Is Grosse Pointe stable, long-term? Still a U-M feeder?

Submitted by diag squirrel on

When I was growing up The Pointes were one of the premier suburbs in the US.  Even five years ago, U-M accepted nearly 75 Grosse Pointe South High School students per year (source: http://www.michigandaily.com/content/feeder-schools).  But a buddy of mine at work said The Pointes remind him a lot of Cleveland's Shaker Heights, a formerly tony suburb that turned pretty average twenty-five or so years ago.  I looked up the latest high school rankings for the state:

1-3 International Academies of Macomb, Bloomfield Hills, Washtenaw

4 City High, Grand Rapids

5 Seaholm, Birmingham

6 Saginaw Arts & Sciences

7 Okemos

8 Community, Ann Arbor

9 Adams, Rochester

10 East Grand Rapids

11 Northville

12 Troy

13 Forest Hills Central

13 Saline

15 Chelsea

16 Pioneer, Ann Arbor

17 Washtenaw Tech

18 Skyline, Ann Arbor

19 Athens, Troy

19 Novi

21 Houghton Central

22 Stoney Creek, Rochester

23 Black River (Public Charter), Holland

23 Harbor Springs

25 Forest Hills East

25 Grosse Pointe South

...

86 Grosse Pointe North

source: http://www.schooldigger.com/go/MI/schoolrank.aspx?level=3

With public schools being one method to gauge long-term appeal, it would seem in and around Ann Arbor is the star of the show. Northville, eastern burbs of Grand Rapids, Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham and Rochester/Oakland Township also seem to be investment worthy.

123blue

January 26th, 2015 at 12:40 PM ^

Then you probably love GP.  Other than Howell, I don't know if there's a more historically bigoted city in Michigan.  While some below have pointed out treatment of blacks in GP, let's not forget how poorly GP treated Jews and immigrants in general.  There are some beautiful homes in GP, but it's not a city with a great history of goodness.

Cromulent

January 26th, 2015 at 1:49 PM ^

Poor treatment of Jews in GP? First off, you could count the Jewish families in the Pointes on one hand. At least when I grew up there.

Second, the ones that were there had no problems at all and were in fact upstanding members of the community quite well treated. Perhaps you've heard of the Kricksteins?

123blue

January 26th, 2015 at 2:01 PM ^

You realize that GP screened prospective property owners to avoid sales to Jews and blacks, right?  That likely explains why you didn't have a lot of Jewish families in the area when you grew up there.  Dude, thinking that GP is/was welcoming to Jews is like thinking that a fried chicken diet is good for weight loss.

It was probably that great treatment you describe that led my father and his friends (all Jewish) to be rounded up by the cops (1950's) and removed from GP...for being Jewish.  While Jews can now buy property in GP (oh, such an honor), not many of us would ever want to live there.

1974

January 26th, 2015 at 3:36 PM ^

It wasn't just Jews. If you weren't a WASP back then (e.g., if you were Greek/Italian) you faced subtle discrimination in that region. Lately? Not so much ...

Reference (not necessarily authoritative, but consistent with what I've heard):

http://racehist.blogspot.com/2009/01/white-anglo-saxon-protestant.html

BTW, I have older relatives who were on the wrong end of that back in the day.

The_Mad Hatter

January 26th, 2015 at 2:15 PM ^

on the being removed from GP for being Jewish point.  I've never heard anything of the sort.

The practice you're referring to was/is called redlining, and it happened everywhere, not just GP.  Although it may have been worse in GP than in other areas, as GP is the only wealthy suburb that directly shares a border with Detroit.

123blue

January 26th, 2015 at 2:34 PM ^

The comments showing blissful ignorance of GP's past are crazy.  I won't get too deep into what seems to be some serious head-in-the-sand action, but my 12-year old dad and his nerdy buddies weren't exactly what you'd call a security threat.

Reading these comments, you'd think GP was a model city...holy shit.  I now have a number of friends from GP, most of whom are pretty ashamed of its (recent) past.  It's pretty sad to see anyone defend rather than apologize for GP's past.

25dodgebros

January 26th, 2015 at 2:31 PM ^

You do realize when my parents bought a house in Bloomfield Township in 1960 both the deed and the subdivision rules precluded selling the house to any non-Aryans?  People pick on GP all lthe time for things that were common in all suburbs ( and even the city of Detroit) at the time. Not defending discrimination against Jews and blacks but I never read anything about the racist history of Bloomfield Township.   That's fine.  But I live in Grosse Pointe Park and if I had even a slightly better throwing arm I could easily put a baseball onto Alter Road from my back yard.  I invite all of you judges of the racism of GPP to buy the house next door to me and live with that lawless failed state that is eastside Detroit 100 yards from your fence line.  You might find barriers to keep the thieves and their guns out of your house not so unreasonable. 

123blue

January 26th, 2015 at 2:38 PM ^

Let's try this again...because in 1960 your parents (unless they were proper, white folk) could NOT have bought a house in GP.  They were, clearly, able to buy a house in Bloomfield.  Restrictive convenants in deeds were indeed common (despite their shittiness) and ignored all over the country.  Former Chief Justice Rehnquist even had restrictive convenants in his home's deed....though that guy should have had it removed just for the sake of decent appearance.

