This is Flint, my hometown. Michael says this video is depressing, and it is, but it makes a good point there at the end. As much as we love this once fair city, we can't help but to poke fun at her from time to time. We say things like “That's so Flint” when referring to something… well, Flint-like in the way that it sucks. Entropy, neglect, thieves recycling manhole covers from the streets and aluminum siding off peoples houses, 3 or more broken down cars in the driveway… one time I was driving on the North side of Flint and saw a car packed full of folks driving down the road verrrrry slowwwwwly in a beat up old Lincoln with NO TIRES! JUST RIMS! That's so Flint!
One saying, passed on from Tucows office days of not-so-distant-past remains my favorite: “You ain't Flint” meaning “you ain't gangsta enough to step to this” or “you do not have the capacity of knowing what it is like because you are not from Flint, therefore, I am the more enlightened and supreme being in this instance.” Right?
Right.
Flint has often been referred to as “the armpit of Michigan” though it was the birthplace of the UAW, AutoWorld, Tucows, and the Flintstones. It's also the home of some great American bands like Ready for the World, Grand Funk Railroad and also LaKisha Jones who is currently a contestant on American Idol. I know Tim Thomas, goaltender for the Boston Bruins, and his family… bought a van from his dad back in the day. Flint also boasts a great cultural center, an ever-growing and improving Farmer's Market, some kick ass rockin' bars and let's not forget our new medicinal marijuana law and Bob Perani's museum of strange but irrefutably cool collectibles on display at the Small Mall.
It has been declared the 3rd most dangerous city in America, though this comedian begs to differ. It makes no sense to me because the churches keep growing; even in the poorest of neighborhoods, churches are remodeling and expanding by adding new wings. This begs the question, why is the city so dangerous if we have so many church-goin' folk?
See, it's a love/hate relationship we have with Flint. We want her to succeed, we hope that one day she will get back on her feet and that her fanciest buildings will stand the test of time. But driving down the pot-holed streets, seeing houses and businesses in various states of disrepair, and knowing there's nothing short of a miracle that will make this city sparkling clean again causes that bubble of hope to burst.
Our current mayor is an ex-con who once lost the election to Woodrow Stanley (the first mayor of a major US city to be recalled since the mayor of Omaha, Nebraska, 15 years prior) but then took his place in 2004 at which time, Governor John Engler declared a financial state of emergency in Flint. He named Ed Kurtz to oversee Flint’s finances but where is Kurtz now?
Who's going to open new businesses here? Who's going to dump money into restoring that historical home? Who wants to move to Flint? Who's going to tear down the crack houses and who's going to volunteer to maintain our parks? Flint needs to stabilize before it can grow… sadly, right now it seems in a steady state of decline.
Everyone wants to talk the talk but no one wants to put their money where their mouth is. I've heard it said before so perhaps it deserves repeating, if you're not part of the answer, you're part of the problem. Do you know of any cool restorations projects or are you a part of an effort to rebuild Flint? If so, drop me a line! I'd love to write an article about your business, non-profit or personal efforts to help our city. Throughout the month of April, I hope to post more local stories and images of this city and the people who live here.