Detroit vs. Everybody

Rembert is a man interested in cities and Detroit is a very significant and an almost notorious city in the United States. Rembert was on a mission to get a cultured look at the city and I feel like he left the city with almost just as many questions as he had before. He went into the city with some negative bias as a result of some of the opinions other people have had about the city. He tried looking past that but they seemed to prove to be true as he was entering the city.

As Rembert was approaching his hotel he saw cars that were upside down and a city that looked like it was not kept up very well. His hotel worker told him to not mind the explosions. Later he discovered that there was a movie being filmed there and that seemed like is should have accounted for the explosion sounds but there was really no way of him knowing where the sounds were coming from or if the movie had anything to do with the decrepit look of the city as he was entering it.

The Heidelberg Project was something that seemed to surprise Rembert. The project consists of blocks of houses that are more or less installations of art. The houses are decorated in different ways and this type of community within the torn city of Detroit was a breath of fresh air. It was the effort that was put on by the residents as well as the artist that made the houses seem like they were making a difference in the city.  

He started to give the city a chance after attending the Kendrick Lamar concert that made the city seem very united and after attending the park. Even though the park was super busy it showed that city was making an effort to give the citizens a chance to have a better time in the city. As he ventured through the Hart Plaza Amphitheater space his newfound view on the city was challenged. He went down through the theater and after he went through a part that smelt like urine he discovered some great street art. This art seemed as if it was being covered up which was in contrast to the Heidelberg project art. As he approached the random abandoned structure, which was in awful taste on the inside, he was horrified with what the city has decided to keep up for an extended amount of time.

Rembert learned through his journey in Detroit that the city has many layers. There is no way to capture even one facet of the culture without having a doubt. The city is complicated and I think that Rembert needs more time there in order to fully understand the city’s workings.