There is a difference between restrictive convenants (as much as they suck; they're also ignored) and banning sales to minorities.

 

Cromulent

January 26th, 2015 at 2:59 PM ^

Let's try this again. I grew up in GP ('82 grad), my family stayed after I left and I still have family there.

Not once, not a single solitary time did I *ever* hear a Jewish slur or see someone mistreated.

In fact as a youngster the rotating presidency at Lochmoor was held for a year by a Jewish guy. Big hitting lefty.

SCS100

January 26th, 2015 at 3:16 PM ^

The Pointes also banned Poles during that time as well. I'm well over half Polish and never had a problem while growing up. People know the history, and the vast majority put it behind them because it just doesn't matter as much anymore. It is nowhere near as prevalent as it used to be. Those days are dead. Is there still a sense of entitlement? Absolutely. Are you going to be run out of town for being Jewish/Black/etc.? No.

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

January 26th, 2015 at 3:43 PM ^

OK smarty, would it change your mind to know that growing up in GP, I had some very good friends who were Jewish, moved there over 30 years ago, are still there, and are awfully far to the left side of the political spectrum?  The latter, meaning that they would be the kind of people who'd be loud and vocal about any discrimination they noticed and assuredly wouldn't have stuck around if there were any of it directed at them.

It probably wouldn't change your mind, which is sort of the definition of an intractible stereotype, but keep on stereotyping in a way you feel is acceptable.

25dodgebros

January 26th, 2015 at 5:30 PM ^

My folks were proper WASPs and could have bought in GP and Bloomfield.  My point is that in 1960 there was little difference between Bloomfield Twp (where I grew up) and Grosse Pointe where I now live.  Yet, all you hear is how racist GP was and no one ever says that about Bloomfield.  I had one afro american classmate from K-12 in Bloomfield Hills schools.  1.  Total.  For all years.    Why no stories about how racist Bloomfield Hills Schools  were and how the real estate brokers kept blacks out?  People love to stereotype Grosse Pointers and make fun of things like the farmer's market, barriers, cul de sacs, etc.   To which I say, come on down and live next to a lawless, crime-ridden, and really dangerous city and see whether you might not support some barriers to try to keep that stuff (whatever race happens to be perpetrating it) out of your community.  Easy to pontificate from miles away.  Harder when its in your backyard.  (almost literally)  

CalifExile

January 26th, 2015 at 7:54 PM ^

Your ability and willingness to fabricate nonsense is astonishing. Restrictive covenants based on race were unenforcable in courts since Shelley v. Kraemer in 1948. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 prohibited similar state action, as the US Supreme Court made clear in Hurd v. Hodge the same year.

snarling wolverine

January 26th, 2015 at 12:41 PM ^

To be fair, the Pointes are in an awkward situation, being a wealthy area immediately bordering some of Detroit's worst neighborhoods.  Most of the other suburbs that border Detroit are not particularly wealthy and aren't going to be potential targets for thieves the way the Pointes are.  It's not surprising that they have a heavy police presence.

 

turtleboy

January 26th, 2015 at 1:26 PM ^

Well, not to say there isn't a LOT of racism in the Grosse Pointes, I mean, there's a lot, but some of my friends bought into the Windmill Point area and when we're hanging out in the back yard or walking their dogs at the park we've heard gunshots pretty near a couple times. My buddy's wife says it's maybe a weekly thing in the summer. You don't have to be racist to start thinking the wall right there wasn't the worst idea. I don't really care what color someone shooting a gun two blocks from me is, ya know?

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

January 26th, 2015 at 1:55 PM ^

Crime in Grosse Pointe consists almost entirely of thieves from Detroit (and drunk drivers on Lakeshore.)  The most recent murder to actually take place in GP was perpetrated by some guy from Detroit via Louisiana who was illegally living in the attic of the flat he shared with the victim.  A high school kid from GP was recently gunned down just a couple blocks from the border and that crime will never be solved because snitches get stitches.  Another resident of GP was recently beaten up in the same neighborhood after taking a wrong turn home from a bar, not long after the Utash incident.  Every road leading into and out of GP from Detroit is a potholed moonscape and there are more vacant lots than buildings, and more vacant buildings than occupied ones.

But it's a couple racist sheds, which formed a visual barrier but not a real one because a bypass was set up through the alley, that are the REAL problem in relations between GP and Detroit.

bronxblue

January 26th, 2015 at 12:44 PM ^

Maybe it's me, but I didn't find it all that subtle, though honestly name a place in America that doesn't have some pretty bad racism.  Hell, Gizmodo had an interesting story about the history of Portland, Oregon basically being created on racism.  I won't make this too political, but disliking a city because it's kinda racist is going to severely limit where anyone can live.

Steweiler

January 26th, 2015 at 12:58 PM ^

Now that is a completely ignorant statement.  You obviously have no clue as to what you are talking about.  Do you get your information from the News and Free Press' comments section?

I'm glad you don't 'like the area' - that way, we won't have to worry about uninformed idiots like yourself moving here.  

814 East U

January 26th, 2015 at 11:54 AM ^

All I know is I was very unfamiliar with Troy Athens before I went to UofM. After the first couple months I realized every graduate from Athens rocks their "A" sweatshirt with all graduate names/signatures from their class. They were everywhere.