OT: Detroit man walks 21 miles to and from work every day
Great pick-me-up on this snowy, blustery Midwestern Monday
February 2nd, 2015 at 2:18 PM ^
As a devil's advocate counterpoint, it sounds like he could move closer (I'm sure there are places in Pontiac, for example, he could rent with his GF), but doesn't for a variety of reasons. So at least part of this is his own doing, or could be remedied in part with a change in perspective by him. I mean, "stubborness" is a character trait too.
I think this is a biting indictment of Metro Detroit's public transportation system; the fact the guy has to walk 20+ miles a day is interesting but I'm not going to praise/criticize him because of it.
February 2nd, 2015 at 1:38 PM ^
Agreed. It's a chilling commentary on how little minimum wage buys you, how messed up metro Detroit's regional transportation is, how few good jobs there are in Detroit, etc. It's a miscrosm of so many sad problems that boggles my mind that someone would feel "picked up" by this article.
February 2nd, 2015 at 1:41 PM ^
He doesn't make minimum wage, he makes $10.55 if I'm remembering the article correctly. But still probably not enough to insure your car in Detroit and maintain a decent standard of living.
February 2nd, 2015 at 1:20 PM ^
Let's just say the premiums are very high in Detroit for a couple of very good reasons and stop there...
February 2nd, 2015 at 1:26 PM ^
If you think there's some sort of race-based conspiracy theory on insurance in Detroit, I've got a bridge to sell you. Here's why rates in Detroit are high: (1) Astronomical theft rates; (2) Astronomically high incidents of accidents compared to other areas; (3) High rates of insurance fraud...and on and on and on....
February 2nd, 2015 at 1:40 PM ^
anything about race. In fact, you nailed the reasons why it's so high.
February 2nd, 2015 at 1:28 PM ^
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February 2nd, 2015 at 1:25 PM ^
Don't even know what to say at this point.
February 2nd, 2015 at 1:27 PM ^
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February 2nd, 2015 at 1:27 PM ^
February 2nd, 2015 at 3:38 PM ^
Echoes the plant manager Wilson, "We are very much trying to get James a vehicle." But Robertson has a routine now, and he seems to like it, his coworkers say.
"If I can get away, I'll pick him up. But James won't get in just anybody's car. He likes his independence," Wilson says.
February 2nd, 2015 at 1:31 PM ^
Instead of bitching, send $10 and make lunch instead of buying a burger. You will feel a lot better, trust me.
Lots of folks bitch about "those lazy people on welfare". This guy is saving you and me money by being a productive member of society and paying taxes but more importantly having self esteem.
Yeah it would be nice if Detroit had lower insurance rates, no crime, better mass transit, etc. But that is not reality for the day to day struggles people like this live in and can't do anything about.
There are MANY people like him. I have been a plant line supervisior with folks who had little if any education, were single parents, had illnesses with poor helath care (or none before Obama),etc. It is freaking eye opening and humbling to those of us who have been fortunate to attend a school such as UM and have so many things others would die for.
Awesome job by those who contributed. This is a big pick me up - the many people give a damned.
February 2nd, 2015 at 1:31 PM ^
Raised over $56K already.
February 2nd, 2015 at 1:37 PM ^
Makes it sound like at this point - he probably really could get a car, with help from his work, etc - but he understands how his life works rigtht now, and it'd be another headache he doesn't need. I get that.
The circumstances that drove him to this point are a terribly commentary on assistance for the poor in Detroit - but if somebody arrives somewhere they never wanted to be and finds they like it there, well that's a bit of a differen story.
That said, he needs to get some sort of transportation so he doesn't end up keeled over in a snow bank with a heart attack, or killed in a hit & run at 3 AM.
February 2nd, 2015 at 1:43 PM ^
February 2nd, 2015 at 1:45 PM ^
Daily 4-hour walk, that is insane.
February 2nd, 2015 at 9:19 PM ^
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February 2nd, 2015 at 1:56 PM ^
crazy story
February 2nd, 2015 at 1:58 PM ^
Something doesn't add up here. Is he spending his entire check on food and eating it all himself? How could someone walking as much as is being claimed be "pudgy?" It simply would not be the case. I have a feeling there are some things being misrepresented.
