Lansing´s south side responds with pride

Ingham County Commissioners

Kara Sarah Victor Hope, Anthony, Celentino, and Todd Tennis are Ingham County Commissioners representing South Lansing.

South Lansing’s story is one worth knowing

It’s hard to tell a story about a place and a population that the would-be storyteller doesn’t know. This has to be why — in last week’s City Pulse — Mark Grebner couldn’t fit south Lansing into a “narrative.” After all, he acknowledged that South Lansing isn’t his kind of place and that the residents just aren’t “[his] people.” As the Ingham County commissioners representing south Lansing, we proudly claim south Lansing, and we feel compelled to tell at least part of its story.

Most of Lansing’s residents live 58 percent. And south Lansing is on the city’s south side: more than home to 46 percent of the city’s businesses, according to the South Lansing Business Association.

Contrary to the wasteland of pawnshops and checkcashing stores described in the article, South Lansing boasts many first-class parks and opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. Fenner Nature Center, Potter Park Zoo, and Hawk Island make up part of the south side. And miles of trails wind through the south side, including the new Lansing River Trail extension that allows runners, walkers, and cyclists to travel from Cavanaugh Street all the way to Waverly Road.

South Lansing benefits from a strong, diverse faith community and active neighborhood associations. Parents in south Lansing volunteer at their children’s schools. And our Millennials are not the drug abusers that Mr. Grebner described. They are productive young people, striving to better themselves through education.

Whether it is raising scholarship money for high school students, teaching kids how to fix their bikes, or helping refugees tend gardens, south Lansing residents possess the heart and the strength of character that contribute to making the city and the entire region a great place to live, work, and play.

By resorting to negative stereotypes and assumptions, one surely loses sight of the good that already exists in south Lansing as well as the tremendous potential that it holds. South Lansing’s story is still being written, and it’s a story worth knowing. 

Opinion

Kathie Dunbar

Lansing Councilmember City Director, South Lansing Community Development Association South Lansing resident for 18 years.

Don’t presume you know the story if you’ve never read the book

City Pulse asked former Ingham County Commissioner Mark Grebner why his recent speech about land use planning neglected any reference of south Lansing. He could have discussed the difficulties posed by mid-century zoning and land use patterns, or how the transition to single-use development isolated residential housing away from auto-centric commercial corridors. Instead, Grebner carelessly regurgitated a slew of socio-economic stereotypes as if they were fact.

In Grebner’s world, south Lansing is a sea of predatory businesses that serve the needs of poor, uneducated, drug users. Unfortunately, he is not the first, nor will he be the last, to make such ignorant assumptions.

As a self-proclaimed elitist, Grebner’s views may be skewed by the curvature of his suburban, college-town bubble. It’s obvious that Grebner, who lives in East Lansing, hasn’t spent much time with the people of south Lansing. He’s never met the local hipsters celebrating the arts in REO Town. He doesn’t acknowledge the drug free Millenials who are working, raising families and volunteering throughout the community. He can’t comprehend that my friend Emily (and nearly everyone on her street) gets The New York Times. Delivered.

Here are some other facts Grebner doesn’t know.

South Lansing has almost every type of business you could ever want or need, from national restaurant and retail chains to local, family-owned diners and shops. We have ethnic organizations and faith communities that reflect the vast diversity of our residents.

South Lansing features some of the most attractive neighborhoods in the Capital Region, with homes in all sizes, styles, and price ranges. We have historic homes built near the turn of the 20th century, bungalows built during the war years, Cape Cods built in the 1950s, colonials built by baby-boomers and some of the area´s newest homes built by (gasp) Millenials.

With more than 1,650 acres of dedicated park land, four miles of accessible shoreline, and the newest extension of Lansing’s award-winning river trail, South Lansing has more public green space per capita than any community in the area.

There are 750 acres of contiguous park land and wildlife habitat making it one of the largest urban green spaces in the state.

So why all the negative stereotypes?

One reason is sheer size. South Lansing covers 67 percent of our capital city, nearly 25 square miles. Think for a moment about the geographically distinct neighborhoods we recognize in the remaining 33 percent of Lansing (north of the Grand and Red Cedar rivers). Lansing’s east side, west side, downtown, Stadium District, Northtown, and Old Town neighborhoods exist within an area half the size of South Lansing, and each enjoys its own unique identity.

There is no more crime per capita in south Lansing than any other part of the city, but more crimes will be reported as south Lansing because we cover two-thirds of the city!

Another reason for negative stereotypes?

The corridors. Everyone in south Lansing wishes the commercial corridors looked better. We also know they don’t tell the whole story. It’s not our fault mid-century and land use priorities isolated most housing behind the corridors.

Of course we have areas that need love. We also have neighborhoods across south Lansing with higher per capita income, education levels, percentage of home ownership, and home values than many suburban communities.

If I accomplish anything by writing this, I hope people will think twice before carelessly repeating harmful stereotypes about any community.

Otherwise, one might start spreading rumors that Millenials in Grebner´s college town have couch-burning problems.