More Anarcho-Detroit: Bus Stop Benches?

[sailingaway]

by Karen De Coster

Some people from the Detroit Enterprise Academy think that bus patrons - especially older folks - shouldn't have to stand and wait at the city's bus stops, so they put together a voluntary force to do something about it. They build benches from reclaimed wood, fancy them up a bit, and place them at bus stops where resting spots are much needed. The benches built by the crew seat six people, and they also have bookcases in the bottom, filled with books, so those waiting on transportation can have something to read, if desired.

DDOT (Detroit Department of Transportation) officials have said the placement of benches has not followed protocol, and therefore the benches are not approved and must be removed. However, knowing the city's inability to do such day-to-day things as keeping the streetlights on, it is unlikely that any effort to remove the benches will take place in the near future. People attempting to do good things for a community in spite of the government and its bureaucracy, and being able to accomplish these things due to the ineptness of that same bureaucracy, is a wonderful - if only small - accomplishment of anarchy in a city of voluntaryist warriors who refuse to wait for bungling government paper-and-permit shufflers to grant them permission to perform random acts of community service.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/137352.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[angelatc]

Bookcases in the bottom. Because it never rains in Detroit.

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20130503&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=305030134&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Students-install-benches-books-bus-stops-run-into-DDOT-opposition

[sailingaway]

Bookcases in the bottom. Because it never rains in Detroit.

I actually wondered about that. plastic containers in the bookcases? Or maybe it is just to hold your stuff out of the way while you sit.

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edit, thanks for the picture. Well.... I don't know what to say about the books. the benches are a nice thought, though.

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wait, is there a plexiglass sheet on a kind of hinge from the top (hinge at the top) of the book case?

It looks like there might be, see the line where the hinge would be and the faint line to the right of the bottom of the 'bookcase' that could be the edge of the plexiglass sticking out...

Still wouldn't be very secure, but a nice thought

[angelatc]

I added a picture. And if these things aren't bolted to the ground, they'll disappear long before the city gets around to picking them up. (Not the books, of course.)

[angelatc]

I actually wondered about that. plastic containers in the bookcases? Or maybe it is just to hold your stuff out of the way while you sit.

--

edit, thanks for the picture. Well.... I don't know what to say about the books. the benches are a nice thought, though.

--
wait, is there a plexiglass sheet on a kind of hinge from the top (hinge at the top) of the book case?

It looks like there might be, see the line where the hinge would be and the faint line to the right of the bottom of the 'bookcase' that could be the edge of the plexiglass sticking out...

Still wouldn't be very secure, but a nice thought

Yes, but I can't imagine that keeping water out. LOL - next time I'm in Detroit I'll see if I can spot one.

[Michigan11]

Funny I just drove down there today. I was in Greektown casino for 5 minutes, had to walk past a couple bums - both wishing me good luck on the way in, coming from the private parking lot across the street, that lowered their rate from $10 2 years ago to $5 today(there was a parking structure built since). The owner of the lot works there, he remembered me, hasn't seen me in some time. He looked like he aged, I asked if its been busy, he said the last concert (Taylor Swift) that was in town made it busy. Went inside for literally 5 minutes and came right back out, the parking lot attendant was curiously looking at me, as well as the bums I passed once again(asking for money this time), as if they required an emotional expression from me as to why did he go in and out so fast. "It's a piece of shit" that's why.

It looked like the bums were literally running the assylum in that casino.

So I went down the road to Motor City Casino, and saw the same shit inside. There was actually a cop riding around on a 3 wheeled scooter outsided too which looked out of place, sort of the motown willy wonka.

I went inside, walked around, saw another circus, got a beer, sat down at a blackjack table, strange since there were only say 10 tables including the high end ones, and many were open, nobody playing at them. I was drinking a beer, the dealer kept acting like everytime he won and I lost, I needed a prozac or something. The table had loose felt, the dealers were just down in the dumps, and the whole place and clientel was much worse than I remembered from the last time I was there in early 2011. I don't know guys I think that city should be bull dozed and forgotten, and turned into a forrest or something that blends in with nature.

[J_White]

trying to actually do some work, inspite of the Govt !

[angelatc]

Call me a cold hearted bitch, but this is a Charter school. I'd feel better about this if they were selling the benches.

[Brian4Liberty]

The big problem here is that Detroit is probably waiting on a Federal grant to build million dollar benches. They have to remove those benches to prove that they need benches.