Prosecute

[ziggyselbin]

Yes, but the question remains - what are you outraged folks doing about your gigantic shopping mall sized blown out third world carcass of an auto factory ?

Nuthin.

Obviously in this case I am not defending the sport of truck bouncing per se - but the misplaced outrage is making me yawn a bit. The fact that something like the Packard plant can exist all these years, in this condition, is a silent testimony to the apathy of the city and its residents. The recent emergence of a new Olympic caliber sport known as "truck bouncing" is a mere symptom of the manifestation of apathy within the city itself.

Its like a guy who left his own rotten garbage on his front porch for 50 years, and then one day he suddenly goes all bat shit crazy chasing the flies away from the garbage claiming that they are behaving outrageously - as if he cant smell the stink of his own filth.

heh.

Those are great points. What is disturbing among other things is that the press [[wsj) says nothing about the lawlessness and endangerment of the escapade; instead focusing on the prank.

I have no illusions here. I live in Ann Arbor. That kind of stuff would not happen here. However no one can tell me this shit is not against the law. And since there are photo's and video it would not be impossible to identify people. As an observer I would be delighted to see a prosecution resulting in a hefty fine...not to mention having to spend time negotiating the district/ circuit court in Detroit/ Wayne co .

[mwilbert]

I think it is importatnt to distinguish between the symbolic and practical aspects of this kind of behavior. From a practical standpoint, I don't see how this is important at all. On the other hand, from a symbolic standpoint it is disrespectful and can easily be interpreted to represent the more general unconcern of of non-Detroiters for the city.

I don't know if that means it needs to be prosecuted--there are a lot of similar activities that have more concrete consequences. I'd be inclined to go after those rather than the ones that are primarily symbolic--police and prosecutorial resources are always limited, and especially so in Detroit.

[stinkbug]

Yes, but the question remains - what are you outraged folks doing about your gigantic shopping mall sized blown out third world carcass of an auto factory ?

Nuthin.

Obviously in this case I am not defending the sport of truck bouncing per se - but the misplaced outrage is making me yawn a bit. The fact that something like the Packard plant can exist all these years, in this condition, is a silent testimony to the apathy of the city and its residents. The recent emergence of a new Olympic caliber sport known as "truck bouncing" is a mere symptom of the manifestation of apathy within the city itself.

Its like a guy who left his own rotten garbage on his front porch for 50 years, and then one day he suddenly goes all bat shit crazy chasing the flies away from the garbage claiming that they are behaving outrageously - as if he cant smell the stink of his own filth.

heh.

This is exactly what I was talking about with suburbanites passing the blame.

Are you really, honestly, trying to lay the blame for the exodus of the auto industry from urban America [[and later America all together) and the sprawling, mind-boggling, abandoned infrastructure they left behind, at the feet of a bunch of desperately poor urban residents? You are really insinuating that residents and civic government of a city that has been losing its business and residental tax base for half a century should somehow have the...I don't know...good old fashioned American ingenuity to fix up an THREE POINT FIVE MILLION SQUARE FOOT abandoned auto factory?

What would you have us do, paint a mother fucking mural on it?
Goddarnit, yeah, maybe if Coleman weren't elected, we could have built Jetsons cars there. Weeee.

Yes, Detroit's decline is the fault of its residents. Mostly black residents. If only they would pull up their bootstraps and clean up that 3.5 million square foot auto factory.

[bigtreble]

WSG 11/5/2009
"In September, a dump truck got pushed out of the fourth floor of an abandoned Packard plant in Detroit. Videographer Stephen McGee captured the event on tape."
http://online.wsj.com/video/how-to-p...79F9BA3BD.html


I recall seeing this dangly truck a few weeks ago on detroitfunk.com


Source: http://www.demolitionforum.com/means...n-detroit.html

[EastsideAl]

Big thread on this here already - see "Prosecute"

[bigtreble]

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...ight=Prosecute

Thanks Eastside, missed that thread. "dump truck" didn't come up in my thread search.

[lilpup]

No harm no foul on this in my opinion. If the building were currently being rehabbed or otherwise maintained it would be a different matter, but merely removing a junk truck from the building [[when it otherwise could eventually fall through the floor anyway) is no big deal.

Ziggy, don't bet that something like this wouldn't happen in Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor is not squeaky clean and has plenty of drunken students at hand.

About all those empty buildings - I really don't see everybody gets their panties in a twist. All they are are empty buildings, not a visible incarnation of evil. To tear down ones that are salvageable just to make the landscape prettier is incredibly short sighted. They're just empty buildings and houses, people. Feel free to bitch about drug dealers, arsonists, and other criminals, but the buildings are just buildings - many better built than the crap being thrown up today.

