another who worries about safety.
For nurse Shelley Dancel, that mindset is understandable;
the danger of Detroit would inevitably become part of her life.
Dancel worked in a hospital on the outskirts of the city
and even there, what she learned and what she saw was far
worse than anything she experienced in Windsor. That’s
where she learned about the term “GSW”, (gunshot wound)
for the first time. After that first time, she was exposed to
those scenes on an almost daily basis. She even had to work
with patients who were hand-cuffed to their own beds,
something she never saw in Windsor.
Even though Dancel worked in Detroit and Southfield for
20 years, she commuted from Windsor. She says she would
never live there and now she doesn’t have any reason to go.
“When I do cross the border, it is a plan to immediately
get out of Detroit and I shop in the ‘burbs. So anything past 8
Mile, it’s like 14 Mile and out is where I do my shopping and
my business,” says Dancel. “You hear about all these things,
about car hijackings and people getting ripped off at gas
stations and I think when you hear that and see that on the
news, the last thing I want to do is put myself at risk.”
But if we worry that Detroit’s ills might be catching, we’re
also willing to share compassion and hope. This summer,
Windsor volunteers were quick to join other Canadians in
collecting and bringing clean water across the border after
thousands of Detroiters had their water shut off. Every story of
a renewed Detroit – from urban farm projects to bicycle rental
endeavours – is quickly shared on social media and in coffee
shop conversations by Windsorites seeking solutions on this
side of the river. If Detroit sometimes feels like a world away,
there are also times – like during the Detroit Marathon, or the
Annual Bike the Bridge event - when it’s just a hop, skip or
run.We photograph its skyline, write books about the motor
city and use it as a locator when we travel: “We’re from
Windsor – it’s across from Detroit.”
Though Detroit’s buildings are broken, Windsorites
admire its spirit. It’s the place where Motown started, where
cruising down Woodward was a dream, and where the party
lasted way longer than it ever did in Windsor. It’s the place to
shop or eat, but also where you drive with your doors locked.
It’s a love/hate relationship with the neighbour across the way.
Even those who stay on this side of the water can’t help but
root for Detroit and its future.
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