February 2nd, 2015 at 2:08 PM ^
He's making less than eleven bucks an hour. Sure, he walks a lot, but that doesn't mean he's automatically going to be rail thin, or that he can afford (or have easy access to, or have time to prepare) the most nutritious food. (Insert soap box rant about food deserts here.)
February 2nd, 2015 at 2:15 PM ^
He's doing more PT per day than I did in the Army. He's basically doing over a 15k footmarch x 2....every day. That is insane. He would have to be taking in a massive amount of calories in order to be pudgy at all.
Never let facts get in the way of a good story though.
February 2nd, 2015 at 2:24 PM ^
And everyone's body type and shape is obviously exactly the same, and reacts the same way to exercise, stress, work, etc.
I guess I just don't get your point. What exactly are you insinuating here?
February 2nd, 2015 at 7:26 PM ^
His point is that there's something off about someone walking (almost) a marathon 5 days a week and still managing to stay overweight. Personally, I agree.
February 2nd, 2015 at 2:00 PM ^
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February 2nd, 2015 at 2:04 PM ^
GoFundMe page now up to almost $60,000. I hope he gets good advice and moves out of Detroit and up near Rochester near his workplace and rents an apartment. The insurance rates would be 1/4 of what he'd have in Detroit, hell he could even still walk if he wanted, just much closer.
February 2nd, 2015 at 2:17 PM ^
For those that think this is a scam, I honestly feel sorry for your outlook on life. Based on the comments in the article on from donors, some who know him, on his gofundme page (set up by someone else) the guy seems legit. We don't know his entire back story.So what.
Reading this line in the article says all we need to know:
"Robertson has simple words for why he is what he is, and does what he does. He speaks with pride of his parents, including his father's military service." If his father was part of "the Greatest Generation" then his story makes total sense.
February 2nd, 2015 at 2:09 PM ^
no one click.
Also I clicked it and just thought it was kind of sad... not exactly a pick-me-up.
February 2nd, 2015 at 2:11 PM ^
I'm happy about the GoFundMe - but gosh the transportation situation absolutely has to improve in metro Detroit
February 2nd, 2015 at 2:14 PM ^
I don't believe this story. It says he gets 2 hours of sleep every night. A normal person would be dead if they didn't have serious health problems with that little sleep.
February 2nd, 2015 at 2:55 PM ^
Not true. You may want to research polyphasic sleep, which it sounds like he's achieving unintentionally with the addition of his naps. There isn't a lot of study done on it yet, but there are definitely many people doing it. EDIT: and to clarify, those people doing it aren't dead yet.
February 2nd, 2015 at 2:28 PM ^
Robertson's daunting walks and bus rides, in all kinds of weather, also reflect the challenges some metro Detroiters face in getting to work in a region of limited bus service, and where car ownership is priced beyond the reach of many.
It really is incredible what insufficient and incoherent regional transit can steal in the way of time from people honestly, and not just in the city really. I've got a neighbor here in Romulus - some 20-ish miles by road from downtown Detroit - who relies on the SMART bus system to get to work in the city and what would be a 20-minute drive for me (in good conditions) is a two-hour ordeal for them on a route with an insane number of stops and one transfer in southwest Detroit. It's difficult for me to imagine but it is a reality shared by a frightening number of people in the region.
February 2nd, 2015 at 2:57 PM ^
I'm gonna suggest that a single regional transit authority would be an improvement but by no means fix things. Detroit is too sprawled out for even a well-run bus system to be efficient. A light rail system would be a disaster too. Bus rapid transit is the only answer, IMO, and I don't think any city in the world is better set up for such a system than Detroit is.
February 2nd, 2015 at 3:04 PM ^
You act like this is some new and novel idea no one has thought of before. A single regional transit authority isn't a reality for a number of historical reasons, and seems unlikely to be in the cards any time soon. Look into the history of SEMTA/SMART, the People Mover debacle, specific suburbs' voter referendums on opting out of public transit, etc. for more information.
