Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Warm weather brings out Detroit

During the winter, the collective thoughts of our household about opening up avenues of community were dim. It was always cold, and it got dark very early. Not many people were outside during the cold months. One of my hopes during winter was that summer would be different. When I arrived in the middle of September, the weather was nice and warm, sometimes slightly cool. But even in the cooler stages of the fall there would be many people walking around outside enjoying the weather.

Once the summer began, the people of Detroit came alive once again. I am also included in that statement. Early on in late April there was a block fish grill out at a house a few rows down from us. Especially with the rather large unemployment rate in Detroit (33% at its peak) there are so many people that come outside to cook or play and at least use the day to its fullest even if they aren't currently employed. Another common activity in the suburbs is grilling. We just celebrated July 4th on Sunday and walking back from church, only 5 blocks, I saw just about every other house grilling or having a barbecue. However only white folk will have a bonfire during the hottest evenings of the year. Last but not least, I've seen on several accounts people that bring out small tables to the sidewalks or their porches to play cards during the warm summer weather.

Sports has become a large gateway to getting to know and meet the people of Detroit, and in particular our community. There is a small patch of grass at the corner of our block that usually contains our neighbors playing horseshoes or throwing around a baseball. Last week Michael, Luke and I went out to a local basketball court to play. After about an hour, there were three or four more people that joined us and we played a 3v3 game. More often than not, its almost a given that once a week I'll witness people tossing around a football. Needless to say, sports are very popular, and since the houses in the suburbs don't have large yards or property, it encourages everyone to come together to the local park to play.

Detroit City Futbol
Soccer has been revolutionary for me in meeting people in my community. Michael did some grunt work during the winter days when we were couped up and anxious for the warm weather. After doing some research on soccer leagues, he discovered a league that was starting up that would start games in mid May and conclude at the end of July. The league was dubbed the Detroit City Futbol. The more and more we learned about it the more excited we became. Not only because we were going to be outside and playing soccer together but because of the intrinsic value of this league. The league's founder, Sean Mann, is all about community. He protested against the construction of another bridge to Canada (not anything against Canada but the resources were better used for Detroit's wellness) and local involved in community building organizations. His vision of this league was to organize teams based on player/neighborhood location. He had a small captains meeting so that each neighborhood interested would have a person to contact to get organized. Originally Sean had predicted that around 4 teams would be formed. Unbeknown to Sean, getter forces were in play, and by the time Spring arrived, 11 teams were in the process of being formed. All 11 teams eventually were formed and they each represent a historic part of Detroit. Teams ranged from the suburbs, such as our team called New Center, to downtown, to the nicer regions of Detroit, such as Green Acres and the Villages. Our team has over 25 people registered and as announced, all of them hail from New Center. Michael and I have gotten to know a few of our teammates very well, and in fact we carpool with our new friend Ara each week, since we only live a mere two to three miles away. Our team and the league is primarily white, but that doesn't reflect how this leagued has crossed boundaries to connect different parts of Detroit with each other. It also gives us a sense of pride playing with the people that live around us. Another fun statistic about the Detroit City Futbol league is that it came up with its our bar schedule. In another attempt to promote fellowship, the league asked each team to come up with a local bar for after game drinks and conversation. Each team picked its bar, namely based on being sponsored or having connections through someone working there that is also in the league, and a schedule was developed. Along with the matches and the times that teams would play each other either on Monday or Thursday, each week came with a different team hosting the after game festivities. And so after the games, a lot of people will go to whichever bar is being hosted that night, and we will further enjoy the night with everyone else. The league has a few rules that make it unique to other leagues. The location of all the games is on Bel Isle, a small island park that is found in the Detroit River between Detroit and Canada. It was designed by the same person that designed Central Park in New York City. We play on smaller fields and we play 7v7 including goalies. The league is co-ed, and to make sure women are treated fairly, there have to be at least 2 girls on the field at all times. No slide tackling is enforced because the last thing we want is for some people to be over competitive and someone to get hurt. The last and final rule of the league is "Don't be a jerk". Basically if you start being a jerk, you will be asked politely to leave until next week. Refs are anyone in the league who volunteers, but as incentive, any tie breakers will be determined by which team had more volunteers to ref during the season. The league has been such a success so far that it has actually received media attention even in its first season. Most teams have at least a 30 player roster. Our team isn't that good compared to other teams, but either Mike or I, or both of us have scored in every game but 1 so far. I think thats 8 out of 9 games. We call it the Pingree Connection. We measure success in having fun and trying our best, so its all good.

Downtown Detroit has also been enhanced thanks to the warm weather. The center plaza in downtown, called Campus Martius, was fitted with a ice skating rink during the winter. But now its got green grass laid down with benches, tables and chairs everywhere for people to enjoy their lunches outside. Last week their was live bands playing during the middle of the day for entertainment. Also the Hart Plaza, a large area that borders the riverfront, has had plenty of attention during this summer. Its been the location for the weekend Techno Festival, the Detroit Hoe Down, and a place in general that is always been used to share local live music.

So all in all, the warm weather has been a blessing to us in Detroit in giving us more ways to enjoy the people and the locality. My job hasn't changed much however. We are still just as busy as we are in the winter. The only difference is that now I have a mini-van to do deliveries, rather than having to bike everywhere. The ironic thing is that during the winter I had to do it all on a bike. Now that its summer, and the weather is fantastic for biking in, my bike is broken and I am forced to do it all in my mini-van. I do have a friend currently fixing up a bike for me, so I'm hopefully that my waiting will not be in vain. The warm weather has also influenced our living conditions. Before we were huddled up in blankets because it was cold during the winter. Now we have fans blowing all day and night while we try to wear as little as possible. Anyways its been a blessing to have our community out and about during the summer and to learn more about the people that live here. Hopefully this will help and encourage us to continue connecting with people through out the year.


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2 comments:

  1. Tys - I loved your assessment of community life in Detroit. It sure is a lot different than this community. However, during our big storm a couple of weeks back, the whole town lost electricity for 2 days. This forced people outside where it was "cooler" and for the first time in many years, I actually talked with my neighbors! Sad but true. Often big cities have the right idea over little cities. We become isolationists in these small communities. It takes a blackout to bring us all together. Keep writing! I love to read your postings and you do it so well! Love ya.

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  2. Thanks for the sincere review. I do my best to keep you updated with the current events. I'm glad you are enjoying the blog. Its definitely been useful in getting out messages. On last Saturday, the whole area lost power. I went outside to see if it was just me or if it was the whole block, and everyone was standing outside on their porches talking to each other about it. In a way it brought everyone together at 10 am on a weekend day.

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