HEALING AND BELONGING: DETROIT’S BELLE ISLE
TABLE OF CONTENTS BELLE ISLE, THE ENDURING LANDSCAPE TRAUMA AND LOSS
COLONIAL VIOLENCE THE JOURNEY TO FREEDOM 1943 RIOT DETROIT REBELLION OF 1967 ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION ABANDONMENT & BANKRUPTCY COVID-19 CLIMATE CHANGE AND FLOODING
HEALING LANDSCAPES
INTRODUCTION NATURE RX BELLE ISLE MANAGEMENT TODAY SUGGESTIONS FOR THE FUTURE
HEALING AND BELONGING: DETROIT’S BELLE ISLE
BELLE ISLE, THE ENDURING LANDSCAPE Belle Isle’s regimes of occupation, ownership, and management have a long history of controversy and violence. From the indigenous peoples that once inhabited the island, to its private holders, to the nested scales of municipal, state, and federal level government presence today, Belle Isle cannot be rendered as a neutral space. Each time the island exchanges hands, its image evolves and in part influences who visits the park. With its current lease by the Michigan DNR from the City of Detroit, this debate continues. While some visitors note the improved maintenance and safety, others feel uncomfortable in a sterile, heavily policed environment. HEALING AND BELONGING: DETROIT’S BELLE ISLE
Together with the state imposing entry fees and leading efforts for ecological restoration, nonprofits and private organizations manage and program large stretches within the island. As we look to the future, how can this disparate network of actors and interests steward a sense of inclusiveness and belonging for all Detroiters? Moving forward, it is essential to re-inscribe collective priorities. For the public park to be legible as a place for healing, it is necessary to acknowledge the collective traumas that have left deep wounds in the land, the waters and the region’s peoples. Only then we will be able to see and feel, experience and recover. Introduction | 5
COLONIAL VIOLENCE Wah-na-be-zee (Swan Island) was originally used for fishing, hunting, and meditation by the Anishinaabe people. During the British invasion, indigenous populations faced strained relations during the French and Indian War. In the aftermath, indigenous peoples fought against continued colonization in the Great Lakes Region in the 1763 Pontiac’s War. This war was novel for its unprecedented and awful violence on both sides, as recorded in the Battle of Bloody Creek. In 1769, the British purchased the island from Ojibwa, Chippewa, and Ottawa tribe leaders. Years later, the island eventually passed to American ownership through the 1807 Treaty of Introduction | 7
COLONIAL VIOLENCE Detroit where The Ojibwe, Ottawa, Potawatomi, and Wyandot tribes ceded the land now occupied by the city. Many Anishinaabe people still live in Detroit and their struggle for recognition of their cultural identities remains. Belle Isle holds important symbolic meanings for them, such as a stand of willow trees on the island’s eastern side that draws lightning and is a powerful medicine. The island is also a place of mourning and remembering. A small memorial in memory of the Indigenous children forever lost to the residential schools in the region punctuates the shoreland facing Canada. Introduction | 9
THE JOURNEY TO FREEDOM By the 1790s, Detroit’s population included some 300 Native and African American slaves, 26 of them owned by William Macomb, also owner of Hog Island. The 1835 Michigan Constitution first prohibited slavery, and Detroit became home to many emaciated black people and abolitionists. Detroit’s Anti-Slavery Society was founded in 1837, the same year the State of Michigan was formed. After the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, Detroit became Midnight, a last stop in the Underground Railroad secret network that helped more than 1,500 fugitives escape to Canada crossing the Detroit River. HEALING AND BELONGING: DETROIT’S BELLE ISLE
1943 RIOT On June 20th, 1943 nearly 100,000 people were in Belle Isle, one of the only green spaces open to African Americans and Whites in the highly segregated city. Fights broke out amongst black and white youths amongst a crowded Belle Isle Bridge. It moved into the city proper and was fueled by false reports of racial attacks in both white and black communities; it continued until June 22. At the end, 34 people died, 25 of them black, mostly at the hands of white police officers. The conflict was a result of a shortage of affordable housing, discrimination in employment, lack of minority representation in the police, and white police brutality. HEALING AND BELONGING: DETROIT’S BELLE ISLE
DETROIT REBELLION OF 1967 Local, state and federal policies have shaped Detroit into the highly segregated city it is today. Since the late 1930s, housing programs designed for the white middle class and a suite of systemic actions like redlining, abusive lending practices, racially-restrictive covenants, land contracts and other predatory schemes have disproportionately impacted Black residents. By the mid 1960s, Detroit’s white flight was already in full motion. Highways were driving jobs, amenities and the white high and middle classes to the suburbs. Those staying were confronted with the lack of jobs and a shrinking tax base leading to urban decay and dismal economic outlooks. Introduction | 15
