Chicagoist - A real estate developer, Rodney Lockwood, self-published a book, Belle Isle: Detroit’s Game Changer that places the island nearly three decades in the future as an enlightened “city-state” with “its own laws customs and currency, under United States supervision as a Commonwealth.” Had Lockwood ended there, we’d have no post. But he thought the plot device of rounding up some of Detroit’s favorite sons to raise the $1 billion in capital necessary to fund this hare-brained plan could be conceivable. Apparently, so do some of Detroit’s civic leaders. 

Reading the FAQ section, however, one comes to the conclusion that what Lockwood has really done is write a plan for an exclusive development, with the Detroit River and a $300,000 buy-in as a moat, with heaping sides of Objectivism and free market economics. 

 

Yes. Love this idea. I’ve had it with poor people. Always in your face asking for food or money for the train or help not dying and shit. It’s getting absolutely ridiculous. Like sorry I can’t give you my spare change bro, but you look really dirty and decrepit and I think it’d be more fun to throw these coins down this storm drain instead. Clean up your appearance before you go begging people for their hard earned dough.

And this isn’t just great for rich people. Middle class folk will have it made without any wealthy people around. Like say you’re one of the sorry few who can’t afford to throw down the $300,000 buy-in deposit on Belle Isle like the rest of us. Sure that makes you pretty poor by Belle Isle standards, no question there, but in Detroit you’ll live like a king. You’ll be the new rich. You can hire the homeless to be your slaves and shit. Steal things whenever you want. Maybe open one of those Japanese restaurants where they serve dirt to customers. It’ll be a better world for everyone. Except the poor of course but lets be honest nobody really cares about them anyway.