Sly Kickstarter Campaign Urges Public To 'Save Detroit'
By Christy Strawser
Can Detroit be saved? Lots of people are wondering that in the wake of another week of City Council meeting indecision and raucous, seemingly pointless debate led to the failure of a deal to resurrect Belle Isle -- a once jewel-like and now-shabby waterfront park the state offered to renovate at no city cost in exchange for lease rights meant to turn it into a recreation hub for the entire region.
In comes Kickstarter. The website that lets artists raise public funds for projects started a tongue-in-cheek campaign to "save Detroit." The kickstarter host says she and other talented people have been working on saving the city for two years and theyr'e "almost there."
"Don't count us out yet, there's still something you can do," she says.
The alleged goal is to raise $500 million to save the city, with amenities like street lights that work every night, an end to school closures, paychecks for police officers, firefighters, and sanitation workers -- and the erection of a Robocop statue.
The "fundraising" works this way:
*$1 buys a ride on the "futuristic" People Mover.
*$500 nets you one abandoned home.
*$5,000 buys the donor a shuttered factory.
*For $10,000, you can get your name on an overcrowded classroom, where 52 students sit in 32 chairs.
*$25,000 gets your name on City Hall next to NBA star Dave Bing, and $50,000 brings a "private game of HORSE with the mayor."
*For $100,000 you will be nominated to sit on Detroit City Council, the host says, adding, "But don't worry, the responsibilities are minimal."
*For $10 million, "we will give you the Detroit Department of Transportation," she says in the video. "For $20 million, the Water Department, and for $50 million we will sign you the deed to the Detroit Zoo.
