“Kid Rock to Open Detroit’s Little Caesar's Arena”

“Kid Rock to Open Detroit’s Little Caesar's Arena” 

(Will Kid Rock’s christening of Detroit’s new arena become a show and atmosphere representative of what New Detroit has shown itself to be toward people of color?... We’ll see!) 

Glenn Peppers                                                                                9-4-2017

Kid Rock! In my opinion, a barely talented, somewhat bigoted rebel wannabe is starting the concert series out at the brand new Little Caesar's Arena in downtown Detroit! A lot of people are not liking Kid Rock’s christening and debut at the Mike Ilitch Pizza themed Arena for various reasons that I won’t go into here!

Yet given some of his remarks concerning people of color, to me, in essence, I think its only fitting that Kid Rock opens up at this new sports arena; considering the climate and air that this New Detroit is projecting and boldly showing the world! Clearly showing this defiant, headstrong, intolerant, and exclusive gentrified re-working of Detroit that in many ways appears openly to NOT include, or be geared for the non-white population of citizens in Detroit! 

Personally, they can keep their damned fancy new sports arena! The Gillitch gentrification development projects in Southeastern Michigan, and all the other outright onslaught, city land-grab moves that never had people of color in mind from the start, barrel shamelessly on! 

So why should I frequent an arena built allegedly with monies that were originally supposed to go to the Detroit Public School system? Notice the word, “Allegedly!” When you look around Detroit (all of Detroit, and not just downtown). This town surely has gotten its priorities and its civic britches on backwards when it comes to “All Detroiters!” A lot of people started noticing that “Hey! They’re sure spending a hell of a lot of money for a place that claimed to be so fiercely broken, and in need of Emergency Manger to mend things!" Financial problems so out of hand that Lansing and the city of Detroit went as far as filing bankruptcy a couple years back! But then magically, out of nowhere!... 

In a matter of three or four years or so, everything seems to be Alright! Just like that, we’ve got new busses, some street lights here and there, Belle Isle got all cleaned up and became a State Park, and we now have a Q-Line, and a sprig of new buildings springing up everywhere downtown! Just like that!.... Hmmm! Sure there were and are investors and such. But all that civically restored magic didn't come from the Gillitch projects! Or did it!? Maybe some!... Nah!

So in the midst of all this sudden abundance of monies (from who knows where) we've gone Arena and Stadium Building CRAZY! To hell with big giant sport complexes that are already standing! Places like the Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan (opened in 1988), home of the Pistons! This very nice arena is going to be pretty much left standing come basketball season!... Just like that! 

A practically brand new sports arena not even as old as Prince's Purple Rain album, left vacant except for an occasional rock concert or a circus or two! Oh that's right. There is no more Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus anymore! No more Ice Capades either! Maybe a Wrestle Mania tour will come ‘round every now and again, or Circus Soleil!... Hmmmm!

So they're gonna demolish Joe Louis Arena (build in 1979) basically because they can! Some say that they're trying to eliminate, and tare down and kill off anything honoring people of color in Detroit. Well, I don't know this to be true. But if there is some truth to this rumor, then I wonder how long that Joe Louis boxers fist monument that sits at the foot of Woodward and Jefferson, and that statue of Joe Louis standing just inside the Cobo Hall Center will be left standing with people destroying monuments and statues now day? 

The reason I heard they wanted to demolish Joe Louis Arena is that engineers claimed that structurally, Joe Louis Arena is very much unfixable!... Umm well, I don't know 'bout all that either! I'm no contractor! But personally, I think a gang of those very talented HGTV/DIY fix-it folks could-a made Joe Louis Arena A Fabulous Made-Over new Sport Complex for the New Age! 

I imagined Big giant bay windows all around the arena, overlooking Canada and the Detroit River! Everything digital and Wi-Fi, and a slew of really great restaurants, and a people conveyer walking unit (like at the Airport) and escalators, along with a small amusement park and a retractable glass dome!... But that's just me dreamin'! And who da' hell am I though, right?

Hey we can't forget The Silver Dome Football Stadium in Pontiac, Michigan now can we? It's been sitting there rotting away for years, awaiting demolition! Pieces of its tattered roof blowing every which way in the wind, out in its abandon parking lot and beyond! 

So what's next? How many more arena's are we going to build and destroy, just because we can, and clandestinely at the public’s expense? Think about it! Most Stadiums and Arenas last pretty much a lifetime. In other cities and towns that is! 

But not here in Southeastern Michigan! In our lifetime (for some of us) we’ve had Classic Tiger Stadium... Gone! Olympia Stadium... Long Gone! Joe Louis soon to be gone! The Palace of Auburn Hills, Michigan... in effect, Gone! We have Ford Field, Comerica Park Baseball Stadium! And now, they want to build a Soccer Stadium downtown!... Wowsers, another sports arena downtown loaded up somewhere near or on Woodward Ave.? 

My thing is why? Am I missing something here? When did lower Michigan and greater Detroit become such a big Soccer-City Region? Is Soccer bigger than Arena Football? Is there still Arena Football at all? Another arena... are you serious! 

Basic appeal or not! You have to ask yourself.... “and with whose money are they gonna end up building this big shiny new Soccer arena with?....” Take a wild guess people! 

So as Kid Rock Christens New Detroit's latest Gentrified-Gem, The Little Caesar's Arena with his confederate flag waving, black women hatred filled songs and other rhetoric. I'll be enjoying some REAL home-grown Detroit delectable dishes and food items, and a movie! 

I'll be chomping down on some legendary, Detroit style, Buddy's Deep Dish Pizza, and sipping on some hometown Vernor's Ginger Ale! I may even down an ice cold Town Club Michigan Cherry Soda along with my homemade buttered popcorn, as I enjoy my movie, and the pleasant company that I keep!

By Glenn Peppers                                            9-4-2017      9am Labor Day