Tale Of Two Cities: Midtown Thrives While The Rest of Detroit Struggles

As small, safe enclaves in Detroit attract residents -- Midtown’s population grew 33 percent in 10 years as Detroit as a whole lost 25 percent -- cuts in police protection threaten to unleash more crime in outer neighborhoods that already lead the nation in violence, writes Chris Christoff of Bloomberg-Businessweek.

Last year, Detroit’s 2,137 violent crimes per 100,000 people, including 344 homicides, led U.S. cities with populations of 300,000 or more, according to an FBI report. St. Louis was second, with 1,857 crimes per 100,000.

In Midtown, though, the Wayne State Police Department patrols.

WSU's 54 officers share patrols and investigations in Midtown with Detroit police. The result has been a 38-percent decline in major crime from 2008 to 2011, said WSU Captain Emery Burk.

State Rep. Jimmy Womack, 58, was robbed at gunpoint July 8 near his Detroit home several miles from Midtown, another VIP mugging this summer. He said three men stole $300 from his pocket after he refused to give them his 2011 Cadillac SRX, then laughed as they walked away.

“We’re falling apart as a community,” Womack quoted as saying.