Detroit is my hometown. It holds a special place in my heart. Whenever I come back home I feel a sense of belonging and connection from the people to the streets. More specifically I am from the Osborn community located in Northeast Detroit or District 3. The Osborn community is one of the hardest hit areas in Detroit. With issues stemming from blight to crime to poverty, one may say that Osborn is a wasteland. It is true and evident that the Osborn community is not a top priority of the city with other neighborhoods. But to the residents, we treasure Osborn and want to affect change in our community.
According to Detroit Future City’s strategic plan, the Northeast region will be nothing more than forest in the years to come. Because the region is not as populous as others it has been written off. Concerned residents and non profits are stepping up to the plate and starting to plan the future of their community and not leaving it up to others to decide.
The other day I had the opportunity to take a bus tour of the Osborn community with various community leaders to get a better feel of the area. Being born and raised in the area I thought I knew what to expect, but I was in for a rude awakening. I had not been back to my old neighborhood since August 2014, because my mother had moved while I was in school. Seeing my community in such a blighted and unsafe condition really broke my heart. I could feel my eyes tearing up. The places I used to go, I can’t go anymore. There are blocks with only abandoned houses. My old elementary school is boarded up with graffiti over it. Some of my favorite restaurants and diners no longer exist. I felt as if my house was no longer a home.
The Osborn community is in a state of emergency. While reading DFC’s plan I was very concerned about the fate of my neighborhood. How can you tell me that my community will no longer exist? Who decides which neighborhoods are more important than others? I believe that shouldn’t even be a question, and it is up to us, the residents of the community, to decide our own fate. Although we have been written off by others, we are coming together to make a better Osborn.
