The rise and fall of cities and countries creates impacts that are still felt today. Billions of dollars are spent preventing drug use, treating addicts, and fighting drug-related crimes. Violence usually accompanies drug use, feeding into a vicious cycle of drug use and violent acts. Motor City Shakedown by D.E. Johnson explores the life of a drug addict involved in organized crime. The involvement of drugs and violence in Detroit can be rooted all the way to the start of the city, and still has prolonging effects currently. Detroit had been known as the Motor City for years and had a booming population, but racial tensions caused the downfall of the Motor City and it was quickly abandoned by White people otherwise called “White Flight”. Johnson…show more content… In the past few years, Detroit has had one of the highest crime rates out of any city in the U.S. (Detroit News). Will Anderson had direct involvement in the world of violence in Detroit. He was acquitted of a murder that he admitted he committed, and during this novel he is involved in underground crime rings (Johnson). Because of the influx of immigrants to Detroit, there were opportunities for people to enter the city without any documentation necessary. Detroit has had a struggle with violence because of the constant unrest of the city. During the riots of 1960, people were looting and burning buildings because of racial injustice. In the early 1900s, violence was a source of income for people just entering the city without an education or money. Most of the violence was ignored by police because they would be paid off by these underground crime rings. In recent years, Detroit has been rated one of the most dangerous cities in America. There is a correlation between violence and unbalance within the city of Detroit. The development of Detroit as the Motor City in 1911, caused many crime bosses to invest in a stake of the automotive business. The investment in the automotive business created a bubble for crime bosses. The automotive companies would back up these crime bosses, and police would be paid off by the crime bosses. The riots of 1960 dealt with the racial injustice that was going on throughout the country, which in turn led to the army coming into Detroit. The use of the army was necessary because almost half the city was burning. The recession of 2008 and the bankruptcy of the three major automotive companies, led to the abandoning of Detroit and loss of jobs. “White Flight” caused businesses and other local stores to close down, leaving Black Americans with no money and no job opportunities. Arson and homicide became an all-time high in Detroit in the following years of the
