Detroit ... Full of Issues

Opinion by Stephen Boyle

Member of Occupy Detroit, Free Detroit - No Consent and other organizations within Detroit

There are so many issues being faced by Detroit and it seems everyone wants to offer advice into the situation. It gets rather difficult to understand the stands around the issues until you look at the level of personal investment and capability of support had by those speaking and taking a stand.

Who Holds an Invested Interest?

• City of Detroit residents
• Workers in the city
• Metropolitan are residents
• Workers in metropolitan Detroit
• Employers in the city
• Employers in the metro area
• People that formerly worked in Detroit or in the metro area
• People considering coming to Detroit or the metro area
• People who may invest in Detroit's future in some manner
• Curious bystanders - oddly this may be one of the largest populations if you follow comment posts made about Detroit that somehow seem to think it should be removed from the face of the planet

James is a lawyer and civil rights fighter

I think that covers just about all the angles, and I'll say that the weight of personal investment runs highest from the top of the list to the bottom. Those that are at the top of the list quite often have a tough time hearing solutions from people with what is perceived to be a lessor personal investment. That's common in every community - those impacted directly are undeniably affected the most.

How to Occupy and Support?

Every position has the ability to learn through listening prior to (or while) proposing solutions to issues. Sometimes it will seem like a lot of venting going on with little solution. People just want to see change happen and positive results, be that in the removal of issues or growth of opportunities. Personal accounts can be valuable lessons to those whom haven't had to deal with them.

Micheal is homeless and stuck in a wheelchair

For example, today I was in a meeting regarding public transportation and we had several handicapped members attending. I mentioned that many of us don't personally encounter the difficulty these people do daily until we "break a foot", then we experience it for a brief spell and can go back to how we've known access. We have to consider with some handicap situations there is no "brief time" in the concerns raised. Things won't just get better unless we do something that makes it better for us. In doing that for ourselves are we then making it more difficult for others or improving for everyone?

Coming up with a least common denominator (LCD) solution is going to be the answer, however even that can be troubling or difficult to implement. Moderating a discussion to find that LCD can be difficult with a wide number of personal encounters and opinions. This is where consensus building enters and that is one area Occupy movements have championed worldwide. Everyone has a stake in creating a position and taking actions on it that unify. 

Can A Revolution Be Consented?

Jahsahn leads This Hood of Ours, a nonprofit in Detroit

One of the concerns is that radical measures may be tough to get passed through consensus. We may be able to inspire a revolution, but personal risks and encounters can stand in the way of being in the active wave of revolution. It takes radical and passionate action that sometimes sees the consequences and is willing to accept that being revolutionary is dangerous. Those that see they can't take the risks may choose to stand aside or offer support with limited involvement. All of these positions are helpful and needed for revolutionary action and should not be discounted. They are a reflection of personal investment in the situation and may end up changing the allies in your life as you mount an assault on society's standards.

I'd like to ask people reading to support the world you'd like to see and be as active as you possibly can. You'll meet people along the way, listen to new ideas, hear testimony, and hopefully be able to offer testimony yourself providing encouragement.