DETROIT REBELLION OF 1967 On July 23rd, 1967, police raid at an illegal black night club. Thousands joined, looting began, and fires were lit. With the local police overwhelmed, state police and eventually the National Guard were called in. By the end of the night thousands were arrested and 5 were dead. US troops were sent to patrol streets in tanks & armored cars, and by Thursday the uprising was contained, resulting in a 43 people killed more than 17,000 arrested, 1,700 stores looted, 1,400 buildings burned. With jails overwhelmed, the former bath house on Belle Isle was temporarily used to hold detained citizens during the uprising. Introduction | 17
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION Detroit’s industrial boom in the 1950’s had decimated forests and waterways in the region. Environmental protections fell by the wayside as factories actively polluted the ground, air, and river waters. In 1969, the Detroit River caught on fire due to chemical and trash pollution, joining the Rouge River in that troubled distinction. After years of environmental mobilization, the Clean Air Act passed in 1963, the Environmental Protection Agency was founded in 1970, and the Clean Water passed in 1972. Today, the Detroit River remains listed as a bi-national Area of Concern and the legacy of pollution and environmental injustice still impacts the lives of Detroiters. HEALING AND BELONGING: DETROIT’S BELLE ISLE
ABANDONMENT & BANKRUPTCY The 2013 Bankruptcy of the City of Detroit resulted in political and economic violence imposed on the lives of many Detroiters that had already experienced lack of investment and a history of bureaucratic controversy. For months, the Michigan Governor’s appointed emergency manager in Detroit, suspending the rule of a democratically elected mayor. The leasing of Belle Isle by the State of Michigan for 30 years was one of the outcomes of the Bankruptcy settlement. With the change from city to state park, the promised improvements on management and maintenance are slowly trickling down. HEALING AND BELONGING: DETROIT’S BELLE ISLE
COVID-19 Over a third of Detroiters had someone in their life die from COVID-19. Health is not the only concern during this pandemic as stay at home orders have caused job losses and lack of interaction between community members. More residents report depression, isolation and hopelessness. COVID-19 impacts black and brown communities disproportionately due to years of systemic disinvestment in healthcare and social services. In August 2020, a city-wide memorial to honor COVID-19 victims took place in Belle Isle. More than 900 billboard-sized photos were displayed across the island; a moment of pause and mourning honoring their lives. HEALING AND BELONGING: DETROIT’S BELLE ISLE
CLIMATE CHANGE AND FLOODING Recurrent flooding periodically submerges large portions of the island due to high water decadal cycles in the Great Lakes and more frequent and intense precipitation. Habitat restoration work is also changing the drainage patterns: the connection of internal lakes to the river has amplified flooding, severely disrupting the Wet Mesic Flatwoods Forest, a globally ranked vulnerable habitat home to Michigan’s most endangered plant and animal species. The Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive insect, has killed a majority of Ash trees in the forest and picnic areas of the island. Overall, the loss of old trees are disrupting the ecosystems and the aesthetic of the island.
Introduction | 25
THE LAND HOLDS MEMORIES OF THESE TRAUMATIC EVENTS
AND ALSO OFFERS A SPACE TO HEAL THESE WOUNDS
HEALING LANDSCAPES Certain environments have long been known to offer a healing sense of place. Wilbert Gesler explored these spaces and defined them as therapeutic landscapes, ‘where the physical and built environments, social conditions and human perceptions combine to produce an atmosphere which is conducive to healing’ (Gesler, 1996: 96). This idea focuses on literal relationships between health and place, such as sacred pilgrimage sites and hot springs, but also includes the concept of health promoting spaces. These everyday spaces include aesthetic qualities, physical wellness, and the invisible social networks that support a sense of security and inclusion. HEALING AND BELONGING: DETROIT’S BELLE ISLE
BELLE ISLE’S UNIQUE NATURAL, SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND HISTORICAL SPACES SUPPORT THE COMPLEXITY FOUND IN THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES. BELLE ISLE OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES FOR DETROIT’S RESIDENTS TO RECEIVE THE BENEFICIAL IMPACTS OF ACCESS TO HEALING SPACES.
NATURE RX -
Spending just 20 minutes in nature—even if it’s simply gardening, doing yardwork or sitting quietly in the backyard—can significantly lower stress hormone levels
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3-5 minutes spent looking at views dominated by trees, flowers or water can begin to reduce anger, anxiety and pain and to induce relaxation.
