkins-Harbin

jauchter

Anonymous

btcoburn

Anonymous

ShelleySherman3

Anonymous

aseeborg

ordwayw58

fungourmet

keithlaidlaw

Anonymous

stuff181

nexxydude

Earline Ahonima

flintgen1

pbkaplan3

Anonymous

Anonymous

Joseph Dennis

calliecat52

andrew.leonard

baadejames60

boyddavidj

Ken Sayers

dennis.sanders

Peter Camilli

cdeano

zenmichigan

annieclaymore

stephen rodrick

joanie209

peejevans

szabo

ken13703

Anonymous

ted_mattis

Anonymous

carolehopsfar

novakp

gfriel

kimberlyhamm

dashontheradio

jkern7787

Allison Gertridge

Anonymous

arhighsmith

salberto

kelly.laliberte

sarahamyc

Anonymous

Anonymous

Kimberly Plouffe

Jennifer Russell

lmcleman

dweiland

Anonymous

cmchale123

mick.normington

makinolaurie

davepetro1965

pjoice

andrewschwab24

Michael Barillas

mollypanek

Barry Yeoman

flintgen1

squirrelhenge

Accurate Accounting

sarah.jane

jcdaniels53

djames5

flintstonian

tanyanarhi

Anonymous

kyhornsby

jim.holbel

martha26

Taprehoda

tringham

Anonymous

Timothy Jahr

amlark

tricone517

Paulette Mayfield

Eric Willson

faithems

artskrz

margaretwesterman

cdelk2

02eperry

Dan Bowden

lochsloy10

brucemartinez

Anonymous

tahallam

tdheidel

cogaeta1

mabfarrar

clkelly1

anne.trubek

y.ladha

Crystal Pepperdine

jcorderotx

herdlr

D.J. Becker

Anonymous

Anonymous

chittle

janworth1118

The Coyne Family

Eva Grace

Flint Artifacts: Cross Congregational Church Plate

So Not Funny

I'm not above taking a certain perverse pride in growing up in a tough, unpredictable city. But MLive's Blake Thorne explains why the t-shirts, stickers, and hats that glorify the violence that plagues Flint are far from funny:

The real subject of this apparel was Flint's violent reputation. I'm sure you've seen it before. It's been around, there are several iterations. Some shirts say "Murderville" or "most violent city," some simply have the word "Flint" alongside a drawing of a handgun or a bullet hole. 

Bang bang. You're dead. People get killed here. Funny, huh?

Sure, they're meant to be jokes, a tongue-in-cheek riff on Flint's violent reputation. Maybe at first they seemed funny, or clever. That one where the "L" in Flint is a sideways gun. That's kind of cute, right? 

But somewhere along the line, these shirts -- or hats or stickers or whatever -- have lost their cultural cachet. There was a time, maybe, when making a joke about murder was the only comfort in an endless winter of senseless violence. Some people might still feel this way.

Read the rest here.

Flighting Blight in Flint, Michigan

Mission accomplished! Thanks to all the generous donors who made this possible. It’s a great example of people coming together to prove that American cities like Flint have a future and not just a storied past.

And a special thanks to the residents of Flint who have not given up on the Vehicle City, especially the homeowners on Parkbelt Drive. Crystal Ashburn-Brown just texted me: “Wow, I am sooooo happy! Parkbelt Drive says thank you to all the donors.”

A bit of housekeeping…the campaign will stay open for the full 30 days as originally planned. Any donations over the $10,000 goal will also be given to the Genesee County Land Bank Authority to cover any extra costs associated with demolishing 6608 Parkbelt Drive and/or the land bank’s other work in Flint and the rest of Genesee County. Donate here.

Thanks again for all the support. It’s great to know that so many care about Flint’s past, present, and future.

Flint Photos: Flint Judo Club on Davison Road near Iowa in 1969

Thanks to Uko Oshima for this 1969 photo of his father's judo club shortly after it moved from 2nd Avenue and Saginaw street to the corner of Davison and Iowa on the East Side. 

Is Money Laundering Driving Real Estate in Miami?

In many ways, shrinking cities like Flint don't have a functioning real estate market, because supply is so high and demand is so, so low.

Miami doesn't really have a housing market as we would traditionally define it, but for the opposite reason.

Henry Grabar at Salon reports:

"But the crop of downtown Miami condos from the last cycle, according to the Downtown Development Authority, are over 95-percent occupied, whether by part-time owners or, more likely, by tenants. Miami neighborhoods may lack the organic texture of 57th Street or Mayfair, but their buildings are not lacking for people. 

"Is it crazy to add 23,000 units – the crop of the current cycle – to a market with scant local demand, in a metro area with the highest foreclosure rate in the United States? Is downtown Miami a bubble? 

“'Greater Downtown Miami is always in a bubble,' the report finds, 'because 90 percent of the demand is external, and hence not tied to economic fundamentals.' 

"Whereas a traditional housing market draws its strength from job growth and new residents, 'safe haven' housing markets are fueled by global instability. And there’s certainly plenty of that to go around."