The Spark

the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist

“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx

Sucking the Life out of Detroit

Apr 29, 2013

More than 100 people were given a 30-day notice to vacate their apartments near downtown Detroit. Three apartment buildings, perfectly serviceable buildings, house many people who have lived there a good part of their lives. Overnight, they were told, get out! Too bad, if their lives are turned upside down!

A “mysterious” company bought the three buildings. The same “mysterious” company has secretly been buying buildings in the area for several years–pushing people out, leaving buildings to rot, pushing the city to tear buildings down.

No real secret–there’s been talk for months about this area. The Ilitch family wants a big block of land for a new hockey arena.

This is the same Ilitch family which extorted 57 million dollars from the city for their old hockey arena in 1977, threatening to move the team to the suburbs. It’s the same Ilitch family that got the city to pay 189 million dollars in 2000 for their new baseball stadium. That same Ilitch family is actually in default on payments it owes to the city on its old hockey arena.

No matter. “Progress” must go on. That’s what the wealthy, sucking life out of this working-class city, call it: “progress.”

We call it devastation!