Elmore Leonard - Ben Shapiro - Quincy Jones - Brick Mansions 2014 - Dark Minds TV - Detropia 2012 - Stacey Dooley TV - Dope TV - Gangland TV - Drugs Inc TV - American Gangster TV -
There are cities that get by on their good looks, offer climate and scenery, views of mountains or oceans, rockbound or with palm trees; and there are cities like Detroit that have to work for a living, whose reason for being might be geographical but whose growth is based on industry, jobs. Detroit has its natural attractions: lakes all over the place, an abundance of trees and four distinct seasons for those who like variety in their weather, everything but hurricanes and earth-quakes. But it’s never been the kind of city people visit and fall in love with because of its charm or think, gee, wouldn’t this be a nice place to live. Elmore Leonard
The story of Detroit's bankruptcy was simple enough: allow capitalism to grow the city, campaign against income inequality, tax the job creators until they flee, increase government spending in order to boost employment, promise generous pension plans to keep people voting for failure. Rinse, wash and repeat. Ben Shapiro
I was raised in Chicago and I guess that was one of the special breeding grounds for gangsters of all colours. That was the Detroit of the gangster world. The car industry was thugs. Quincy Jones
Violence filled the streets as the mayor declared Martial law today naming Detroit as the most dangerous city in America. Brick Mansions 2014 starring Paul Walker & David Belle & RZA & Catalina Denis & Robert Maillet & Carlo Rota & Kwasi Songui & Ayisha Issa & Richard Zeman & Bruce Ramsay et al, director Camille Delamarre, news commentary
In the late 1970s Detroit Michigan was the site of unspeakable crimes: strangely, the victims were bathed and carefully redressed before they were dumped. Dark Minds: The Babysitter Killer, ID 2014
Paedophilia, questionable suicide and a possible cover-up. ibid.
In 1966 and 1967 someone snatched two boys and two girls from the streets of suburban Detroit. ibid.
The King family believes Chris Busch was involved in the murder of their loved one, Timothy King. ibid.
‘This is the downsizing of this area; you’re watching it live – one of 10,000 homes they’re trying to get done in the next four years … These houses are disappearing from the landscape.’ Detropia, news report on house demolition 2012
In 1930 Detroit was the fastest growing city in the world. Today it is the fastest shrinking city in the United States. ibid.
American Axel has outsourced over 2,000 jobs to Mexico and it’s threatening to close the last plant in Detroit. ibid.
‘I ain’t got nuttin’ to lose.’ ibid. factory worker
Six million workers have lost their jobs. ibid.
The Detroit Opera House relies on the big three automakers for 70 per cent of its corporate funding. ibid.
‘We’re somewhere between 800,000 – 900,000 today.’ ibid.
The plan would move thousands of Detroiters from sparsely populated neighbourhoods to the few dense areas of the city. ibid.
‘I defend their right to be sick.’ ibid. owner of Raven Lounge
In 2009 General Motors and Chrysler declared bankruptcy and were bailed out by the US government. As a condition of the bailout the union took a 50% pay cut for all new hires. ibid.
If you are homeless in Detroit, you’ve a higher risk of dying on the streets than in any other city in the United States. Homeless people here are surviving in a city that’s seen more than its fair share of troubled times. Over the past fifty years Detroit has gone from being one of the richest cities in the US to being the largest ever declared bankruptcy with debts of over $18 billion. The sheer scale of the city’s decay means there are now around 70,000 abandoned buildings … Almost 20,000 homeless people living here. Stacey Dooley in the USA, Homelessness in Detroit, BBC 2014
Detroit: famed for its downtown raves. Home to a multi-million dollar trade in party drugs. And the scene of a feeding frenzy among dealers. Dope s1e3: I’m Gonna Get Me That White People Money, Netflix 2017
One E-pill should contain around 0.1 grams of MDMA … On the East Side E-pills have a reputation for patchy quality. ibid.
Up to 60% of E-pills contain no MDMA at all. ibid.
Welcome to Detroit where life is lived differently. The D, as it was called, was built on violence. This city makes legends of gangstas. And one gang – the Best Friends – reigned supreme. Gangland s4e4: Kill ’Em All, History 2009
For those living the lifestyle old age is rare. Death may arrive in a number of ways. But until recently it was most likely to come courtesy of a gang of contract killers called the Best Friends. The gang started out as enforcers for some of the biggest kingpins Detroit had ever known. They built a reputation based on utter ruthlessness. ibid.
The Brown brothers wanted to control the East Side drugs trade. ibid.
Ferocious riots erupted all across Detroit. Over the next five days city streets became chaotic battlefields. President Lyndon B Johnson sent in US army paratroopers. They arrived by the truckload. ibid.
During the exodus something sinister crept in: the influx of heroin made life ever more dangerous. ibid.
All over the East Side crack houses began cropping up. ibid.
The contract killers turned kingpins became the subject of a massive federal investigation. ibid.
It’s on in the Motor City. And one gang has declared war. They are the Devil’s Diciples [sic]. Gangland: Devil's Diciples
Dealing drugs isn’t their only vice. These gangstas reject society’s laws. ibid.
In addition to their house-mouse, members are allowed a certain number of girlfriends ... Women are never more than second-class citizens. ibid.
As Detroit’s population shrinks, competition among drug dealers is fierce. Drugs Inc s3e9: Motor City Rush, National Geographic 2012
Crack may be cheap but the quality has gone down. ibid.
Heroin flows into the city from Asia and south and central America. ibid.
Unlike a dose of LSD which can last up to twelve hours, a DMT trip lasts just fifteen minutes. ibid.
Welcome to Detroit. There’s one time of year when anarchy rules and the Motor City drug dealers have to make a killing. Drugs Inc s7e7: Detroit Halloween, 2015
1988: the family business known simply as the Chambers Brothers came to a quiet end. American Gangster s1e5: Chambers Brothers and the Crack Commandments, BET 2006
Titans of industry in the drug trade: they even instituted a crack-house business code. ibid.
An estimated three hundred crack houses. ibid.