Detroit is a big city with a big history. Not too long ago, Motown was known as a city of opportunity, great music and sports. Now it is largely known for its murder rates, high crime, and poverty. Historian Ramsey Muir's depiction of Detroit in 1927 was as follows, "It regards itself as the temple of a new gospel of progress, to which I shall venture to give the name of "Detroitism."". The quote found in the essay What killed Aiyana Stanley-Jones refers to the dream Detroit represented and what the city was able to accomplish in terms of growth and progress. With Henry Ford's first automobile assembly-line plant, Detroit became a world- renowned city, envied by some of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. The lavish lifestyle that came with the image of Detroit attracted people all over the United States. Detroit, to many, was a Dollar sign that symbolized opportunity and freedom. Moreover, due to sociopolitical and economic factors and the outsourcing of resources of the automobile industry, the city of Detroit started to die down. Leaving behind an immense jobless population, Detroit began to portray the dark side it is associated with today. Detroitism then, a term used to define the city's seemingly incredible progress is now known to be a term of the past, "what it used to be". LeDuff's What killed Aiyana Stanley Jones argues the environment of the 9 year old child caused her death, and while that may be far-fetched, there is substantial evidence to relate the negativity of Detroit to Aiyana's death. Furthermore, although the city of Detroit was once a shining gem driven by the automobile industry and the entrepreneurial efforts of great minds, today Detroit can be defined as a city of lawlessness and desperation. .
Detroit went from nothing to riches to ruins. It is the prime example of modern time ancient Greek ruins. The once prosperous city is now a crumbling city. With this type of negative change it is no wonder that a sense of hopelessness accompanies the great city, a repeated theme in Charlie LeDuff's essay.