The decline of Detroit is multi-fold. Coleman Young is far from being the "killer" of Detroit. On the contrary, I think one of Young's crowning achievements was balancing the police force racially. Given the hostility that Young and other blacks experienced by a predominantly white police force over several decades, Young's initiative to bring more blacks into the police force and promote more black officers was his way to quell the hostility between blacks and the mostly white DPD, especially following the riots.
However, when Young promoted black officers whose scores on police exams were lower than white officers, in order to balance command ranks, he created a backlash from not only white officers but white citizens who saw Young's "affirmative action" as "reverse discrimination." For many whites, if Young, a black mayor, was doing this to white police officers, then it was only a matter of time before he would start taking jobs away from them in other city departments. Having blacks in positions of power made many white Detroiters nervous and so many decided to leave the city.
In conclusion, I just want to say that many leaders from Detroit's past, as well as Michigan's past, have made poor decisions regarding the "best laid plans" for Detroit." Truly the blame game covers thousands.
Bookmarks