David Harris of The Flint Journal wrote an excellent article on Sunday about what's come to be known as the "Merrill Hood" — the area along Pasadena Avenue between Dupont and Clio that he labels "Flint's most dangerous neighborhood."
"It’s where a pizza delivery man was shot and killed in a robbery earlier this year. And where children as young as 10 see all the violence as no big deal, because, well, it happens so often they’re immune to it." Harris writes. "Here, even the neighborhood church locks its doors during the day when people are inside."
It's a story that profiles the people dealing with crime in one Flint's blighted areas rather than simply relying on labels, stereotypes and statistics. I'll echo one of the comments on mlive: it's one of the best things I've seen in the Journal in a long time.
It's a story that profiles the people dealing with crime in one Flint's blighted areas rather than simply relying on labels, stereotypes and statistics. I'll echo one of the comments on mlive: it's one of the best things I've seen in the Journal in a long time.
It also presents a welcome contrast to the short Police blotter items the Journal seems so fond of running. Devoid of context, these little items do little to inform or educate readers. In an era of layoffs and budget cuts at newspapers, it would be great to see reporters like Harris freed up to do more in-depth work like his portrait of the Merrill Hood instead of chasing down crime snippets.
It's really worth reading the whole story here.
It's really worth reading the whole story here.
