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Coleman Alexander Young (May 24, 1918 – November 29, 1997) was an American politician who served as mayor of Detroit, Michigan from 1974 to 1994. Young was the first African-American mayor of Detroit.
Young had emerged from the far-left element in Detroit, and moderated somewhat after his election as mayor. He called an ideological truce and gained widespread support from the city's business leaders.[1][2] The new mayor was energetic in the construction of the Joe Louis Arena, and upgrading the city's mass transit system. He assisted General Motors in building its new "Poletown" plant at the site of the former Dodge Main plant, which involved evicting many long-time residents. It has been argued that he pulled money out of the neighborhoods to rehabilitate the downtown business district, because "there were no other options."[3]
Young's tenure as mayor has been blamed in part for the city's ills, especially the exodus of middle-class taxpayers to the suburbs, the emergence of powerful drug-dealing gangs, and the rising crime rate.[4] Political scientist James Q. Wilson wrote that, "In Detroit, Mayor Coleman Young rejected the integrationist goal in favor of a flamboyant, black-power style that won him loyal followers, but he left the city a fiscal and social wreck."[5]
In 1981, he received the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP.[6]
Young had emerged from the far-left element in Detroit, and moderated somewhat after his election as mayor. He called an ideological truce and gained widespread support from the city's business leaders.[1][2] The new mayor was energetic in the construction of the Joe Louis Arena, and upgrading the city's mass transit system. He assisted General Motors in building its new "Poletown" plant at the site of the former Dodge Main plant, which involved evicting many long-time residents. It has been argued that he pulled money out of the neighborhoods to rehabilitate the downtown business district, because "there were no other options."[3]
Young's tenure as mayor has been blamed in part for the city's ills, especially the exodus of middle-class taxpayers to the suburbs, the emergence of powerful drug-dealing gangs, and the rising crime rate.[4] Political scientist James Q. Wilson wrote that, "In Detroit, Mayor Coleman Young rejected the integrationist goal in favor of a flamboyant, black-power style that won him loyal followers, but he left the city a fiscal and social wreck."[5]
In 1981, he received the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP.[6]
Coleman Young - Wikipedia
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Edited 5 y ago
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Capt Marty Hogan that is a pretty limited story, I grew up and lived through his entire tenure. I think he destroyed the city. Going from being the nations fifth largest city to less than a million, and many say a half million people the population count gets manipulated to keep federal and state funding higher. He pushed Chinatown right out of the city in the 70's destroyed the homes (eminent domain) and never built the area back, it is still a wasteland there just slabs of old stores and homes left. He went through every ethnic neighborhood and did his best to push them out and was pretty successful. Greektown remains but really in name only most of the ethnic Greek population (one of the largest Greek populations outside of Greece) were pushed out into the suburbs. Anything left of Poletown was buried after the new Chrysler plant opened. He ended up wealthy after he left office, he started out making $60,000 a year as mayor and lived in the Manoogian Mansion the traditional mayors residence. Coleman Young didn't have any money when he came into office but he left with millions and properties all over including Canada. Detroit just makes me sad to see my hometown fall down like this with the ghosts of beautiful well built homes falling down, that were once filled with families and children playing safely in the neighborhoods. I think Detroit was one of the birthplaces of racial and identity politics, and if we keep going down this divisive path the nation is on, Detroit is the mirror most of the nations large cities will be looking at. It is not a pretty picture, I miss what it was and hate what it has become.
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Maj Marty Hogan
Great background info on the city. I have been there sporadically throughout my career and seen some of the decline. Odd watching a former metropolis crippled and decaying. The car industry thrived at one time- still does well, but profit and family drove it at one time. Somewhere along the way- family was replaced for more profit. Has happened throughout the Mid-West in farming as well. Greed and power.
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CPL Douglas Chrysler
I knew it when you were proud of it. But, fortunately I didn't have to witness what you describe as it's downfall. Detroit was a grand place, I'm sorry you had to watch it develop into what it is. And, I'm especially regretful our children will never the greatness that thrived within it's neighborhoods.
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One of sixty years of Democrat mayors and city councils to bankrupt and otherwise destroy a major American city, one of two things they had in common.
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