Detroit News chief editorial writer Nolan Finley writes about the challenges of Detroit getting some African Americans who grew up in the city to stay or move back into Detroit.
One of the people he talks to is Marie Alexander, a professional African-American who grew up in the city and is looking to start a family. She's getting married in the fall.
And she's house-hunting in Northville and Novi.
"It's a very family-friendly atmosphere there, and great schools," says Alexander, 29. "It's a great place to raise kids."
Finley writes:
But like many African-Americans of her generation and background, her perceptions of Detroit differ from those of the mostly white, suburban newcomers who are crowding into the cool new spaces downtown.
Her family lived in a solidly middle class Rosedale Park neighborhood. Her dad was a cop. And yet her most searing childhood memories involve the dangers of the city. Alexander's mother was shot in 2002 at a gasoline station near their home and was held up again on her own street in 2010.
"I'm a strong advocate for the city," she says. "I spend a lot of time in the city. But I've also seen the worst of it.
"At some point, you want a less eventful life."
