LISTEN UP. I was brought up in a neighborhood in which gunshots served as alarm clocks and noisy barbecues, corner stores, police sirens, pimped out whips and the real world nitty-gritty forced me to grow up quickly in the face of adversity. I suggest you take a walk through the city yourself today before you are swayed by common cliches.
Compare Detroit.
We are not striving to be the next LA or New York City. We are Detroit. We are a city of our own.