Detroit's deadliest neighborhood: 48205 zip code

A Detroit News analysis found that the 48205 zip code in Detroit is one of the deadliest in the city. The area includes a population of 44,000 which equals 6% of the city's population, but is responsible for 15% of murders and 13% of shooting victims. From June 21-August 21, at least 38 people were shot and eight died in the area, a 6.5 square mile section of the city. In the same time frame citywide, there was a minimum of 254 shootings involving 303 victims, with at least 52 dying.

In an effort to combat the violence, Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee recently started Operation Inside Out: Night Angels, a program that re-deploys desk officers to patrol one 8-hour shift per week. The program has put an extra 40 to 50 officers on patrol each shift.

Detroit to set services by neighborhood condition

In an interesting article in the Detroit Free Press, the mayor unveiled a plan to deliver services in a short-termed innovation strategy called the Detroit Works Project. Mayor Bing wants to encourage the redistribution of what's left of Detroit's population into areas where people still live so that the city's resources won't be spread dangerously thin.

"We will not force anybody to move," Bing said. "We want people to move into the areas that are going to grow; where we have the amenities, the density." This is a departure from an earlier idea that would have had residents move from distressed areas of the city into other areas in order to stabilize them.

Detroit Schools: Proposal to turn 41 schools to charter operators

An article on CNN describes how Detroit Public Schools has proposed turning over 41- low performing schools that were scheduled for a shut-down to charter operators. The Renaissance Plan 2012 would select operators to run the schools as public academies as with DPS as their authorizer.

Michigan approves plan to close half of Detroit schools

According to an article published on CNNMoney, Michigan has approved a proposal that calls for the closing of 70 Detroit public schools by 2014, leaving only 72 public schools open. As a result, high school class sizes are expected to jump to 60 students per class over the next few years. Robert Bobb, the emergency financial manager of the Detroit Public Schools acknowledges the current plan will drive parents and students away from the school system, which may translate into an additional financial squeeze. A spokesman for Mr. Bobb, stated that for every student that leaves the system, this means $7,660 less in state aid that they will receive.