Red Pill: Project M Detroit - (Part 2) Myths and Realities

The first few days in Detroit were tough on everyone. The unknown of what living and working in the center of Detroit would be like for the next two weeks was looming in the air. Wayne State University and CCS were on summer break when we arrived, adding to the general feeling of desolation. Besides a quick visit to 5e Gallery where many young locals gather for music and art, the night was earily quiet. I expected to hear sirens and thump'in bass, but we mostly only heard crickets and night creatures. It sounded like rural Alabama in the middle of summer.

The first day in the lab at CSS we decided to set out to see the city together. We explored the old Hudson's warehouse which was originally the home of Packard Automobiles until 1956. We ventured into neighborhoods that looked like ghost towns. Littered with crumbling buildings, thugs on some corners but mostly vast swathes of emptiness. We also took in some high culture from Detroit's grand past, we visited the DIA to experience Diego Rivera's "Detroit Industry" mural, followed by some Eastern Market Coney Island hot dogs.

Soon we had the M'er split up to explore separate neighborhoods on their own, gathering anything that contributed to making each place unique. Interviewing locals, taking photos, and gathering artifacts while immersing themselves in the local culture.

One of the M'ers landed a ride to a local Coney Island and a free lunch, while another drank shots of Seagram's and played a game of horseshoes with some thugish fellows. The M'ers each challenged themselves to look past the myths that surrounded Detroit and break through perceived barriers to get to the real core of Detroit. They met many interesting and unique individuals who were mostly warm and inviting, not the expected result. On this breakthrough day, everyone felt empowered, doing something that they wouldn't normally do.

Riding the high from a productive day the M'ers decided to meet up and go shopping for groceries. Armed with a new confidence they let their guard down and left a couple of backpacks in the back seat of their car. Fifteen minutes later they had a Detroit reality slap them in the face. Their bags where swiped, containing two laptops and a camera which where probably part of the local economy within an hour.

True, this could happen in any city, and yes they shouldn't have left bags sitting out in plain site. But when you have a crime happen to you in Detroit it becomes part of the myth, locals react with comments like, "Welcome to the D!" and "At least they left the car". It's as if there's a grand script titled "the Detroit Myth", and everyone from the media to the locals rich and poor, white and black know their lines.

5e Gallery