“There are desolate blocks where only a single house is occupied, and survivors brandish shotguns and monitor police scanners. While the population plummets, the murder rate soars. Throw in an arson spree and a racially motivated serial killer and Young wonders if Flint can be saved.”
We all know about Detroit. We’ve heard the sad story of this dwindling midwestern city’s deterioration into desperate insolvency. We know how they filed for the largest municipal bankruptcy in American history, with debt estimated at $18-20 billion following the collapse of the auto industry. The city, which was No. 1 on Forbes’ “most miserable cities” list, has 78,000 vacant buildings; 40% of the streetlights do not work, and more than half of the city’s parks have closed since 2008. It takes an average of one hour for the police to respond to any call.
But this story is not about Detroit. It’s about Detroit’s failing and forsaken neighbor, 66 miles to the northwest. It’s a story about Flint, Michigan.
Flint was the birthplace of General Motors (GM) in 1908. According to journalist and Flint native Gordon Young, 47, the city flourished on a strong economy built around the auto industry. By the 1960s, it’s per capita income for a city of its size was one of the highest in the world, Young says. “That is really hard for people to even fathom now.”
Before the Great Recession and at peak employment, there were 80,000 jobs from GM alone. In addition, there was a satellite system of part suppliers for GM, who sprung up around the factories, supplying thousands of more jobs.
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