February 2nd, 2015 at 3:13 PM ^
I think you're misreading what I'm saying. I'm not suggesting a single authority as if it's new. I'm taking it as a given in terms of ideas to improve transportation in Detroit - as in, I think it's undeniable that one system would be better than two - but I'm saying it's far from a magic bullet, and shouldn't be treated as such.
Bus rapid transit isn't a new and novel idea either, but IMO it's the only good one.
February 2nd, 2015 at 5:23 PM ^
We're totally getting a train up Woodward! Who needs buses?
/s
February 2nd, 2015 at 2:28 PM ^
February 2nd, 2015 at 3:31 PM ^
Sure, that's definitely the working poor and it's tough, but there's definitely more to this story than the Freep leads on. What assistant programs has he applied to? Does he have a family? Why does he live in Detroit and not closer to work? Has he looked for a second job to pay for a car? Is he a veteran?
The way he talks about his walk makes it seem like he's purposely choosing to do this.
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:55 PM ^
February 2nd, 2015 at 5:34 PM ^
Him living in a house inherited (and thus not paying rent?) and having a partner makes him not buying a mode of transportation even more inexplicable, especially if the reason that they stay in Detroit is because its near her work, and thus she's bringing in money too. The guy probably takes home about 360 a week (though he also gets a tax refund too). I found a place a couple miles from his employment he could live in in about 5 mins to find a place a few miles from 59 in Rochester Hills and that's assuming his girlfriend brings in zero.
Is it tough to make only 10.55 an hour? Sure is. But the reason this guy is a story is because he's purposely doing something that most people in his situation don't have to do. It's not like his colleagues, almost certainly making a similar pay rate, are saying they have to do this too.
This is an exceptional story that basically shows an extreme case in order to argue, rightfully, that metro Detroit needs a better transit system. You can blame Mayor Couzens for vetoing the bonds to build a subway system about a century ago.
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:56 PM ^
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:22 PM ^
February 2nd, 2015 at 2:32 PM ^
Fucking disgusting. Pay the man a liveable wage so he can actually drive an old beater to work. I find it incredible people feel good about a 56 year old man having to walk 21 miles a day - then working a full shift on top of it.
Oh and fuck the Freep.
February 2nd, 2015 at 3:20 PM ^
I feel good about having a 56 year old man walk 21 miles a day.
I posted the article because here's a man who comes from one of the most economically disadvantaged cities in this country, absent of good (and safe) public transportation and instead of bitching and crying about how hard he has it, he gets up everyday and busts his ass to get to his job on time. It's a great lesson in humility and perseverance.
If that's not a representation of how hard this city works, I don't know what is.
February 2nd, 2015 at 3:32 PM ^
and with responses like yours, he is doing other poor people a diservice.
If the average person was forced into this living situation, they would most likely get terrible health problems from chronic sleep deprivation and over-worked joints.
It would do everyone much more good to bitch about how terrible his life situation is than to pat him on the back and expect everyone else to work this hard. It is inhumane, not commendable.
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:07 PM ^
Sheds light on how both bad some have it living in Detroit, and also, shows that everyone downtown is not a welfare wanting, lazy person as many stereo type.
I am glad to see this guy's situation financially resolved. On the surface he deserves it for sure.
It also should raise conversations about the plight of those in Detroit who have no infrastructure to rely on and a much smaller chance at the American Dream.
February 2nd, 2015 at 5:14 PM ^
of someone not being a lazy welfare queen, but not in the context of it being some sort of baseline expectation of how everyone in crappy conditions should act.
February 2nd, 2015 at 2:35 PM ^
A lot of these sob stories turn out to be scams. The girl at KFC was a hoax. The homeless guy buying groceries for other homeless people was a hoax. It's pretty easy to extract money from gullible people on the internet. Even if this is true there are much better causes to donate to than an able bodied man in his 50's.
February 2nd, 2015 at 2:55 PM ^
February 2nd, 2015 at 3:17 PM ^
February 2nd, 2015 at 3:24 PM ^
The system does not work well. I am not happy at his lack of a car, or at the lack of public transportation. Having said that, this was a thought provoking article, which I am glad to have read. His perseverence, dedication, humility, and hard work shine through.