Demography is destiny and that is very evident in Detroit

In 1912, blacks were slightly over 1% of Detroit's population. One hundred years later, blacks are 82% of Detroit (and 92% of the core city). They have controlled the city government for roughly 40 years. During that time, Detroit went from being the “Paris of the West” and the “Arsenal of Democracy” to a symbol of American failure, ineptitude and decline. Even into the 1960s, Detroit was a modern, advanced and civilized place. Blacks were just 26% of the population in the mid-1960s but committed over 65% of the crime. Whites were still over 70% of Detroit’s population at this point and the city boasted museums, a symphony, parks, beaches, skyscrapers, universities, libraries, highways, good schools and restaurants, businesses, night life, theaters, concerts and numerous cultural festivals. Today’s Detroit is a much different place. It has lost over 60% of its population since 1950. Half of all people in the city are functionally illiterate. It has not one major chain supermarket. All public school students are eligible for the free lunch program. Detroit is home to the largest deserted skyscraper in the world. Billions of gallons of water are lost every year through a neglected, century-old sewer system. The average price of a home in 2009 was just $7,000. Forbes recently rated Detroit as “The Most Dangerous City in America,” and with good reason. Since 1969, over 21,000 people have been murdered in the city. This comes on the heels of Forbes rating it as “The Most Miserable City” in 2008. On top of all this, Detroit is bankrupt, loaded with debt and on the verge of being placed under emergency management i.e. be declared unfit to govern itself by the state of Michigan. Let us compare the fate of Detroit to another Rust Belt city — Pittsburgh. The steel industry in Pittsburgh was hit much harder than the auto industry in Detroit in the 1970s and 80s. Yet the loss of its main industry did not cause Pittsburgh residents to destroy their city. In fact, Forbes recently named Pittsburgh “The Most Livable City in America.” The Economist called Pittsburgh “The Best City in America.” Of course, Pittsburgh is one of the whitest big cities in America while Detroit is the blackest. Whites are 65% of the population in Pittsburgh while blacks are only 25%. Whites comprise nearly 90% of the greater Pittsburgh metro area.