Detroit was founded in 1701 with a population of 100 French soldiers, farmers and merchants. The first women arrived the next year. Some time later, the city became a magnet for immigrants, particularly before World War I, when over one-third of its population was composed of immigrants. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 47.53% of Detroit’s population was foreign-born in 1850.

Detroit was built on an immigrant population, and it’s relatively well-known both inside and outside the city, but it’s important to revisit these historical trends while making sure to bring statistics in-tow. Take any given municipality, and after all the houses are built, infrastructure is in place and governmental frameworks are flowing (relatively smoothly), the inhabitants begin to become weary of strangers. We begin to wonder why others are interested in settling down in our own backyard, primarily because we question their motives. It makes sense to want to protect what’s been built, but not at the cost of sacrificing potential. Just as immigrants help to lay a foundation for future generations, they also have the ability to build upon that foundation should they be given the opportunity.

An immigrant is defined as ‘a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign location.’ Following this definition, we all have immigrants in our family ancestry, simply based on a technicality.  Detroit may be a city, but to many residents even a mile outside of its borders, it might as well be considered a foreign country.

So it’s not much of a stretch to say immigrants can be the force that help to bring Detroit to a level playing field. I think most people can agree; a person that comes to live permanently in Detroit (an immigrant) can be a part of the force that brings the city into a better place.

Unfortunately, there are those that continue to hold on to the notion that outsiders have nothing to bring. In Detroit, this is the modifier for the traditional, we-don’t-take-too-kindly-to-strangers way of thinking. For all of the optimism that the city’s residents and supporters have been building in recent times, there’s the equal and opposite reaction of nihilism.

I say nihilism because it’s not so much pessimism or hostility that sometimes meets newcomers around here, but the idea that newcomers couldn’t possibly do anything to help a city that’s been through so much and has seen such turmoil. I’ve seen it become something of a trendy response in some instances, to mock those who enter Detroit with good intentions. You know the kind of ridicule I’m talking about; it rears itself in the form of finger pointing and loudly exclaiming, ‘Hey everybody, this guy thinks he can save Detroit!‘

It’s typical of individuals that have the all too common need to knock others down in order to make themselves feel better about doing nothing. It also makes them feel better that they take no action in the face of insurmountable odds. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my Detroit friends, it’s that choosing to do nothing and responding in the negative is the easy way out. It’s so easy, in fact, that it works with every obstacle you’ll ever face in your life. Keep using it and you’ll quite literally end up nowhere, because in life, most decisions boil down to two choices: Play or don’t play. What’s the point of picking the latter?

So go ahead, you have my permission to move into Detroit. And yes, you have my permission to save Detroit.