Budget Cuts in Detroit Provide Some Great Results

[GreatOak]

This is What Budget Cuts Have Done to Detroit ... And It's Freaking Awesome

I thought this was a great example of spontaneous order and volunteerism at work and though I'd share. People are coming up with creative solutions to help their communities. I'm not saying these market oriented solutions are the panacea for everything that exists and ever will exist like the author of this piece seems to think, but people shouldn't be so afraid to try them out. They work very well more often than not. I liked this story because it reminded me of Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
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Detroit is absolutely bankrupt. The city faces a cash shortfall of more than $100 million by June 30. Long-term liabilities, including pensions, exceed $14 billion. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder wants to bail out Detroit's city government even further. Thanks to the financial situation of Detroit, emergency services like police and fire departments are being severely cut short. 911 is only taking calls during business hours. Homes have been abandoned making parts of the city look like a ghost town.

If our public servants are right and wouldn't dare lie and try to scare us, then chaos, anarchy and lawlessness should reign in Detroit now, right? Well, not exactly.

Dale Brown and his organization, the Threat Management Center (TMC), have helped fill in the void left by the corrupt and incompetent city government. Brown started TMC in 1995 as a way to help his fellow Detroit citizens in the midst of a rise in home invasions and murders. While attempting to assist law enforcement, he found little but uninterested officers more concerned with extracting revenue through traffic tickets and terrorizing private homes with SWAT raids than protecting person and property.

In an interview with Copblock.org, Brown explains how and why his private, free market policing organization has been so successful. The key to effective protection and security is love, says Brown, not weapons, violence, or law. It sounds a bit corny, yes, but the results speak for themselves.

Almost 20 years later and Detroit's financial mess even more apparent, TMC now has a client base of about 1,000 private residences and over 500 businesses. Thanks to TMC's efficiency and profitability, they are also able to provide free or incredibly low-cost services to the poor as well.

The reasons TMC has been so successful is because they take the complete opposite approach that government agencies, in this case law enforcement, do. Brown's philosophy is that he would rather hire people who see violence as a last resort, and the handful of Detroit police officers who actually worked with Brown in the earlier years and have an interest in genuine protection now work for TMC. While governments threaten their citizens with compulsion, fines, and jail if they don't hand over their money, TMC's funding is voluntary and subject to the profit-loss test; if Brown doesn't provide the services his customers want, he goes out of business.

This means that Brown is not interested in no-knock para-military SWAT raids, "officer safety" as the highest priority, bloated union pensions, or harassing people for what they have in their bloodstream. TMC works with its customers on the prevention of crime as well rather than showing up after the fact to take notes like historians.

The heroic Brown and TMC are a great example of how the market and civil society can and do provide services traditionally associated with the state far better, cheaper and more in tune to people's wants and needs. I have always believed policing, protection and security are far too important to be run by the state — especially in age of militarized Stormtroopers — and Brown is helping show why.

Law enforcement isn't the only "essential government service" that the private sector is taking over and flourishing in. The Detroit Bus Company (DBC) is a private bus service that began last year and truly shows a stark contrast in how the market and government operates. Founded by 25-year-old Andy Didorosi, the company avoids the traditionally stuffy, cagey government buses and uses beautiful vehicles with graffiti-laden exterior designs that match the heart of the Motor City. There are no standard bus routes; a live-tracking app, a call or a text is all you need to get picked up in one of their buses run on soy-based biofuel. All the buses feature wi-fi, music, and you can even drink your own alcohol on board! The payment system is, of course, far cheaper and fairer.

Comparing this company's bus service to say, my local San Francisco MUNI transit experience, is like comparing the services of local, free-range, organic farms in the Bay Area to the Soviet bread lines.

Not surprisingly, the city government, which has no time to protect its citizens, does manage to find the time to harass peaceful citizens in this spontaneous, market order. Charles Molnar and a couple of other students from the Detroit Enterprise Academy wanted to help make benches for the city's bus stops, where long-waits are the norm, equipped with bookshelves to hold reading material.

Detroit Department of Transportation officials quickly said the bench was "unapproved" and had it taken down. Silly citizens, don't you know only governments can provide these services?

