Dead swan on Belle Isle.
Belle Isle is the best thing about Detroit, it recently got taken over by the State because the city was having trouble maintaining it. They run a Grand Prix there now and charge for admission. The heavy presence of State Troopers also puts a damper on things. It used to be a great place to see the city's vast collection of classic american cars, cruising on a Sunday Evening. We found this dead swan in the fall.
Shaved head.
Kids in Inkster.
Stopped by to visit a friend and caught these guys shooting a music video. They told me they were empty but you can see the rounds in the cartridge of the .22. Luckily, Kid in the middle is maintaining some discipline with his trigger finger.
Ram Grill.
Ram grill looking gnarly. Winters are brutal.
Collecting Water.
Despite being on one of the world's largest sources of fresh water - the Great Lakes. Detroit water is expensive, and occasionally the city will cut off residents' water supplies.
Scrapper's Cart.
First warm day in 2017 and riding to work I see this guy hauling a cart of scrapped aluminium siding.
Hamtramck
Hamtramck is a city within Detroit, with its own mayor and local government which hits the national news when a majority Muslim council is elected.
Ashley and a John.
Palmer Park remains home for Transgender women in the City, where they can occasionally be found strolling in-front of the building known as 'The Mirrors' around 6 and Woodward.
Marijuana Plant in a vacant lot.
Found someone's weed! I kept tabs on it throughout the summer, there were six plants, two ended up being male and were left behind.
House Fire.
In 2011, you could take the elevator up to 'Coach Insignia' at the top of the Renaissance center to watch the Peregrine falcons, they'd catch the wind and be able to hold their position just outside the panoramic window for a few minutes before stooping on an unlucky seagull or pigeon below. Here the setting sun caught the smoke from a housefire in Southwest Detroit.
Hacked Street Crossing.
The state recently passed legislation protecting the city from trip-and-fall lawsuits because of the condition of the side walks.
Painted house.
There's a of a career trajectory from Graffiti kid to an abstract painting practice in the fine art world. There's a few talented painters in Detroit who've come up this way and many more across the United States.
All the dead dogs I have found in Detroit.
Doing a lot of walking and cycling in the city you inevitably come across dead dogs. Some are strays that have starved or frozen to death and others were obviously dumped. The large one in the center has a bullet hole at the right eyebrow. The one at the back on the left was found in a 5 Gallon bucket and had a stiff electrical cord tied tightly around it's neck.
Execute cop killers, Dead Rottweiler.
There's nothing like a 'Fraternal Order of Police Officers' bumper stickers to make the right impression when you are getting pulled over. I imagine an 'Execute Cop Killers' bumper sticker does just as well. A dumped Rottweiler .
Liquor store pickles
Every depressed northern city relies on drugs and deep-fried food s to keep its people happy. In Northern England and Scotland it's alcohol and the chippy with brown sauce with pickled eggs, in Detroit it's weed and stuff like this in liquor stores. In the Coney Islands here they'll ask you 'shredded or squeeze' when referring to the type of cheese you want on your fries. Random building in the process of being demolished.
Pigeon Guano in a building
Most vacant buildings get hit pretty hard by scrappers, the 2007 recession coincided with increased prices for scrap metal, and in Detroit a cottage industry sprung up around scrapping metal from buildings. It's unusual to find one that's not been torn apart from the inside out. At the Packard Plant, scrappers using hand tools successfully de-constructed and entire floor. This one was untouched and pigeons had been living there for some time.
Skeleton Hoodie
Homelessness.
Sometimes come across homeless peoples' sleeping spots, typically with a neat array of shoes, tidyly folded blankets and a sugar supply, often Faygo, Detroit's eponymous 'pop' or a jar of peanut butter.
Inside an abandoned high school
As Detroit's population declined its Public School system suffered declining enrollment and a catastrophic deficit. Many schools, built with no-expense-spared during the boom years were left vacant and unsecured to be torn apart by scrapping and vandalism. Today privatized charter schools have replaced many public schools, educating the city's children for-profit, while the investment in the public school system, made over decades and represented by its amazing buildings is squandered.
Raccoons for sale.
Raccoons are a southern thing, many of the city's residents came from the South, to escape racism and find work in the factories, this southern influence permeates much of Detroit's rich culture.
Lorcin 9MM
Found this Lorcin 9mm in the trash filled basement of an abandoned home. The serial number had been scratched out. Lorcin Firearms, along with other 'Ring of Fire' manufacturers mass-produced cheap compact pistols dubbed 'Saturday Night Specials' because of their disposable and discrete characteristics. Incidentally Detroit Jazz legend Lyman Woodard featured one prominently on his album 'Saturday Night Special'. Lyman's son, Lyman Jr was my neighbor up until he overdosed in the winter of 2016.
Foreclosed Home