The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit (Princeton Studies in American Politics)

In my perfect world, every student in public schools would be taught the major points of this book. Sugrue clearly explains, through statistical and anecdotal evidence, how Detroit went from the "arsenal of Democracy" during World War II to the rundown, segregated and impoverished city it has become. This book is fascinating. Sugrue focuses on housing, employment and, to a lesser extent, politics, to illustrate the disintegration of Detroit. African-Americans flocked to the city around the time of WWII for the chance to escape Jim Crow discrimination and find employment in Detroit's thriving industries, primarily auto and defense. But they were met with myriad problems -- white employers either refused to hire them, barred them from apprenticeships and/or relegated them to unskilled jobs that left them barely able to scrape by and always afraid of a layoff; and white residents used violence, remarkably cohesive organization and political power to keep them out of the "white" neighborhoods as long as possible, fleeing to the suburbs when the barriers were finally broken. The result? A city of poor blacks largely ignored by whites in power; industrial departure for suburbs or other regions; unfair stereotypes of African-Americans; insufficient tax money from the impoverished residents to support reasonable public schools or needed improvements. Surgrue breaks the book into three parts that are easy to follow and leave the reader fully understanding what went wrong in Detroit in the postwar years. If I have a criticism it's that the thematic approach occasionally makes it tough to remember the chronology of the major events. But it's hardly a concern. A thematic writing was necessary in this case. I will also note that in the Kindle version of this book, the photographs are terrible. They look like somebody photocopied them from the book, spilled black ink on them, and then scanned them for publication. And it's disappointing because I think some of those photos would have been useful. But I can't detract from the rating of the book since photo reproduction isn't the author' fault.

Sugrue's book packs quite a punch. He describes in some detail the effects of institutional racism in Detroit over several decades. He combines personal accounts with indisputable numbers backed by research. Any honest reader would see this as a scathing refutation of the idea that poor people of colour are responsible for their own conditions, rather than de facto segregation at the workplace and in the housing market. He also describes the results for workers of automation and the drive to maximize profits by the capitalists who own this country and its politicians. The rabid racism inherent in American culture and exhibited by working white people is woven throughout this narrative. If you want to understand how deeply rooted racism and its consequences are in the United States, read this book.

This book goes into great detail, showing "cause and effect", to demonstrate the systemic, institutionalized forms of discrimination and racism in communities and job markets. By addressing the various factors, neighborhoods, and events, this book gives the reader a thorough understanding of what and why Detroit became the city it was in the 1970s, and prepares the reader for Detroit's future from that point on. The author did an excellent job of interrelating times, places, and events. For anyone interested in this subject, I highly recommend this book!

There's quite a bit of repetitiveness in this sprawling, scholarly work, but despite its excessive thoroughness (the bibliography alone comprises almost 1/4 of the book) it's actually quite readable. The factual, dispassionate approach does lean heavily on the side of black Detroit, but does justify itself and unlike some black power/black pride diatribe, this didn't make me feel defensive (as a white person). Instead, I came away from this book armed with an improved understanding of the complex systemic factors which exacerbated inequality between blacks and whites in postwar Detroit- and by inference other rust belt cities. Being a social service researcher, I was disappointed in the relative lack of statistical rigor. Correlation often seems to be confused with causation, and in some places statistics are provided without context. For example, in one place the author notes that "of twelve proposed public housing sites in Detroit in the 1940s, only three were built"- yes, but these were just "proposed" projects, how does that rate compare to urban planning at large? In another place "37,382 black families and 56,758 white families applied for public housing. 41 percent of white applicants and only 24 percent of black applicants made it onto the waiting list"- yes, but is race the only variable here or could there other factors involved? Considering that this book probably didn't aspire to be a controlled trial or formal research study, though, those flaws can be forgiven, and in fact aren't so bad compared to most other books of its kind. Overall, Sugrue clearly and convincingly makes the argument that the problems of Detroit today do not reflect inherent limitations of its current residents, but rather stem from "interconnected forces of race, residence, discrimination, and industrial decline, the consequences of a troubled and still unresolved past." He provides us with a powerful argument against those who say, "why don't they just get a job" by providing a detailed history of the forces of decentralization, deindustrialization, and automation stripping away the lowest rung of the economic ladder, chiefly low skill automotive jobs not requiring literacy. He attributes the burgeoning "alternative economy of gambling, drugs, and prostitution" to this lost economy. Most of us don't see this dynamic, but they should. Though the work focuses primarily on describing policy and trends, it's at its most powerful when it's anecdotal. For example, the most enduring image for me is that of the presumably well-intentioned Easby Wilson becoming the first black in an all-white neighborhood, only to see his home repeatedly vandalized and his family harassed by literally an all-ages mob of neighbors.