The TMC and the DBC are just two of the larger, more visible examples of the market and voluntary human cooperation reigning in Detroit. "Food rebels," running local community gardens, are an alternative to Big Agriculture and government-subsidized factory farms. Private parking garages are popping up. Detroit residents are using Lockean homesteading principles to repurpose land amongst the rubble of the Fed-induced housing bubble. Community events like Biergartens and large, civic dining gatherings (with no permits or licenses!) are being organized privately. Even Detroit's artists are beginning to reflect this anarchic, peaceful movement in their artwork.

Detroit's city government may be in shambles financially, but the citizens of Detroit are showing what happens when people are given their liberty back. For centuries, libertarians have been arguing for strict limits on state power, the benefits of private, civic society, and the bottom-up, spontaneous order that arises where free markets and voluntary interactions dominate. Perhaps we shouldn't be so scared and sicken with political Stockholm Syndrome the next time politicos fear-monger over budgets cuts.

[THE Bigzoman]

So this company is a private police force?

[Herecius]

I'm not so sure on this, and would want to know a lot more about it before taking any real opinion on it. 1000 residences and 500 businesses is honestly an extremely tiny fraction of the populace that police have to cover, and it's very hard to make any real judgement of the organization's success based on that.

[artemishunter1]

1)thousand private residences and businesses are hardly an accomplishment. Keep in mind it is profit driven. Thus, when something is not profitable, they would be encouraged to look the other way. New cops are also full of idealism. They will get burned up as well evantually.

2)Being voluntery does not change anything either. People who can't buy his services, won't get the protection as a member of the society.
3)The bus services is also very limited. The service is profitable because traditonal service picks up the slacks. If it is alone, it would need to have limited line to remain profitable as not every place is heart of business and the bus service thus be able to choose which line to pick. I am curious how many customers did the bus service ignored because the routes were not profitable enough.

---------- Post added 2013-06-29 at 12:39 AM ----------

So this company is a private police force?

I wonder if I can buy a share of the police force, and thus be free of any wrong doing when I am getting "investigated" by the police force.

[Wells]

Yeah private police forces are like 35 different flavors of bad.

[THE Bigzoman]

Yeah private police forces are like 35 different flavors of bad.

Because public police forces do such a great job in inner city areas.

Hey! The ACLU just reminded about how the police "protect and serve" in my state!
http://www.aclu.org/criminal-law-ref...ijuana-arrests

[Kraenen]

when things go to shit for long enough people tend to get tired of it. then they tend to enact laws that stop that from happening. so....yeah....

and yeah, i don't think mercenaries are the way to go. Just reminds me of how America's turning into a banana republic.

[artemishunter1]

Because public police forces do such a great job in inner city areas.

They do as much as they can. Keep in mind, our justice system is biased toward defense. Besides, gang members killng gang members is many cities criminal ecosystem in balance or else they would outnumber any police force. Seriously, not joking. there are far far more gang members than there are police force in the entire country.

[THE Bigzoman]

They do as much as they can. Keep in mind, our justice system is biased toward defense. Besides, gang members killng gang members is many cities criminal ecosystem in balance or else they would outnumber any police force. Seriously, not joking. there are far far more gang members than there are police force in the entire country.

Bullshit.

When a culture develops into emphasizing NOT cooperating with your organization. Your doing something wrong.

[Skroe]

Did... did the OP just call a private police force "awesome"? And then say he liked it because it "Reminded Him of Deus Ex: Human Revolution".

A "market oriented solution" for public safety is the single most awful idea some lizard crapped onto a cookie platter, shoved in the oven and called it a legitimate idea. Its as bad an idea as giving guns to every citizen to reduce crime, or allowing social security to be invested in the stock market, or privatization of the fire department.

Really. These are a collection of garbage ideas plastered in bile, covered in puke and loved only by social darwinist reptiles who pass for humans.

GreatOak, privatizing public security is not a legitimate opinion and you should be ashamed of yourself for trying to argue it as such and using the "I saw it in a Video Game" affinity argument. Well Metal Gear Solid has mechs... but wait lets just talk to any roboticist for a second why a walking tank is inherently dumb.

