Sadly, our leadership remains stuck in the civil-rights era. Since white residents are few in number, white businesses are the prime targets of the tired “us versus them†diatribe. The most vocal self-styled spokespersons have all but turned a blind eye to reality. Detroiters are increasingly poor, undereducated, unproductive and dependent under their watch. The unemployment rate in the city, unchanged even in good economic times, is more than twice the national average. Economic vitality is an alien concept. The city that I dearly love lags far behind other cities in the region in business opportunity and prosperity. Which leads me to the painful conclusion that the so-called strategy of demagogues who disparage and vilify job creators is fatally flawed and destructive. They don’t care if the ship sinks, so long as everyone in control of the ship is black.

White-owned businesses are routinely subjected to every form of shakedown imaginable. Unjustly castigated gas station and store owners are forced to pay hush money to loudmouth malcontents for urban peace. Developers and investors aren’t allowed to set up shop here unless a majority of the construction and other jobs go to their black friends, whether they qualify for them or not. Cash-strapped Detroiters are forced to live with development inertia as common sense and common interests take a back seat to personal agendas. (more…)