What is wrong with the City of Detroit?

My name is Dennis Fields and I am a citizen of the great City of Detroit. If you are like most, you are probably asking yourself what is so great about this city? Often, my suburban sisters and brothers belittle, criticize, demonize and outright bad mouth the city, it's politicians and it's citizens. I only have one response to that: Are you nuts?!?!

You abandon the city to the under-educated, unemployed, disenfranchised population that is unable to leave, and they now out-number those who are willing to work for decency and change. And you have the gaul to say something is wrong with the City of Detroit?

The ills that are affecting Detroit can be simply handled. What Detroit needs above all else is a caring and involved citizenry. Don't get me wrong, I know there are some dedicated, well intentioned men and women on the streets pounding the pavement. But for everyone of those that you show me, I can show you five guys at a liquor store who don't care. I can show you 15 people in line for the "Lotto" who could care less. I can show you a crowd at the "club" drinking and dancing, but who doesn't have a clue as to who the candidates are in the next mayoral election.

The biggest crime in the Metropolitan Detroit area is apathy. The citizens of the city as well as those of the suburbs have gotten used to a substandard expectation from the city. Poor education, high crime, a circus for city government and poor city services. Taxes are still high though, and insurance rates are through the roof. I was once asked why are things this way in the city. My response was simple, "Not enough people really care."

You have your politicians who speak up during election cycles. You have your outraged citizens on radio talk shows and blogs. You periodically see that circulating email calling everyone to action. You have a few community activists who pump their fists (more out of frustration it seems) to incite those gathered to listen. But when it comes time to put feet to pavement, everyone grows quiet and disappears. Where is the follow through?

The constituency is jaded. Why vote when the choice is between that of the lesser of two evils? Now don't get me wrong. I think that quite a few of the politicians in this area begin with a moral platform. They start out wanting to do the right thing, but they are surrounded by those who are receiving pay offs, and are skimming from the coffers and are just plain crooked. Eventually they themselves are corrupted and there is no one to hold them accountable. The constituency is more concerned with what type of parties they have thrown or whether or not they received a chicken luncheon.

People, these are atrocities heaped upon us by our own people. These are our friends, co-workers, relatives and neighbors. We elect them to do a job. If they are unable to carry out said job, it's nothing personal, they have to be replaced. When these individuals are elected, I'm sorry but this has to be said, they should be held to a higher standard than ordinary citizens. While they may be friends, co-workers, relatives and neighbors, we have bestowed upon them perhaps one of the greatest gifts of mankind: Public trust.

Just like a marriage or any other relationship, there are concessions, compromises, trusts and expectations. If the trusts invested in this relationship are betrayed there is anger, resentment and the need for atonement. There must be accountability. There must be checks and balances. There must be transparency.

The citizenry of Detroit is now gun shy of political relationships. We've been "stepped out on," betrayed, lied to, laughed at, misinformed, belittled and embarrassed. We need a change. We need truth, justice and the American way. We need a hero. Who among us can be this hero?