[ziggyselbin]

No harm no foul on this in my opinion. If the building were currently being rehabbed or otherwise maintained it would be a different matter, but merely removing a junk truck from the building [[when it otherwise could eventually fall through the floor anyway) is no big deal.

Ziggy, don't bet that something like this wouldn't happen in Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor is not squeaky clean and has plenty of drunken students at hand.

About all those empty buildings - I really don't see everybody gets their panties in a twist. All they are are empty buildings, not a visible incarnation of evil. To tear down ones that are salvageable just to make the landscape prettier is incredibly short sighted. They're just empty buildings and houses, people. Feel free to bitch about drug dealers, arsonists, and other criminals, but the buildings are just buildings - many better built than the crap being thrown up today.

The difference I believe lpup is that were something like this to happen in AA and other places the law would be involved. My fundamental point is that the powers in Detroit should make it an issue sorta like NYC did with the "broken windows" theory.

[EastsideAl]

The difference I believe lpup is that were something like this to happen in AA and other places the law would be involved. My fundamental point is that the powers in Detroit should make it an issue sorta like NYC did with the "broken windows" theory.

With what goddamn money are we supposed to do this ziggy? In case you haven't noticed, we no longer have enough police to cover actual crime. Which is why destructive fools can treat this place like their overgrown kiddie playground.

[ziggyselbin]

With what goddamn money are we supposed to do this ziggy? In case you haven't noticed, we no longer have enough police to cover actual crime. Which is why destructive fools can treat this place like their overgrown kiddie playground.

Drastic steps Al. Privatize all city services or demand that unions take big cuts. Increase police budget, more cops...main focus should be crime....all kinds

Auto workers and others have seen their pay drop substantially so it can be done.........what do you suggest?

[eno]

Prosecute these guys tossing a truck out of a building...absolutely

How about prosecuting....kids walking in the street instead of using the sidewalk, endangering themselves and obstructing traffic.

[Lowell]

I think they should send a full investigative team in there, crime scene tape it off, dust it for prints, photograph it completely, put it under 24 hour surveillance, bring in CSI and...

Or, how about just having the Detroit Police spend their precious time and resources hunting down the thousands of far more serious criminals with outstanding warrants? Oh and if they happen to stumble across dumb-asses pushing large objects out of abandoned and unguarded building, pinch them too. But really now, they don't have time to pursue deadheads.

First things first, my friends. Wish it were otherwise and nothing that a twenty billion in outside aid couldn't fix.

[REL]

Shame on these idiots, and shame on the reporter for glorifying their stupidity and inspiring others to behave dangerously and illegally.

Wouldn't it be incredibly ironic if one of these imbiciles had gotten hurt by the truck? I'll bet you wouldn't be making fun of slow public servant response when you have a dump truck flattening your buddy on the pavement because you were drunk and the jack slipped, huh? Gee, it's a shame those ambulances & fire trucks didn't arrive earlier. Maybe they were too busy responding to the arsons set by other idiotic vandals like you.

Now THAT would make a great story for the WSJ.

[wolverine]

It's crazy how these people have time to do this BS.

[reddog289]

While watching this again, I would say it was a good thing no one got hurt.I look at it and say "what the heck" abandoned building , abandoned truck. Yet
in the 30 or so years I have paid attention to the whole deal of Detroit going down hill.
It can be Suburbanites, or City folk, But get rid of your trash in the proper way.Sure the C.O.D. is home to drug dealers, scrappers, and the like. Yet It is also someone's home. Cub should not have had to bust his but to clean up his block.That Packard Plant be it a urban ruin, Is a pain in the ASS to all of us.
If I were Mayor which would never happen . That place would be gone. It will never be a asset to Detroit, It is a PITA. Why would anyone relocate or set up a business here?. If they had seen this video.
As a youngster I marveled at the parts people dumped off around Detroit. Thought I could build me a car. Yet you get craplike this happening.
Ya know the more I see here, I cannot say Detroit Yes.

[mauser]

This is exactly what I was talking about with suburbanites passing the blame.Are you really, honestly, trying to lay the blame for the exodus of the auto industry from urban America [[and later America all together) and the sprawling, mind-boggling, abandoned infrastructure they left behind, at the feet of a bunch of desperately poor urban residents?

huh ?

I didnt say that.

I said that your priorities are as crazy as a shit house rat.

Thats what I said.

[Blarf]

Someone pushed an old worthless truck out of an abandoned building, who gives a shit?

Does this even come close to the sections of the building that have collapsed due to scrappers removing support beams?

[mauser]

Someone pushed an old worthless truck out of an abandoned building, who gives a shit? Does this even come close to the sections of the building that have collapsed due to scrappers removing support beams?

