WASHINGTON, July 21 (UPI) -- The mayor of Detroit said Sunday the pending bankruptcy of his city would clear the way to invest in the invigoration of residential areas.
Mayor Dave Bing said on ABC's "This Week" that the bankruptcy plan was the next phase in the long recovery of the Motor City, which was already under way in the downtown area.
"I think our city is going to come back," said Bing. "It is not going to happen overnight, and we have got to be very strategic in whatever we do."
"We can't fix it all overnight," Bing added. "We've got to better communicate that to people and let them know that the cavalry is coming and nobody is going to deny them their rights."
Bing said it would be a mistake to fan race-based sniping over the woeful state of affairs in Detroit and the appointment of an emergency manager for the city by the Michigan Legislature. Bing said the emergency manager was not an attempt by lawmakers from white suburbs to usurp black leadership in Detroit
"The polarization between our city and our suburbs is something that's been going on for the last 60 years and we have to change it," Bing said. "If Detroit fails, all of these surrounding suburbs are going to feel the brunt of it also. So it behooves us to see how we can work together to make this entire southeastern region livable for all of us."
