The Observation Deck

This article is from the latest issue of the Atlantic Monthly--free online.

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/memphis-crime

The Atlantic Monthly is a center-left publication that distinguishes itself with open and honest reporting. It is a long read, but clearly worthwhile. During the last decade, Lakewood has been confronting the issues outlined within the article. I come away from the article a bit more jaundiced--the difficulty of moving beyond issues of race and class makes debate and the implementation of sound local policies problematic to say the least. Depressing.

John Brennan wrote:I come away from the article a bit more jaundiced--the difficulty of moving beyond issues of race and class makes debate and the implementation of sound local policies problematic to say the least. Depressing.

You're a brave man.

Lakewood is well positioned to prosper but as someone recently said "The City is under siege". Who are the besiegers? Cuyahoga County, the City of Cleveland, The Cleveland Clinic, various foundations and good government types who think that Lakewood's success is regionalisms failure.

The County and State governments are spending hundreds of millions to subsidize high end condos and apartments in downtown Cleveland. People who might locate on the Gold Coast are bribed to buy downtown. Investors who might be willing to build upscale apartments on Clifton or Detroit are bribed with OUR tax dollars to build elswhere. What could $50 million in tax dollars do for Apartments on Lake or Clifton or Detroit?

http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/st ... xml&coll=2

The tax subsidized growth in Downtown Cleveland is hurting growth in Lakewood. The State, County and Federal governments are willing to spend billions to destroy existing communites to rebuild downtown. Here in Lakewood we can't even get help to pave Bunts Road. Forest City abandons Rockport for tax subsidized downtown dollars and CHMA targets Lakewood as part of its relocation effort.

How does this relate to the theme of the Atlantic article? New paint and new carpet and new neighborhood don't create a new person. Force fed upscale development forces the poor and the violent to relocate. It's like squeezing a balloon. Do you think that the powers that be are unaware of that?

We are a City under siege. Where is our Joan of Arc?

Ah the decentralization of the projects. Score one more screw up for the governmental decision makers.