Detroit Rising

By Mark Brown
The news on Nov 7 that a bankruptcy judge approved the process that helps the city of Detroit emerge from bankruptcy did not particularly surprise me. I knew that the Motor City was resilient and could bounce back from any challenge. The city’s motto is Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus. Translated from Latin, it means:

We hope for better things, it shall rise from the ashes.

The 313 has been to hell and back many times over its 313 years of existence, and Windsor-Essex has been along for the ride for much of that time. The motto goes all the way back to the early 1800s and was penned by a French-born priest who would later become a U.S. territorial delegate – Father Gabriel Richard. The town of Detroit was destroyed by a fire in 1805, but was quickly rebuilt. The seal of Detroit depicts this event by showing two women – one grieving over the ruined remains of Detroit, the other happier and looking toward the future…

We hope for better things, it shall rise from the ashes.

Throughout the early 1900s, Detroit became the city that put the world on wheels, a city of unbelievable work ethic and where Henry Ford introduced the $5 work day. But the Great Depression hit Detroit hard like it did almost every American city. It took the Second World War to show that Detroit could reinvent itself and produce the weapons that fought off fascism and anti-Semitism. Detroit became the Arsenal of Democracy…

We hope for better things, it shall rise from the ashes.

Detroit had a population of almost two million when it celebrated its 250th birthday in 1951, but it’s been declining ever since. The exodus of residents moving to the suburbs began at this time, while in tandem, the pressure cooker of racism began to rise throughout the ’50s and ’60s. It all exploded on a hot summer night in July 1967 when the city burned for over a week in what was then the deadliest civil unrest in US history. It took the city rallying around a baseball team that won the World Series the following autumn to help the city heal…

We hope for better things, it shall rise from the ashes.

Since then Detroit has dealt with rising crime, racially-based politics, widespread urban blight, poverty and unemployment. TV crews would come to Detroit from all over the world to watch a city setting fire to itself around Halloween each year. The city’s downtown is certainly undergoing the renaissance that was meant to have been started by the opening of the RenCen, but all that has been outweighed by corrupt, greedy politicians and gross civic mismanagement. That mismanagement brought Detroit into bankruptcy. True to the motivation that guided her through three centuries, Detroit is now out of bankruptcy…

We hope for better things, it shall rise from the ashes.

Being a native Detroiter, the news of Detroit conquering bankruptcy is good for me, because it means that a Detroit treasure will be protected – the Detroit Institute of Arts. The museum’s priceless collection was at risk of being sold to appease creditors. Now that the collection is safe, I’ll still be able to enjoy it as much as I did while I was growing up.

While watching WDIV-TV’s coverage in 2001 of Detroit’s 300th birthday party, a montage was run of great moments in the city’s history. When it was over, anchor Carmen Harlan tearfully said into the camera, “Happy birthday, Detroit.” I get that feeling as well whenever I read the city’s motto, which is pure testimony of a city that refuses to quit under any circumstances…
We hope for better things, it shall rise from the ashes.