Cool Warrendale Thing: Warrendale Cover Photos

As the folks at Facebook continue to roll out their new layout, two things are obvious. First, we will all hear a cacophony of complaints about who the new Facebook looks a lot like the old MySpace. Second, there's very little that anyone who isn't named Mark Zuckerberg can do about this except make the best of it.

With that in mind, I offer two new photos featuring the Warrendale neighborhood in Detroit that are configured to be cover photos on Facebook. Blogger re-sizes the photos to show it here. However, if you click on the photo then you will be able to see it in its original size. Then simply right-click to save it, you should be able to use it as your Facebook cover photo.

My first photo features Rouge Park. It was taken at the top of Derby Hill, looking down during a rather foggy autumn day.

Rouge Park - Ready to Be Your Facebook Cover Photo

My second photo features the legendary Tipperary Pub - which was on the Southfield Freeway service drive, just north of Tireman. This bar has since closed - and many of us are still mourning our loss - but one car remember it here.

Tipperary Pub - Ready to Be Your Facebook Cover Photo

Being able to make Detroit's Warrendale neighborhood your Facebook cover photo is the Cool Warrendale Thing of the Week for this week.

Detroit Has A Serial Killer

Detroit has many problems, but it would appear that we can now add one more to the mix. There is a serial killer operating in the east side of the city; one who targets female escorts that he meets through an internet ad service, BackPage.com.

Police Chief Ralph Godbee said in a statement that he is stopping short of calling this a serial killing spree. However, since a serial killer is generally defined as someone who kills two or more victims in two or more separate incidents, and since we now have at least four victims within a week, I believe its safe to refer to this individual as a serial killer.

Since its no secret that the investigative resources of the Detroit Police Department have been strained from  attempts by Chief Godbee and Mayor Dave Bing to preserve the high ratio of police officers assigned to politically desirable administrative positions, I certainly hope that they do not compound this error by hesitating to call in state and federal agencies for assistance with this. Stopping the Back Page Killer is simply too high of an importance for us not to take this seriously and bring every resource to bear.

My Thought for the Day

As I was out walking through the Warrendale neighborhood this afternoon, I though about the Christmas light displays that I had posted about so many times on this blog and, in particular, what it was about them that I liked so much.

More than anything, I finally realized, what I like about Christmas lights is that they give a sense of normalcy in a world that has become incredibly abnormal.

We in Detroit have a local government that is, even on its best days, completely useless and appears to be getting worse.

The local economy is a disaster.

Each of these things presents a challenge for those of us who care deeply about our community. It is something that we need to work through. However, all of this can be incredibly tiring and frustrating.

In those moments when I simply feel like giving up and putting a hex on those who convinced me not to leave this town years ago, the normalcy of Christmas lights provide a reprieve. They are a moment when everything seems to be alright; a much needed sense that our world has not gone to hell just yet.

Moments like those, no matter how fleeting they might be, give me the strength to continue on and to try one more thing to improve our community. Lights in the darkness can be extremely comforting, especially when they are put there by my friends and neighbors.

Gov. Snyder Discusses Detroit's Financial Condition

Governor Rick Snyder released a YouTube video yesterday in which he discussed his thoughts on Detroit's financial problems. It's quite clear that he is not enthusiastic about the idea of appointing an emergency manager for Detroit.

I, personally, have an enormous amount of skepticism as to whether or not he'll be able to avoid it. He will almost certainly have to do in the weeks and months to come. However, it's actually nice to know that Governor Snyder isn't rushing into it.

What's Wrong With the Detroit Police Department?

John K. Bennett of DetroitUncovered.com posted a question on Facebook earlier today. I wanted to share his question, which I quote below, as well as my answer.

Please feel free to share your thoughts on Mr. Bennett's question by leaving a comment below.

I'm writing a new story for HuffPost Detroit and I need your input. What's wrong with the Detroit Police Department? How come we keep coming up short of late in solving high profile crimes? Do we have the proper direction? Is it leadership? Are we too soft? What can be done to make the police department more efficient and more effective? How do we get the most qualified people in charge? Are you satisfied with the current leadership of the police department?

In my opinion, the problem with the Detroit Police Department is that we have too many deputy chiefs and assistant chiefs (roughly double what any any city our size would have); we spend a ridiculous amount on administration (set a copy of the budgets from Atlanta, Columbus, Denver, Indianapolis, or Milwaukee Police Departments next to DPDs and you'll be blown away by the differences); and finally - because of those first 2 items - we short-change our front line operations.

Because we short-change our front line operations (e.g., not enough officers/detectives, not enough squad cars and equipment, minimal forensics, etc.), DPD isn't able to solve high-profile crimes or even most low-profile ones, for that matter.

As far as leadership goes, I approach the subject of leadership with a military background. In the military, there is a concept called Command Responsibility. Simply put, it means that if you are in command then you are responsible for anything - and I do mean anything - that goes wrong on your watch. Period.

In my life, I've seen a lot of things go wrong in cases where DPD was on the scene or should have been there. From the Malice Green beating to two 12 year boys who were killed in their own home on Mansfield a few blocks from me to the little girl who was killed during a SWAT raid, there have been instances where something went fundamentally wrong.

However, I have never once seen a command level officer within DPD stand up and publicly accept responsibility for whatever it was that went wrong. In the most fundamental terms, there simply is no leadership within DPD. There are just some guys in fancy uniforms with a big paycheck.

71-Year-Old Warrendale Resident Goes Missing

71-Year-Old Detroit Woman Goes Missing: MyFoxDETROIT.com

Margaret Theut, who has lived on Patton Street in Detroit's Warrendale neighborhood for decades, has been missing for almost a week and foul play is suspected. She was last seen leaving church services last weekend.

Anyone who has any information regarding the disappearance, or current location, of Ms. Theut is asked to contact the Detroit Police Department immediately.