detroit lives?

i left the house on a weeknight to do something.  this is a highly unusual event, not the sort of thing i’d like to make a habit of.  my friend mark, who runs one of the most amazing urban ag. projects in the city, the georgia street collective,  was having a short film shown about him.  marks work is truly an inspiration to me.  the work he is doing is  pure, community based, heart felt, and holistically minded.  add to that, he is sweet ,and gentle and a former semi-pro football player and you have for a pretty amazing character.  he has been getting a good amount of press, and well deserved, his story is a great story, i often pass reporters on to him – “you want a good story?  don’t talk to me.  talk to mark”

this film was being shown at an exhibit at the lady bug gallery by the group detroit lives! in addition to the film there was a collection of portraits of young people working on creative projects in the city.  i knew most of them, they all sort of come out of small circle of friends.  it would have been nice to see a bit broader range, but the pictures were nice, and i liked the presentation, and they are all up to good projects.

in addition i was able to purchase a piece of land – only a square inch as it turns out.  actually i didn’t even buy the land my friend andrew bought it for me, offering in a casual manner usually reserved for offering people gum.  we arranged for our property to be side by side so we could be neighbors and collaborate on some building projects.  it’s on east vernor not far from work, so i can go visit it.  i wish i had read a little bit more about the project before investing, the artist referrers to the project as “plymouth” a reference to plymouth colony and the idea that they are creating colonies in detroit.  of course the name is certainly loaded with the pains of those natives who’s land was taken by colonization, but the idea is also worrisome as it has this certain air of detroit itself being a colony that outsiders come in and take over, colonising and taking rather than being part of a community.  it makes me think of a particular segment of this american life called “the plan” it starts at 30:28.   well actually it starts about a minute after that, but fugazi’s waiting room plays at that point right before the segment “the plan” and doesn’t everyone want to listen to fugazi?  whether you belive in the idea of “the plan” or not, it still makes for pretty interesting listening.  i’m sure the artist never thought of these concerns, and i can only assume that they would be happy that it would spur these thoughts.

the film about mark also featured writer toby barlow making the same mistake as i have before of letting out the secret of how detroit will be sitting pretty in the post petroleum economy.  overall the film was was pretty good, perhaps more exciting to those that were not familiar with what is going on in detroit.   i’d post a link to it, but it’s not up.