All joking aside, Blarf speaks the truth. The police should in fact be looking for whoever keeps lighting Packard on fire, along with all the arson happening on the east side.

And the collapsed sections have been left in place by the owner / city.

Whycome ?

[wolverine]

Someone pushed an old worthless truck out of an abandoned building, who gives a shit?

It justifies the right for people to just piss on your city. The problem is everything is a crime but people try to justify it on some level. The article even points that out. Where do you draw a line? It's okay to go smash some windows downtown because I think a building will be demolished? Okay if I litter, it's just a piece of trash, right?

It's unique to Detroit IMO. If someone were to pull that b.s. out here in Chicago or any other large city they would be arrested, fined, and doing hundreds of hours of unpaid work power washing sidewalks, scrubbing graffiti, and picking up trash. Maybe your city could take a lesson. You know if these kids love visiting the city so much, they could do some real work if they get busted.

[mauser]

It's okay to go smash some windows downtown because I think a building will be demolished? Okay if I litter, it's just a piece of trash, right? .

So, like.....If a truck bounces in a forest, and nobody is there to videotape it making a sound............... did the truck really bounce ?

[lilpup]

It justifies the right for people to just piss on your city. The problem is everything is a crime but people try to justify it on some level. The article even points that out. Where do you draw a line? It's okay to go smash some windows downtown because I think a building will be demolished? Okay if I litter, it's just a piece of trash, right?

It's unique to Detroit IMO. If someone were to pull that b.s. out here in Chicago or any other large city they would be arrested, fined, and doing hundreds of hours of unpaid work power washing sidewalks, scrubbing graffiti, and picking up trash. Maybe your city could take a lesson. You know if these kids love visiting the city so much, they could do some real work if they get busted.

As I recall, some of the shit that disappears from Detroit buildings has been known to turn up in Chicago...

[Blarf]

It justifies the right for people to just piss on your city.

You mean the same city that seized the Packard Plant claiming back taxes, evicting all the tenants, attempting demolition, and then leaving the complex wide open to trespassers and scrappers for almost a decade while a court battle ensued? The city deserves to be pissed on.

[wolverine]

As I recall, some of the shit that disappears from Detroit buildings has been known to turn up in Chicago...

Yes, and that very building [[which looks ugly btw) should be required to remove the lions heads and return them to Detroit. Why on Earth they remain, I'm not sure. It's just another example where people can get away with anything in Detroit. Just like people coming from the suburbs to pick through the rubble, apparently people are wiling to drive 300 miles to steal pieces from a building. Don't know if you were trying to take a personal stab at me on that one, but at least you agree that their actions were illegal, similar to what was done with this truck.

You mean the same city that seized the Packard Plant claiming back taxes, evicting all the tenants, attempting demolition, and then leaving the complex wide open to trespassers and scrappers for almost a decade while a court battle ensued? The city deserves to be pissed on.

I could care less about the city government who is responsible for this disaster. Rather I think about the nearby residents who have to put up with all the BS that happens around this building. Maybe you would enjoy it next to where you live, but I personally would get sick of someone setting fires, breaking windows, and scrapping this building outside my doorstep. I know these residents don't have the ability to just up and leave so someone may as well put a stop to it.

Jeez, some of you people think in the most irrational ways. If people [[residents and non-residents) simply played by the rules you wouldn't have half the problems that go on in the city. I'll admit I'm no saint either. I've had my share of going in a few abandoned buildings in Detroit many years ago and I've come to realize how stupid and pointless it was.

[jt1]

So, like.....If a truck bounces in a forest, and nobody is there to videotape it making a sound............... did the truck really bounce ?

The bigger question is how much damage at other places have these worthless fucks caused. It is not a matter of a single incident but the mentality that these people think this is OK and more than likely are causing much damage elsewhere in the city.

Yes, the scrappers, murdereds, etc should be pursued more diligently but there is film with faces of the people doing it. Hell, if anything get a court order to subpoena the film and identify who did it [[Not a lot of work).

I see this akin to people that abuse their spouses, tag buildings or drive drunk. You can ignore it and claim there are bigger issues but all of these fucktards are not first time offenders. People don't drive drunk only once, hit their spouse only once or do ignorant shit like this only once.

I'm just sad the cinder blocks didn't give and crush one these shitheads. I would have gotten a good laugh hearing their parents and firends on the news crying and satting how they he was a really good person. Of course their parents would be suing the city.

Can't wait until one of these fucktards dies pulling some shit like this. It's the same opinion I have of scrappers, gang bangers and the other worthless scum bags out there.

[mrrichard]

It's like David Letterman on steroids
What is so sad is that they were at it for so long and no one stopped them.

I have an idea, why not have the city get these pranksters to demo all the abandoned buildings for free and get some truck to recycle the scrap. A win win for detroit.