Dumas: Newly Arrived Detroiters Could Be Sensitive To Longtime Residents' Concerns

Detroit is changing on every level, writes Karen Dumas in the Detroit News.

She sees that as a good thing. But she notes it is "a difficult pill to swallow" for longtime Detroiters who have stuck with the city, "because the change seems exclusive of their involvement or accommodation."

She writes: "On one hand, you see a "new" Detroit. Young, white, educated and employed are the characteristics of those who are taking a chance on the city.

"They stand in stark contrast to native Detroiters — most of whom are African-Americans and many who are undereducated and unemployed — who have stayed and stuck it out over the years, through challenge and controversy.

"The native Detroiters, tired of the struggle and lack of change, see problems, while the new Detroiters — armed with energy and excitement — see possibilities."