{"id":18405,"date":"2016-12-01T04:53:02","date_gmt":"2016-12-01T04:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/?p=18405"},"modified":"2016-12-01T04:53:02","modified_gmt":"2016-12-01T04:53:02","slug":"dog-leg-detroit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/dog-leg-detroit\/","title":{"rendered":"The &#8220;Dog Leg&#8221; of Detroit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Some\u00a0Detroiters may\u00a0think\u00a0that they are aware of all the neighborhoods in Detroit. But, are you aware of the &#8220;Dog Leg &#8221; community also known as infamous\u00a0Southwest Detroit? \u00a0I am not referring to Mexican Town or the old Michigan Grand Station, but I am implying an\u00a0area\u00a0that is often forgotten.\u00a0The Delray,\u00a0River Rouge and Ecorse section of Southwest Detroit.<\/p>\n<p>Delray,\u00a0River Rouge, and Ecorse is an urban area\u00a0of southwest Detroit that is well known for its high crime, poverty, unemployment levels, and industrial pollution. \u00a0Although River Rouge and Ecorse are separate cities within its right; their communities are woven together from generations of blue collar workers<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-18480 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/del-300x193.png\" alt=\"Dog Leg\" width=\"418\" height=\"269\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/del-300x193.png 300w, https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/del-768x494.png 768w, https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/del.png 882w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 418px) 100vw, 418px\" \/>, community cohesion,\u00a0and tri-city traditions.\u00a0Those from the area understand where I&#8217;m coming from. But, there are many\u00a0who still live tri-city area\u00a0generally<br \/>\ntrapped by their zip code, unable to afford to move to more prosperous areas; though, there are always exceptions to such generalizations. \u00a0There are some folks including my family and close friends, who choose to live in Delray,\u00a0River Rouge, and Ecorse, despite its current downfalls, because they remember what it once was.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>On West Jefferson Avenue there is a bridge over the Rouge River that leads Detroiter who venture across into a post-industrial society. But, then the smell invades the nostrils; a noxious chemical odor that crinkles the nose like a punch to the face. \u00a0Another feeling sinks in: this is real and people live here. \u00a0As you continue south on Jefferson, you will then enter my hometown, River Rouge, MI. \u00a0River Rouge is responsible for\u00a0much of its industrial importance to its bordering waterways, the Detroit and Rouge Rivers. Zug Island, which manufactures both iron and steel.\u00a0Today, River Rouge\u00a0is home to just under 8,000 citizens and serves as the Northeastern border of the Downriver community. Further south on Jefferson, you would have entered the city of Ecorse.\u00a0Ecorse became a significant economic force in the region when its first steel mill, Michigan Steel Mill, <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18479 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Bridge-300x162.png\" alt=\"West Jefferson Bridge\" width=\"330\" height=\"178\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Bridge-300x162.png 300w, https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Bridge-1024x552.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Bridge-768x414.png 768w, https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Bridge.png 1545w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 330px) 100vw, 330px\" \/>began operation. Both River Rouge and\u00a0Ecorse are\u00a0foot\u00a0communities connected to the &#8220;Dog Leg&#8221; of Detroit.\u00a0By all accounts, Delray,\u00a0River Rouge, and Ecorse was once a diverse and thriving community, rife with theaters, shops, restaurants, bars and various religious centers. \u00a0Today, only vestiges of this former legacy remain.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to organizations like Tri-City Community Development Corporation who see the need for change and community development. \u00a0 Tri-City CDC strives to empower residents in Southwest Detroit, River Rouge, and Ecorse communities through\u00a0collaborative efforts between faith based organizations, some \u00a0businesses, local schools and area residents.\u00a0Apart of Tri-City&#8217;s\u00a0mission\u00a0is to\u00a0develop and <img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-18455 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Tri-City-logo.png\" alt=\"tri-city-logo\" width=\"154\" height=\"144\" \/>implement\u00a0community strategies and initiatives that strengthen families and enrich the quality of life by\u00a0offering an extensive list of programs for the community.\u00a0\u00a0Some programs include\u00a0job readiness training, summer employment\/ after school programs, senior citizen activities, feeding programs, family support programs, \u00a0learning opportunities and services for single parents. \u00a0Ninety percent of their population meets low income guidelines.<\/p>\n<p>I am a humble\u00a0benefactor \u00a0of Tri-City Community Development Corporation;\u00a0who\u00a0provided\u00a0my first job opportunity at age 14 and preoccupation\u00a0for\u00a0serving communities. \u00a0Presently, I am the\u00a0Community Development\/ Relations Manager for the University of Phoenix- Detroit Campus and a Challenge Detroit Fellow. \u00a0I can honestly say, &#8220;I AM BECAUSE WE ARE\u00a0and BECAUSE WE\u00a0ARE, I AM&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some\u00a0Detroiters may\u00a0think\u00a0that they are aware of all the neighborhoods in Detroit. But, are you aware of the &#8220;Dog Leg &#8221; community also known as infamous\u00a0Southwest Detroit? \u00a0I am not referring to Mexican Town or the old Michigan Grand Station, but I am implying an\u00a0area\u00a0that is often forgotten.\u00a0The Delray,\u00a0River Rouge and Ecorse section of Southwest Detroit. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":171,"featured_media":18414,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,26,1],"tags":[150],"class_list":["post-18405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-livedetroit","category-community","category-uncategorized","tag-southwest-detroit"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/171"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18405"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18405\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}