[oplawlz]

Do I think police should be privatized? No.

Do I think a private home security company with armed guards prepared to defend it's clients is a good idea? Yes.

The answer to the "not enough police" problem is not "oh well". People have a right to be safe in their own homes, and if this is what it takes, so be it.

[THE Bigzoman]

Did... did the OP just call a private police force "awesome"? And then say he liked it because it "Reminded Him of Deus Ex: Human Revolution".

A "market oriented solution" for public safety is the single most awful idea some lizard crapped onto a cookie platter, shoved in the oven and called it a legitimate idea. Its as bad an idea as giving guns to every citizen to reduce crime, or allowing social security to be invested in the stock market, or privatization of the fire department.

Really. These are a collection of garbage ideas plastered in bile, covered in puke and loved only by social darwinist reptiles who pass for humans.

GreatOak, privatizing public security is not a legitimate opinion and you should be ashamed of yourself for trying to argue it as such and using the "I saw it in a Video Game" affinity argument. Well Metal Gear Solid has mechs... but wait lets just talk to any roboticist for a second why a walking tank is inherently dumb.

I suppose you think a police force with "business hours" would be better right?

---------- Post added 2013-06-29 at 05:18 AM ----------

1)thousand private residences and businesses are hardly an accomplishment. Keep in mind it is profit driven. Thus, when something is not profitable, they would be encouraged to look the other way. New cops are also full of idealism. They will get burned up as well evantually.

2)Being voluntery does not change anything either. People who can't buy his services, won't get the protection as a member of the society.
3)The bus services is also very limited. The service is profitable because traditonal service picks up the slacks. If it is alone, it would need to have limited line to remain profitable as not every place is heart of business and the bus service thus be able to choose which line to pick. I am curious how many customers did the bus service ignored because the routes were not profitable enough.

---------- Post added 2013-06-29 at 12:39 AM ----------



I wonder if I can buy a share of the police force, and thus be free of any wrong doing when I am getting "investigated" by the police force.

IDK man. Ask the california police. http://www.insidehighered.com/sites/...llofrights.pdf

[Wells]

That the public police forces have problems is not an argument for private ones.

[GreatOak]

They do as much as they can. Keep in mind, our justice system is biased toward defense. Besides, gang members killng gang members is many cities criminal ecosystem in balance or else they would outnumber any police force. Seriously, not joking. there are far far more gang members than there are police force in the entire country.

At least here in Chicago the members of the local communities help prevent crime more than the police do. The police barely enter the bad neighborhoods on the south and west sides because of the gangs.

---------- Post added 2013-06-29 at 05:42 AM ----------

That the public police forces have problems is not an argument for private ones.

The argument for the private ones come from the fact that the public ones have such glaring weaknesses that can often be covered by the aforementioned private forces.

[Jackmoves]

I don't fully understand, what kind of authority do they have? Is it like a private security company? The ones that goes around checking up on homes/shops?
What can they do legally?

[Wells]

The argument for the private ones come from the fact that the public ones have such glaring weaknesses that can often be covered by the aforementioned private forces.

Any problems that public departments have is eclipsed by the fundamental nature of the profit motive. You do not want the police to be trying to make money.

[GreatOak]

I don't fully understand, what kind of authority do they have? Is it like a private security company? The ones that goes around checking up on homes/shops?
What can they do legally?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private..._United_States

[Kraenen]

I suppose you think a police force with "business hours" would be better right?

---------- Post added 2013-06-29 at 05:18 AM ----------



IDK man. Ask the california police. http://www.insidehighered.com/sites/...llofrights.pdf

private businesses don't have business hours? wow.

[Deleted]

The question is, will these Great Results have such a lasting great legacy in Detroit as those following similar public security policy by the Bourbon dynasty in the Kingdom of both Sicilies? While that kingdom has been dead for centuries, regional-based private security companies are still making great profits today, provide their "services" and shape the culture there. Cosa Nostra and Camorra are the most famous brands.

[oplawlz]

Any problems that public departments have is eclipsed by the fundamental nature of the profit motive. You do not want the police to be trying to make money.

Er . . . they already are. Why do you think there are so many non-moving tickets issued?