In Detroit a man passed away unnoticed and when he was noticed he was ignored. He was ignored by the people who were there to ensure this didn't happen to him. It happened because they forgot to look at why their city is dyeing, instead of looking at what they can scavenge from it.
Convinced that it was indeed a body, this reporter made a discreet call to a police officer. "Aw, just give 911 a call," the cop said. "We'll be called eventually." A call was placed to 911. A woman answered. She was told it was a reporter calling. The operator tried to follow, but seemed confused. "Where is this building?" She promised to contact the appropriate authorities. Twenty minutes or so went by when 911 called the newsroom. This time it was a man. "Where's this building?" It was explained to him, as was the elevator shaft and the tomb of ice. "Bring a jack-hammer," this reporter suggested. "That's what we do," he said. Nearly 24 hours went by. The elevator shaft was still a gaping wound. There was no crime scene tape. The homeless continued to burn their fires. City schoolchildren still do not have the necessary books to learn. The train station continues to crumble. Too many homicides still go unsolved. After another two calls to 911 on Wednesday afternoon (one of which was disconnected), the Detroit Fire Department called and agreed to meet nearby. Capt. Emma McDonald was on the scene. "Every time I think I've seen it all, I see this," she said. And with that they went about the work of recovering a person who might otherwise be waiting for the warm winds of spring.
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