1/3 – Detroit Community-Engaged Research Program

1/3

It’s Week Three, and I have noticed that some things change.

In my internship, I just finished writing up the questions I’ll be asking our community members. I didn’t think I would be starting this all so quickly, but just next week the thing I thought defined my project will be over.

When July comes I will start writing up an annual report for my organization–something that was only recently added to my project–and then I will be learning ArcGIS and making maps, and then I will be door knocking, and then I won’t even be here anymore.

The Bridging Neighborhoods Program is changing itself too. We’re all in meetings twice a week trying to work out exactly how we’ll be rolling out a new aspect to our program (I’m actually not allowed to talk about it explicitly). This change will mean a huge shift in how we interact with the community, and I am so excited for it.

And of course, another thing of change is Detroit.

A good friend of mine was performing this last Thursday at Ford Field, and after a long week on my feet, I decided I would walk around after without my shoes on. When I did this as a kid, I always had to watch out for glass, or for metal, or you can guess what else, but walking up and down Cass, where the streets are swept religiously, I found myself able to look down less and less.

I have to admit it was pretty nice being able to walk barefoot, but I couldn’t help imagining the sweeper running up the street, picking up a pile like a broom, and leaving it in neglect as a barricade in the road. In my head, the barricade blocks cars, and bikes, and views, and the wind picks up everything shiny and leaves it between sidewalks and blades of grass.

It was pretty nice being able to walk around barefoot. But under changing lights of GM I was left uneasy knowing there are men, women, and children on the other side of that barricade without any shoes.

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