Detroit's Lost Poletown: The Little Neighborhood That Touched a Nation

Poletown was a once vibrant, ethnically diverse neighborhood in Detroit. In its prime, it had a store on every corner. Its theaters, restaurants and schools thrived, and its churches catered to a multiplicity of denominations. In 1981, General Motors announced plans for a new plant in Detroit and pointed to the 465 acres of Poletown. Using the law of eminent domain with a quick—take clause, the city planned to relocate 4,200 residents within ten months and raze the neighborhood. With unprec...