I grew up on the Northwest side of Detroit in the Bagley neighborhood. This book resonated deeply with my memories of how my parents, like their friends and neighbors, fled Detroit in the mid 60s, well before '67. There were things in this book that I knew from hearing the adults talk, such as blockbusting, but had never seen written about before. There was also much I learned about Detroit of the 40s before I was born, and of the 50s before I was old enough to understand. Before I read this book, Cobo was just the name of the place you went to see the auto show. I've learned so much more.

The after effects of racism and inequality is something that all of us human beings, regardless of skin color or station in life, will have to deal with. When you take away a man's right to live where he pleases, or keeps him from earning a living and be able to take care of his family, when you thwart his every attempt to rise above his circumstances and try to keep him where you believe he should be, you will have to deal with the consequences. Sustained mistreatment breeds anger that seethes and becomes consuming. The adject racism was too much to read about at times. To think that people have such a high opinion of themselves where they feel justified to discriminate against a whole culture of people is mind-boggling. The decline of Detroit is just the beginning. I always believed that America could be so much greater if people would realize that we are all human beings. We all think the same, we all want the same things - safe neighborhoods, safe schools, no violence, shelter, access to healthcare, good food and good paying jobs to take care of our families and educate our children. The city of Detroit is a sad reminder that man is its own worse enemy. I had wondered for years what exactly happened to cause such a vibrant city like Detroit to now look like a small third world country within the United States. I understand it now and it is so sad. America can do so much better.

I had to buy this book for my Race and the Law class at my law school. It was very informative and I learned a lot more than I thought I would. It provides you with so much information that you could basically give a informational tour of Detroit, solely based on reading this book.

Sugrue's thesis in this book is that endemic racism (along with economic decline) is responsible for Detroit being largely Black, poor and greatly in decline. He's a revisionist historian who wants to refute older narratives that Detroit is corrupt (because all the city governments after 1967 have been run by Democrats and Blacks). Instead he attempts to refute that by showing the deeply ingrained racism in the community. Sugrue's attempt at political polemics is bad history. He fails to mention the obvious: Detroit is over-taxed and run by incompetent, corrupt politicians. It's public unions have caused government workers to be some of the highest paid in the country with little to show for it. This is thanks to former-Mayor Young who instituted an arbitration law. To pay for this, the city's taxes are exorbitant which pushes businesses further out. Because of this, Detroit never found other businesses to take the place of the declining auto-industry which has inflated pay for its jobs in the first place. Of the past three mayors, two have been highly corrupt. Archer who was mayor in the '90s, after a distinguished career in the state Supreme Court, tried to reform the city but was kicked out of office. Young and the current mayor, Kilpatrick, are very corrupt. Just do a google news search of "Kwame Kilpatrick" and "corrupt" and you'll see the various scandals that have plagued him. Other than stealing city funds for himself and his family he turned down a $200,000,000 private gift to the city for charter schools because the teacher's unions were against it. Young, mayor in the '70s and '80s, made room for a GM plant by confiscating private land through eminent domain. Few could understand why he buldozed tax producing land when he could have given over acres of abandoned property, except that the residents of that neighborhood voted overwhelmingly against him. Yes, white people with means fled Detroit for the suburbs. But Sugrue glosses over that fact that middle class Black residents left as soon as the could too. Southfield, a surburb township, is overwhelming Black and middle class, populated by those who couldn't stand the crime and corruption of Detroit. Far from being an example of a typical post-industrial American City, Detroit is the exception. It should be held up as a prime example of how not to run a city. That being said, unless you've been assigned this book, don't read it. Sugrue gives excuses and vague general reasons (aka racism) for Detroit's decline when the real problems are staring him in the face

Informative insight on the fall of a city not unique to other cities across the U.S. Great read for those interested in the study of poverty and urban studies.

Das Buch erläutert in einer gut verständlichen und chronologischen Weise die Entwicklung der Stadt Detroit vom industriellen Aufschwung bis zum Absturz, begleitend durch Rassismus, wirtschaftlicher und sozialer Rezession. Der Fokus liegt besonders auf der Afro -Amerikanischen Gesellschaft der Stadt und deckt Gründe für die heutige schwierige Lebenssituation dieser Menschen auf. Fazit: Sehr empfehlenswert!