Who Wants to Visit Braddock, Pennsylvania?

First things first... Clean Slate Detroit has a new facebook page. Become a fan, post relevant links, talk about Detroit, living in debt, what life would be like outside of debt, and anything else you're interested in at:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Clean-Slate-Detroit/296713165074?ref=ts

We have a dream that hopes to play itself out in Detroit in the coming months and years, and it has been very inspiring to see similar grass roots movements work in other places. Have you read up on Braddock Pennsylvania? Check it out here: http://www.15104.cc/.

Braddock was a Pennsylvania Steel town that went into serious decline in the 1970s, losing its income and its inhabitants. The town fell into decay, and the pictures of its "ruins" are quite similar to the pictures you can find by google image searching "detroit foreclosure."

But, in 2005, Mayor John Fetterman beat two other candidates in the mayoral race (one was a two time incumbent), and since that time, the town has worked steadily towards transformation. According to Braddock's website, the emphasis is three-fold: 1) improve the quality of life for young people already in Braddock, 2) attract outside energy from creative, urban, artistic new residents, and 3) subverting the Expressway designed to run through the middle of Braddock. Check out the pictures of their website- we think you'll be inspired. These goals are inspiring mostly because they have been very successful- the recently decrepit town is a thriving, gorgeous artist's community.

Clean Slate Detroit is in its infancy, and because of this, the idea enjoys a sort of flexibility and an adaptive quality. We've had helpful and constructive conversations with enthusiasts, the down-and-out, the successful and thriving, and our fair share of critics. All of these ideas have helped shape what Clean Slate Detroit will become, but it remains committed to dramatically reducing debt for those that are willing to invest blood, sweat, and tears into the landscape and fabric of Detroit. We envision a symbiotic relationship of true investment [new and old residents able to use their hands, skills, and hearts in the transformation of the urban ruin] while taking care of some of Detroit's greatest needs [what reporters and city leaders refer to as the "brain drain"].

We've also talked to people that don't believe. They just flat-out don't believe that transformation, positivity, or beauty can return to Detroit. We welcome these viewpoints because they improve our vision. But we remain hopeful and committed to a healthier, happier Detroit and a more liberated and energized workforce. Spread the word!

For another great article on Braddock, see http://www.monthlyreview.org/081222straub.php

Is Detroit really so different from an Italian Village?

For the past twenty years, Brunello Cucinelli has systemically bought up the once decrepit and decaying town of Solomeo, Italy, slowly turning it into a humanistic, thriving village where young people flock to live and purposeful tourists go to eat pasta, purchase cashmere, and get an insider's view into what makes this village work.

Solomeo makes some of the world's finest cashmere, created by young and hardworking artisans who have moved to Solomeo in search of something more than just a job- they were searching for a lifestyle. Move to Solomeo and don't merely earn a paycheck. Create a new life for yourself. Cucinelli has created a humanistic company that focuses on ethical capitalism, beauty, knowledge, and lifestyle. He strives to "give a company a sense that goes beyond mere profit, and to reinvest to improve the worker's life, and to enhance and save the beautiful things in the world."

A year ago I read about Solomeo and I immediately wanted to move there. My husband reminded me that I was not exactly a desirable candidate for employment in Cucinelli's village since I have no idea to make cashmere. That got me thinking- is it really Solomeo that I wanted, or was I on a quest for ownership of my life, a sense of simplicity and renewal, a "trade" that was more connected with humanistic ideals and beauty?

Can Detroit offer Umbrian hills bathed in sunlight and warmth, abundant with Italian wine, truffles, and cashmere? Maybe not. Assuredly not.

But can Detroit offer something else, something bigger? Is it a place where someone could pursue a return to humanism, knowledge, growth, and freedom?

This is vague and undefined. It is entirely possible you've read both blog posts and you have no idea what Clean Slate Detroit is. But there are some of you who read this and start to dream a little. Vague means wide open. Here's what we want you to start thinking about- what would your life look like if you didn't have to pay your credit card bills, your rent payment, your mortgage, and your school loans? What would it look like if you had time to cook at night? Take a walk during the day? Volunteer? Start doing what you WANT to do rather than what you have to do? What would it look like if you felt like you were actually helping the world, rather than just getting by from day to day? If you've got ideas, we want to know about them. If you have complaints with what your life has become, we want to know about those too. And if reading about Solomeo has sparked your interest, and you're starting to catch on that there is a different way to live, let us know, because we are looking for co-dreamers. It takes a village...

Read the Travel and Leisure story for yourself at http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/creating-an-italian-cashmere-kingdom-in-umbria/1/

And for a treat, visit Brunello Cucinelli's website at http://www.brunellocucinelli.it/index.php?lingua=2

Desire a clean slate? Join the ever-growing club...

My husband and I are young professionals, and we've grown increasingly mired in and disillusioned by the trappings of the industrialized and globalized world - we cringe at the debt that has become so customary and casual for people in Western societies (debt that we are all too familiar with), the seeming lack of choice for young people, and the lack of beauty (or rather, the lack of the pursuit of beauty) that plagues our society.

We have had conversations with so many of our peers, friends, and co-workers lately regarding their desire to return to the land, to live a life free of debt and excess, to rediscover the simple gorgeousness of life through good food, beauty, art, music, honest work, and genuine pleasure. We have a desire to start something, to foster some sort of rebirth in our generation, culture, and world.

We want it, our friends want it, and Detroit needs it.

Detroit was once the backbone of America and the very life-force of our industry. What is it today? What does it desire? Is this once-mighty city very different from the 22 year old who graduates with $100,000 in school loans from a private school, who recently was brimming with optimism but has been rejected by countless potential employers? Is Detroit so different from the 28 year old teacher who was laid off last year because of a budget deficit?

Detroit is hungry for a new start. You are hungry for a new start. But you can't move to this odd sort of promised land- this frontier- because you worry about your bills. You don't have the luxury of worrying about how you could help, how you could thrive, how you could finally own a house, learn to cook, volunteer, build a community, or seriously decrease the amount of time you spend staring at your computer in a given day. You think about your debt.

That is not living- and it's also not working.

We have a vision. This vision involves young people -in age and at heart- who want to commit to important work, aspire to change and help, who need assistance in getting out of these trappings that society has so willingly handed them but who are so capable of helping society in return. We are preparing a multi-faceted plan and approach which involves financing, government support, benefactors and sponsors, and a whole host of energetic and capable people who can begin the important work of revitalization.

How do you fit in? What are your talents that the world could benefit from. If you didn't have to pay whatever you're paying for your monthly debt, what could you do? How could you help? How would this change help you grow and settle into happiness, peace, simplicity?

What would a clean slate mean for you?