I can already hear the chorus of some Detroiters bemoaning the prospect of a major influx of White residents into the city who might again seize political control. It will be convenient for them to make a villain out of any attempt to gentrify the political process. Some critics, of course, fear a future in which their exclusive advocacy for the chronic poor is rendered irrelevant by what might become a rising tide of more educated, committed residents contributing to uplifting economic growth.

But think for a moment: Why would any intelligent outside force want to take over a city with a racially divided people, decaying infrastructure, dwindling services, a disappearing tax base, a shrinking population and a budget immersed in permanent red ink?

There is no debate that much of the self-sustaining, enterprising spirit that launched Detroit’s growth 50 years ago is gone. Most suburbanites think of Detroit as a financial and moral wasteland rife with accelerating crime, genocidal violence and disturbing family malfunction.

Yet the only way this city will survive is if there is a re-population with a new class of virtuous, ethical people. Only when we transition to a more politically appropriate realignment and expand our demographic bases of power can we dream of a new status quo. Without a major dose of gentrification, we simply do not have much of a future.