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After a gallbladder surgery, patients with bedside windows looking out on leafy trees on average needed significantly less pain medication and had fewer postsurgical complications than patients who instead saw a brick wall. HEALING AND BELONGING: DETROIT’S BELLE ISLE
EXPOSURE TO NATURE RESULTS IN... BETTER SLEEP
REDUCED INFLAMMATION
IMPROVED IMMUNE SYSTEM
IMPROVED FOCUS REDUCED STRESS
CLEAN AIR
PRODUCTION OF VITAMIN D
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NATURE RX Belle Isle has been a space for relaxation, recreation, and mediation for Detroiters for generations. In a city where only 6.4% of space is green, it’s extremely important as the park has a large diversity of spaces where visitors can experience a range of landscapes and experience the benefits of nature. Continued access to clean and safe green spaces like Belle Isle is vital to 71% of Detroit residents according to a 2021 study. How does the 11$ entry fee impact your access to Belle Isle? HEALING AND BELONGING: DETROIT’S BELLE ISLE
Healing Landscapes | 33
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HEALING AND BELONGING: DETROIT’S BELLE ISLE
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BELLE ISLE MANAGEMENT GOALS The Department of Natural Resources management goals for Belle Isle prioritize: - Affordable outdoor recreation. - Preserving and enhancing public access to Michigan's land, lake, and rivers. - Preserving and protecting the unique cultural, historical, and natural resources found in the state parks. - Other projects related to the restoration of habitats, such as sturgeon spawning beds and Wet Mesic Flatwoods have been made in partnership with the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative & Friends of the Detroit River. Healing Landscapes | 37
BELLE ISLE MANAGEMENT GOALS -
Within the Management and Stategic Plan, there is no specific recognition of Belle Isle as a place to cultivate restorative landscapes, and no goals related to continued management of the sacred places on the island.
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However, an emphasis on public safety is cited, with a focus on the presence of both DNR Law Enforcement and the Michigan State Police. In 2015, Michigan State Police made 2,003 traffic stops, 25 felon arrests, and 225 misdomeanor arrests. HEALING AND BELONGING: DETROIT’S BELLE ISLE
VISITORS SEEKING RELAXATION AND RESTORATION FROM MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL FATIGUE PREFER: TREE LINED PATHS
QUIET, SECLUDED AREAS
FOUNTAINS
IDENTIFIABLE FEATURES
LEAFY, MATURE TREES
FLOWERING PLANTS
HEALING AND BELONGING: DETROIT’S BELLE ISLE
SUGGESTIONS FOR HEALING -
As the largest green space in the city of Detroit, Belle Isle is important to many peoples relationship with nature and provides spaces for residents to relax, connect, and recooperate.
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Some spaces on the island are underutilized, and could provide stronger benifits by becoming a designed healing landscape.
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This landsape could serve as a place where Detroit residents could heal wounds of their collective traumas and honor their personal sacred practices. Healing Landscapes | 41
Where have you felt calm on the island? BEACH
SPORT
MUSEUM CAMPUS SUNSET POINT
LAKE TACOMA
BLUE HERON LAGOON
LAKE MUSKODAY
WET-MESIC FLATWOODS FOREST
LAKE OKONOKA
FISHING PIER
Should Belle Isle enhance its restorative properties and invest in designed therapeutic landscapes?
How do we acknowledge the scars from collective traumas, while investing in accessible and inclusive healing?
SOURCES -
Bell, S. L., Foley, R., Houghton, F., Maddrell, A., & Williams, A. M. (2018). From therapeutic landscapes to healthy spaces, places and practices: A scoping review. Social Science & Medicine, 196, 123–130. - BIPManagementPlanCompleted_640552_7.pdf. (n.d.-a). - Gesler, W. (1996). Lourdes: Healing in a place of pilgrimage. Health & Place, 2(2), 95–105. - How Hospital Gardens Help Patients Heal— Scientific American. (n.d.).
HEALING AND BELONGING: DETROIT’S BELLE ISLE
IMAGE CREDITS - - - - - - - - -
Leon Halip, The Detroit Jewish News (pg. 33) New York Times/Getty (pg. 29,19) Detroit Free Press (pg. 24,23,21) Detroit Free Press Archive (pg. 16,14) WXYZ-TV Detroit (pg. 39) Michigan Radio (pg. 12,36) Steve Neavling, Detroit Metro Times (pg. 11) Norm Powel (pg. 3) WikiCommons (pg. 27, 6)
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