in the Rust Belt, 04/27/09
I spent some time in Detroit recently and took a day to visit some of the closed public schools there. Nearly 30 public schools sit empty in Detroit, having been closed due to budget cuts. Many of the closed schools were left unsecured and subsequently have been vandalized and torn apart by thieves looking for scrap metal.
What's left behind among the debris and destruction are reminders of the students who attended school there - stacks of textbooks rotting in standing water, faded writing on blackboards and empty classrooms littered with broken desks.
Wow! The most poignant collection of photographs I have encountered in a long time.
Is this my America?
Is this the country that stands for greatness?
Why has this happened?
What can we do to make this right?
I couldn't hold back the tears after viewing these images.
Something must be done
http://www.pacianphoto.com
I feel desperately sad when I see these photos. I believe schools should be our most beautiful buildings of all, evoking a sense of honor and awe, wonder, harmony and delight. Children should feel proud to be in their school buildings, where the message is that they - and education - matter. We have so much to do to turn things around. What a powerful statement photograher, Steven Voss has made. This is a core issue of our times in our country.
What is most alarming about these images is that they remind one of war-torn countries where schools have been the target of gunfire and looting. It's a clear indictment of economic failures.
Nice Photos. It's one of this cities darkest little secrets.
I did some work last year on this, check it out.
http://onlyndetroit.com/html/steam/schoolsout.htm
Very moving photos. They capture the essence of the aftermath of these closures.
Amazing images. I don't get the sadness or unrest viewing them that your other commenters have, though I can understand why they feel them. Being from Buffalo originally, I'm used to seeing shells of buildings that seem to indicate that something went wrong and was lost unnecessarily. Such usually isn't the case though - more often than not, the economics of the facility just changed and people moved on to other towns with their children going to other schools, their lives probably improving as a result. That doesn't, however, make these buildings any less interesting to explore and document. Wait, I just read OND's piece on DPS... perhaps these images are much more symbolic of things lost unnecessarily.
Beautiful photographs. A lot of feelings.