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The same banks that sent financial managers to take over the
operation of Detroit city government and designated Michael
Duggan as point man to execute their will and clean up the
corruption left behind by former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s
administration.
Now look, Fox News’s Charlie LeDuff has exposed how Duggan
jacked up the price of demolishing houses by thousands of
dollars per house and gave the contracts to his campaign
contributors.
A Homeless Detroiter
Comments:
Hello. My name is Eddie Lewis. I have lived in Brightmoor
(district of Detroit) my entire life, all 49 years of it –
although the Brightmoor of today is a far cry from the
thriving neighborhood of my youth.
Today, Brightmoor is unrecognizable. Our city is dying from
unemployment, drugs and crooked politicians from a
government that sold us out right under our noses a long
time ago.
My story is that I worked many years as a welder – fitter
and went on to become a CAD instructor. Over time, a heroin
addiction brought me to my knees and left my life
unmanageable, alone and eventually homeless. Well, I did
share an abandoned home with a couple of raccoons, a half
dozen rats and a homeless addicted vet with three tours of
Afghanistan and horrendous post-traumatic stress syndrome,
being visited by people he killed in the war in his dreams.
There I was playing guitar in front of the Marathon Station
to support my heroin habit when I met Bill from the
Brightmoor Survival Club LLC. (BSC), who was bringing
back a house in Brightmoor.
Bill gave me work and a place to call home and shared his
vision that people from all walks of life have to help each
other and make a life for ourselves because no one is going
to do it for us.
The BSC is manned by people who have experienced
hardship and homelessness - some of us have issues and
addictions. Bill and I and the crew have had the idea for a
couple of years now to build a warming center for those who
need it.
Now our group is growing and donations of wealth and
materials, (thanks to City Repair), have allowed us
to turn a backyard gazebo into a warming station that can
soon house up to 10 people through the night.
We hope to build many more warming stations all over the
city - based on our design and method. As the lead designer
and builder of the warming station, I am very proud to come
back from homelessness and addiction to make a difference.
Thank you for letting me tell my story – I hope it inspires
others.
Eddie Lewis
Bill Gilberth is a retired
teacher, social activist and founder of the Brightmoor
Survival Club and Warming Station.
Eddie Lewis is a homeless
addict, formerly a welder and most recently, and just as
importantly, a designer and builder |
