The Secret Service Sends the Police to the Dealership

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  In early August of 2009, Vice president Joe Biden came to the New Center area to talk about stimulus grants for battery research at Nextenergy. He would also talk about the economy and jobs. This was a stone's throw from the dealership.
    One of the guys at the dealership made a large banner that said "PLEASE SAVE OUR JOBS". It was hung from a 3rd floor window,well before Biden's arrival time. It was an attempt to draw media attention and possibly catch Biden's eye.
    It was not to be. There was a large police presence in the area for the event.  The banner had only been hung for about 20 minutes before two policemen came by and said that the Secret Service had directed them to have us take it down.
    These policemen were cordial but firm about the directive.  We knew we were within our rights to keep the banner, but to keep the peace and not create a fuss, it was taken down. What a regret that is now.  Perhaps if it had happened later in the process...
    The dealership always had a good relationship with the police.  They were helpful and came quickly when needed.  They always looked out for us and were always on our side.
    I know police and crime go hand-in-hand in the news.  In response to the 17 shootings last weekend - more police and better lighting were recommended.  While these are both positive ideas, how much can they really accomplish?  Shootings and crime happen in broad daylight.  When that happens, it is like an attitude of "Whatever happens, happens. I'm doing this!".
    The problem is much bigger and harder to solve than more police and lighting.  People have to have jobs.  They have to be able to support themselves and their families.  Desperate people do desperate things.  Drugs, alcohol, crime - those are all unhealthy ways of dealing with the stress of feeling overwhelmed, powerless, and hopeless.
    It's always great when big companies relocate to the city.  I applaud them because it is not without risk.  Small businesses are also needed.  Factories are needed.  This is not just a Detroit issue - the reality of our country is we have a lot of unskilled and/or undereducated people who need jobs too. The situation is already here, not in the future.
    If you watch television, it sounds like everyone can go to college.  While that might be the ideal, the reality is not everyone goes to college. Period.  I so believe that we have to have manufacturing if we're going to make it in this country.  We can't survive on services and information.  We have to produce something that is real, that we can see and touch.  There is no shame in that reality.
   The dealership was a small business that sold real products.  It employed between 60 and 70 people.  That makes 60 and 70 families that had income and health insurance.  Did they all live in the city - no, but many of them did.
    One of the jobs at the dealership with the most turnover was that of the porter.That is kind of a catch-all position that involves moving cars around, washing them and other miscellaneous tasks around the dealership. They say it is easier to hire upper management than it is to hire a good porter.  It did pay above minimum wage but it was our experience that the porter usually didn't want to work very hard, was unreliable and was famous for saying "that isn't my job" when asked to do something.  Of course there were exceptions.
   On a lighter note:
    One of the more colorful characters that filled this position was "Louisiana Lonnie" and with him came a couple cohorts by the names of "Wicked Wanda" and "Homeless Johnny".  When you work with people, you get to know them and their stories and sometimes their personal lives show up at work.
    Lonnie had been in some trouble in Louisiana and somehow found his way to Detroit.  He was personable and extremely grateful to have the porter job.  In the city, you took chances on people who were down on their luck and needed a second chance.  Sometimes it works out.  Lonnie was a pretty good worker but his personal life...
   Wanda had taken Lonnie in.  She also had another roommate that she had taken in from being homeless.  Somehow he got the name "Homeless Johnny", no disrespect meant. They didn't quite know where Wanda was collecting these guys.
    She used to give Lonnie a lift to or from work and sometimes brought him a lunch.  She became "Wicked" about 3 months after Lonnie had been working at the dealership.  She showed up looking for him and she was there to do some damage. "I'm gonna kill him, that #!%!" she yelled from outside the building.  She had something like a tire iron in her hand.
  Luckily for him, someone warned Lonnie and he got out of the area.  They yelled out to her that he wasn't there and for her to go home and eventually she left without a call to the police.
    She threw him out and Lonnie disappeared for good a few days later.  Wanda sent Johnny to see if they had money(a paycheck) for Lonnie as he had crossed her and owed her money.  They did have a paycheck that they were holding because he had not returned his uniforms and also they didn't know where he was.  Keith gave Johnny a ride to Wanda's to pick up the uniforms.  This was right in the middle of the "combat zone" northeast of the dealership.  Keith remembers sitting in his Cadillac wearing his nice suit and thinking "I've gotta be nuts being here for a few uniforms!".  All eyes in the area were on him.  Fortunately, It all worked out safely.
    Lonnie wrote sometime later that he was back in Louisiana and they did end up sending him his last paycheck.  You get involved in the drama sometimes and you feel bad for people in these situations but short of adopting them you give them a chance to work and support themselves and they make their own choices after that.  That's all you can do.