Despite the bad rap that Detroit still gets, many people in that city are doing great things, and moving the city in the right direction. It’s counterintuitive, but the government bankruptcy will turn out to be a great benefit to the city in the long run. It provided a much-needed opportunity for markets and government alternatives to spring up in the place of a bloated local government. See below for 13 great things happening in Detroit.

1. Anarchy in Detroit – a Reason.com introduction to four non-governmental movements going on in Detroit, keeping order, beautifying the city, and building for the future.

https://reason.com/archives/2013/12/24/anarchy-in-detroit

2. The Mower Gang: Anarchy in Detroit, Part 1

http://www.mowergang.com/

3. Detroit Threat Management: Anarchy in Detroit, Part 2

Free-Market Security, providing services to rich and poor; with no escalation of violence, no initiation of force, and no revenue generation (tickets, fines, etc). Their job is to keep people safe, patrol neighborhoods and provide security. They function like a business, not a government, in that they really do work for their customers. If they were to mess up, or shoot an unarmed kid, their business would actually suffer; they would loose contracts, and be held accountable. With government police, it is the opposite. Budgets always go up, and wrong-doers get paid vacations.

4. Fireweed Universe City: Anarchy in Detroit, Part 3 – Artist enclaves springing up in blighted areas

5. Belle Isle Commonwealth: Anarchy in Detroit, Part 4 – An independent, tax-free city right in the middle of Detroit.

http://www.commonwealthofbelleisle.com/

6. The local police chief gets it on guns. Even the government police in Detroit sort of “get it” in relation to guns and crime. The Chief came out and said more guns in the hands of citizens means less violent crime. He said, “If you’re a terrorist, or a carjacker, you want unarmed citizens.” And I would add, if you’re a power-hungry government you also want unarmed citizens. So thumbs up to this guy for his stance on guns.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2015/12/01/armed-citizens-deter-terrorist-attacks-in-detroit-police-chief-says/

7. Detroit’s Amazing Pop-Up Anarchy – The Story of the more free-market and more entrepreneurial pop-up businesses in Detroit.

https://www.lewrockhttp://detroitrusttoriches.blogspot.com/well.com/lrc-blog/detroits-amazing-pop-up-anarchy-2/

8. Detroit: From Rust to Riches – The blog of an economist living in Detroit, chronicling the reemergence of the city in free-market ways.

http://detroitrusttoriches.blogspot.com/

9. The Detroit Area Anarchy Group

http://anarchydetroit.blogspot.com/

10. Even a fairly mainstream newspaper points out Detroit’s problems did not originate with libertarian policies. The problems there were caused by government, and to call what they now have, an ideal libertarian city, is absurd. But, if the government stays out of the way, it could become an ideal libertarian city.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/anarchists-didnt-create-detroits-anarchy/article/2533570

11. Free Detroit Project

http://thestateweekly.com/with-detroits-bankruptcy-anarchists-have-begun-project-free-detroit-starting-a-community-2/

https://www.facebook.com/LiveFreeDetroit/

12. Detroit: The New King of Urban Gardening

http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/08/11/youll-never-guess-which-city-new-king-urban-gardening

13. Goats in the City. People wanted to bring in goats to encourage urban farming and help “mow” overgrown lots, but the city is still cracking down.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/metro-detroit/2015/01/02/fight-reclaim-goats-takes-aim-detroit-law/21215901/

http://modernfarmer.com/2014/06/idyllic-detroit-qa-billionaire-goat-farmer-mark-spitznagel/

http://cnsnews.com/commentary/lawrence-w-reed/man-deploys-18-goats-clean-detroit-bankrupt-city-rejects-their-help

[Image Credit: http://www.economicfreedom.org/2014/06/12/city-tells-owner-of-20-goats-to-butt-out-of-detroit-neighborhood/]

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