Sunday, August 24, 2014

Flint Artifacts: Flint Voice Press Card



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


Saturday, August 23, 2014

Thanks for Giving Back to Flint


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


Thursday, August 21, 2014

Flint Artifacts: Cross Congregational Church Plate




Wednesday, August 20, 2014

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.


Thursday, August 14, 2014

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.


Sunday, August 10, 2014

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."