The Walls

All these walls still in existence as of August/September 2009.

"We deal here with the right of all of our children, whatever their race, to an equal start in life and to an equal opportunity to reach their full potential as citizens. Those children who have been denied that right in the past deserve better than to see fences thrown up to deny them that right in the future. Our Nation, I fear, will be ill served by the Court's refusal to remedy separate and unequal education, for unless our children begin to learn together, there is little hope that our people will ever learn to live together."

--MR. JUSTICE MARSHALL, Dissent, MILLIKEN v. BRADLEY, 418 U.S. 717 (1974)

Border of Detroit and Grosse Point Park illustrating the abandonment of the city.
Source: Google Maps [http://earth.google.com/] (11/23/07)

Walls erected on several residential streets that use to run unhindered between Detroit and Grosse Point Park.

Location of "The Walls".
Source: BOUNDARY AND ANNEXATION SURVEY (BAS): Grosse Pointe Park city, MI (12600035540), US Census Bureau.

Korte Ave. Wall
Source: Google Maps [http://maps.google.com/] (11/13/11)

Brooks St. Wall
Source: Google Maps [http://maps.google.com/] (11/13/11)

Goethe Ave. Wall
Source: Google Maps [http://maps.google.com/] (11/13/11)

Wayburn Wall
Source: Google Maps [http://maps.google.com/] (11/13/11)

Wall erected near 8 Mile and Wyoming in the 1940's to separate White residents on the west side from the Black residents that were living on the east side. Developers erected the wall to get FHA mortgage guarantees and loans.

Location of "Wyoming Wall".

Source:

1. Google Maps [http://maps.google.com/] (2/13/12)
2. The kiss, the wall & other true tales, Metro Times, 5/15/2002 [http://www2.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=3273] (2/13/12)
3. Sugrue, Thomas J., The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit, Princeton University Press, Princeton & Oxford, 2005.

Various pictures of "Wyoming Wall" along its remaining length.

Source:

1. Google Maps [http://maps.google.com/] (2/13/12)

2010 US Census Data for Tri-County are that includes Detroit (Wayne Oakland, and Macomb counties)

1. Overall racial demographics: 65.0% White; 25.0% Black; 3.6% Asian; 4.0% Hispanic; 2.4% unclassified
2. Of the 131 communities listed in the Tri-County area, 44.3% of them have a population that is over 90% White.
3. 30.5% of the White population lives in communities that are over 90% White.
4. Of the 131 communities listed in the Tri-County area, 73.3 % of them have a population that is over 80% White.
5. 77.1% of the White population lives in communities that are over 80% White.
6. Of the 131 communities listed in the Tri-County area, 6.1% of them have a population that is over 50% Black.
7. 94.9% of the Black population lives in communities that are over 50% Black.
8. Of the 131 communities listed in the Tri-County area, 2.3% of them have a population that is over 80% Black.
9. 75.3% of the Black population lives in communities that are over 80% Black.

Source: Census 2010 Population, Information on Census population change by race from 2000 to 2010 for every county and community in Southeast Michigan. [http://www.semcog.org/Data/bysubject.cfm?mcd=8999#people] (1/31/2012)

Detroit Public School Race Demographic Data, latest published as of 2/2012

1. Overall racial demographics for the total population of the Tri-County Area: 65.0% White; 25.0% Black; 3.6% Asian; 4.0% Hispanic; 2.4% unclassified
2. Overall racial demographics for the total population of the City of Detroit: 7.8% White; 82.2% Black; 1.0% Asian; 6.8% Hispanic; 2.2% other
3. Overall racial demographics for total student population of Detroit Public Schools: 2.5% White; 89.3% Black; 0.8% Asian; 7.1% Hispanic; 0.3% American Indian
4. Of the 181 schools, 26, or 14.4%, have no White students.
5. Of the 181 schools, 148, or 81.8%, have less than 10 White students.
6. Although Hispanics are the 2nd largest demographic group, 64 schools, or 35.4%, have no hispanic students.
7. Although Hispanics are the 2nd largest demographic group, 159 schools, or 87.8%, have less than 10 hispanic students.
8. Hispanics are the majority in 14 schools, or 7.7% of the total, and these schools contain 85.1% of the Hispanic students.
9. Whites are the majority in 2 schools, or 1.1% of the total, and these schools contain 13.9% of the White students.

Surprisingly, the above data shows that even with the vast majority of students in the district being Black, that there are still segregated schools. This is most evident in the the 14 schools where Hispanics are in the majority. These few schools contain the vast majority of the Hispanic student population.

Source: Combined School Profile Reports, Detroit Public Schools, School Profile Reports [http://detroitk12.org/schools/reports/profiles/School%20Profiles.pdf] (2/12/2012)

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