American Corner Gyumri

Detroit: City of Ruins, or Renaissance?

12:00am 24.11.2010

Detroit: City of Ruins, or Renaissance?

On Wednesday November 23 at 14:30, Gyumri American Corner hosted U.S. Fulbright Scholar Steven Usitalo with a public lecture entitled "Detroit: City of Ruins, or Renaissance?" .At the beginning of the lecture Nerses Hayrapetyan IRC Embassy Yerevan Director made a little and informative presentation of Walter Isaacson book “Steve Jobs” which interested many ACG visitors. After the book presentation Nerses introduced Usitalo.
  Usitalo started his speech with a little introduction of city Detroit. He gave a presentation about Detroit city, so as everybody could see contemporary sights of Detroit. City was all in ruins. A city which once was a big industrial center now has become city of ruins. Usitalo mentioned that there was a great problem of unemployment as nearly all the factories had stopped their work. Usitalo spoke about Educational Institutions in Detroit and mentioned that it was very hard to see some boy pupils or students, as they are in jails. He said that population of Detroit is afraid of walking outdoors as it was not safe, even in the morning or at the afternoon. Steven mentioned that some rich representatives of show-business in America who were brought up in Detroit were trying to help their native city, but there was only a little hope was left that Detroit would be able to recover    Though the topic was a sad one, Usitalo’s lecture helped students in Gyumri to think about the future of their city to try to avoid of drugs, jails and try to be able to protect their native city from such problems.