Welcome to your 15 minutes, Charlie LeDuff.

(as if your Pulitzer wasn't enough)

WOW that was INSANE. I've seen Iraq war footage with less gunshots in the background.

Detroit really is a warzone.

Great clip from Colbert:

Link (new window)

Could any of that 'gunfire' be New Year's Fireworks?
Do not care to visit or live in Detroit in the near future.
Worked in New Orleans downtown ER for 20 years. The only 'perk' for New Orleans EMS paramedics was they 'found' a lot of cash on shot-up drug dealers.

I grew up in rural Nova Scotia and people always shoot guns at midnight on NYE. I would lose my shiat on any other night though. Besides, it's Detroit so maybe it was just robocop

I blame this guy

Dahnkster: Could any of that 'gunfire' be New Year's Fireworks?
Do not care to visit or live in Detroit in the near future.
Worked in New Orleans downtown ER for 20 years. The only 'perk' for New Orleans EMS paramedics was they 'found' a lot of cash on shot-up drug dealers.

Didn't sound like fireworks to me; sounded like gun shots. However, a lot of the gunfire was likely celebratory. Urban fireworks if you will.

Big meh. That sounded exactly like my part of Kansas City at midnight. I was outside with kids. Big deal.

Dear Jerk: Big deal.

Considering all of the people killed or injured by bullets fired into the air.....it kind of is. Especially when it's 100% preventable.

Only in a slum big city like Detroit that's full of poor black people will you have people firing guns in the air during New Years. Good Christian white rednecks would never do such a thing.

logieal: Nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

This.

Cool story, bro: had a gig refurbishing a hotel in Detroit @'06. Decided one day to take a drive to see what "8 Mile" looked like.

...I advise not doing this.

Detroit's got (had?) one of the most beautiful baseball parks, though.

Zombalupagus: WOW that was INSANE. I've seen Iraq war footage with less gunshots in the background.

Detroit really is a warzone.

I was thinking that at first, and it still might be the case, but it was New Year's eve and some people like to make noise using guns at that time, I'm betting most of those rapid-fire shots were some drunk idiot firing up into the air.
Still not a good sign, but better than thinking there's a firefight making its way towards the ambulance.

I got the distinct impression that the TV anchor/reporter field is not very competitive in Detroit these days.

They weren't bad at all - but they looked somewhat disheveled compared to what I'm used to on local news programs. The guy on the street was cool, but I couldn't help but feel he was filling the vending machines at the station a few months ago.

miltonbabbitt: I got the distinct impression that the TV anchor/reporter field is not very competitive in Detroit these days.

They weren't bad at all - but they looked somewhat disheveled compared to what I'm used to on local news programs. The guy on the street was cool, but I couldn't help but feel he was filling the vending machines at the station a few months ago.

He reminds me of this guy

miltonbabbitt: I got the distinct impression that the TV anchor/reporter field is not very competitive in Detroit these days.

They weren't bad at all - but they looked somewhat disheveled compared to what I'm used to on local news programs. The guy on the street was cool, but I couldn't help but feel he was filling the vending machines at the station a few months ago.

See my link above. Charlie is a Pulitzer prize winning journalist who worked for the NY Times.

Watch the Colbert clip. It's surreal.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the hospitals own and operate their fleet of ambulances? How is one breaking down an indictment of the politicians?

I now have to get Charlie's book, thanks AverageAmericanGuy!

That was crazy, you hear gunfire from many different distances and weapons.

Funbags: Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the hospitals own and operate their fleet of ambulances? How is one breaking down an indictment of the politicians?

It's my understanding that emergency vehicles don't usually belong to one individual hospital, but are owned by the State and is part of emergency response vehicles like fire trucks and cop cars.

Blame the politicians? There's effectively 50% unemployment in Detroit.

They're politicians, not magicians.

Where's all the farkers that are gonna try to defend detroit like usual? It is a permanent hole in the ground and will never change. We have 4th and 5th generation losers breeding to keep it in check.

"You cocksucker! I work for Dick Jones! Dick Jones! He's the Number Two Guy at OCP. OCP runs the cops."

Bathia_Mapes: I didn't catch his name, if it was even given, but I really liked the reporter on the street.

came to say this ...that guy kicked ass.

I know it's a reporters job to "report" not comment on the story, but I wish more reporters would take this approach, especially when talking about local politics. The rest of the news report, but local politics, call em out like the greedy CYA till I can cash my pension check scum they are.

Jon Swift's Baby Grill: Funbags: Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the hospitals own and operate their fleet of ambulances? How is one breaking down an indictment of the politicians?

It's my understanding that emergency vehicles don't usually belong to one individual hospital, but are owned by the State and is part of emergency response vehicles like fire trucks and cop cars.

Most ambulances now are private services contracted by the city or state.

//former EMT

No civility any more. - Emperor Palpitane.

Me like.... want more...anyone?

When the hell did Tig start doing the news?

I spent new years in detroit, yes those are celebratory gunshots. Either detroit isn't anywhere near as bad as the media likes to make it out to be, or I am just way more bad ass than regular people. Gunshots in a big city? Only in detroit right? Jeez.

siidc: I spent new years in detroit, yes those are celebratory gunshots. Either detroit isn't anywhere near as bad as the media likes to make it out to be, or I am just way more bad ass than regular people. Gunshots in a big city? Only in detroit right? Jeez.

Yes, you are badass because you heard gunshots over the internet while in your comfortable home. They are pussies because while spending every day of the year responding to fix up violently hurt people in detroit, their vehicle breaks down in the dark of night and they have no backup of any kind.

/can't wait for some ITG goodness.

Note: its not like the guy was crying in the fetal position. He was being realistic about the state of his city. There is a difference between being tough and being stupid.

Charlie LeDuff is, and has always been awesome. Here's an old video he did when he worked for the Detroit News. Monica Conyers Interview
The man is someone who loves Detroit, no matter how crazy it gets.

Edited video is edited.

That stupid Mary comment troll was annoying, but a lot of other folks had some interesting words on that web page, and that reporter Tony is friggin AWESOME!

The guy is like the Frank Serpico of journalism!

scumbucket: Charlie LeDuff is, and has always been awesome. Here's an old video he did when he worked for the Detroit News. Monica Conyers Interview
The man is someone who loves Detroit, no matter how crazy it gets.

WOW, those kids should be running the city council! They sound more educated that that crazy lady.

siidc: I spent new years in detroit, yes those are celebratory gunshots. Either detroit isn't anywhere near as bad as the media likes to make it out to be, or I am just way more bad ass than regular people. Gunshots in a big city? Only in detroit right? Jeez.

There issue is people get injured by the celebratory gunshots. Drunk punks firing off rounds tend to accidentally hit people. So the ambulances are typically fairly busy handling all the morons who shot themselves in a leg or someone who was standing around watching the gun show and caught a round. I own some houses in Detroit and about five years back one of my places caught a three round burst. Two in the window sill and one through the glass and into the room. Luckily the only injury was minor from the broken glass.

The paramedic spent over an hour out of service and unable to respond to gunshot wounds. They were also immobile in an area where it was possible they'd accidentally get shot (very few gangs purposefully shoot up paramedics, but drunk guys on New Years hit all kinds of things). There is also the issue of the police not having the ability to respond and deal with the reckless discharge of the firearms. In Detroit you can run around and fire off rounds because everyone knows the police aren't going to show up.

/one of the reasons my properties have bullet resistant windows now
//bullet resistant is also crowbar resistant, which makes breaking and entering harder