Osborn, Detroit

Osborn is a community in northeast Detroit, Michigan. The Skillman Foundation selected Osborn to be one of the neighborhoods covered by the Good Neighborhoods Initiative.[1]

History[edit]

An April 2011 report from the office of Mayor of Detroit Dave Bing said that gangs, "especially transient gangs that are less organized — and often, randomly violent — terrorize some of our neighborhoods including … Osborn,"[2]

In 2012, as part of the 100 Houses project, volunteers boarded up various vacant houses in Osborn.[3]

Cityscape[edit]

Osborn is bounded by 8 Mile Road, McNichols Road, Gratiot Avenue, and Van Dyke.[1]

In 2012 Jeff Siedel of the Detroit Free Press said "The neighborhood surrounding [Osborn High School] looks like a cracked, empty shell. Everywhere you look, there are broken windows, overgrown weeds, barbed wire fences and abandoned homes."[4]

Demographics[edit]

As of 2012, according to the Detroit Center for Family Advocacy the median family income was $32,421. Single parents are the heads of over 30% of Osborne families, while in the U.S. the national percentage is 9.1%. Of children born to parents living in Osborn, 22.4% were born to teenage parents. 35.7% of Osborn residents are children who live in poverty, while 13.9% of all Michigan residents are children in poverty.[1]

A 2010 report from Data Driven Detroit, City Connect Detroit, stated that Osborn had 27,166 residents.[5] The community was 91.3% black, 4.3% white, 2.1% Asian, 1.4% reporting more than one race, and .7% Hispanic and Latino; the Hmong people were most of the Asians in Osborn. The report said that the Hmong, which numbered at 560, "had established a tight-knit community in Osborn".[6]

According to the 2000 U.S. Census Osborn had 37,358 people,[5] with 84.1% being black, and 8.6% white. There were 1,700 Hmong people in Osborn.[6] Between the 2000 census and the 2010 U.S. Census the population experienced a 27.3% decline. The number of children and youth in Osborn decreased by 5,912, a 39.3% decline.[5] The number of African-Americans decreased by 21.1%, but proportionately became a higher percentage of the community. The numbers of White, multiethnic, and Asian/Hmong groups had the most severe declines. The white population declined by 64%. The Hmong population declined by 66%. Most Hmong moving from Osborn settled in Macomb County, mainly in Hmong communities in Warren and Center Line.[6] In addition, some Hmong moved to Sterling Heights.[7]

According to Matthew Lewis of Model D, the language differences and other factors made the black population perceive the Hmong as being "insular" and make false assumptions about the Hmong.[7]

Education[edit]

Osborn is within the Detroit Public Schools. The Pulaski, Brenda Scott, and Trix K-8 schools in Osborn and Law K-8 School outside Osborn serve Osborn for elementary and middle school.[8][9] Most of Osborn is zoned to Osborn High School while a portion is zoned to Pershing High School.[10]

Elementary schools formerly serving Osborn within Osborne included Fleming, Genesis EL/MS, Richard, and Von Steuben. Schools outside of Osborn formerly serving it included Grant EL/MS.[11] Middle schools formerly serving Fleming included Genesis EL/MS and Farwell; Farwell was outside of Osborn.[12]

Fleming is now the Fleming Administration Building. The Early Childhood / Pre-Kindergarten Office is based out of the Fleming Administration Building.[13] Other than that, it now is only used for Head Start Program and Great Start Readiness Program classrooms, as well as the headquarters of the GSRP in DPS.[citation needed]

Parks and recreation[edit]

Parks in Osborn include Bessy Playfield, Wish Egan Playfield, Marruso Playground, Calimera Park and the Lipke Recreation Center.[14] Bessy Playfield is adjacent to Brenda Scott School.[15]

Calimera Park is the home of the Edible Hut Edible Hut. The Edible Hut is a community gathering space in Calimera Park on the eastside of Detroit with a living, edible roof and oculus to the sky. The Edible Hut combines elements of a traditional hut, an outdoor sculpture, a neighborhood garage and an edible garden. The roof is a garden of edible perennial plants such as sage, thyme, lavender and oregano. The inside of the space incorporates peaceful colors to create an enchanting space for gathering, rest and pleasure.[16]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Detroit Center for Family Advocacy." (Archived November 30, 2012, at the Wayback Machine) University of Michigan Law School. Retrieved on November 8, 2012.
  2. ^ Hunter, George and Mike Wilkinson. "Detroit's deadliest neighborhood" (Archived 2015-07-02 at the Wayback Machine). The Detroit News. September 2, 2011. Retrieved on November 8, 2012. "Gangs, especially transient gangs that are less organized — and often, randomly violent — terrorize some of our neighborhoods including … Osborn,"
  3. ^ Satyanarayana, Megha. "In Detroit neighborhood, volunteers from across region board up 105 houses." Detroit Free Press. August 25, 2012. Retrieved on November 8, 2012.
  4. ^ Siedel, Jeff. "Jeff Seidel: Detroit Osborn football team tries to learn lessons from star's murder." Detroit Free Press. August 24, 2012. Retrieved on November 8, 2012.
  5. ^ a b c "Osborn Neighborhood Profile." (Archive." () Data Driven Detroit, City Connect Detroit. p. 1. Retrieved on November 8, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c "Osborn Neighborhood Profile." (Archive." () Data Driven Detroit, City Connect Detroit. p. 3. Retrieved on November 8, 2012.
  7. ^ a b Lewis, Matthew (Model D). "Young and Hmong in a Detroit east side neighborhood" (Archived 2014-02-25 at the Wayback Machine). MLive. September 29, 2013. Retrieved on February 19, 2014.
  8. ^ "Elementary Boundaries - 2012/13 School Year." (Archived 2012-07-22 at the Wayback Machine) Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 1, 2012.
  9. ^ "Middle School Boundaries - 2012/13 School Year." (Archived 2013-01-30 at the Wayback Machine) Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 1, 2012.
  10. ^ "High School Boundaries - 2012/13 School Year." (Archived 2012-07-22 at the Wayback Machine) Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 1, 2012.
  11. ^ "Elementary School Attendance Areas." Detroit Public Schools. July 10, 2003. Retrieved on December 20, 2012.
  12. ^ "Middle School Attendance Areas." Detroit Public Schools. July 10, 2003. Retrieved on December 20, 2012.
  13. ^ "Early Childhood." Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on November 29, 2015. "Fleming Administration Bldg. 18501 Waltham Detroit, MI 48205"
  14. ^ "Filling in the Gaps: A Plan for Vacant Properties in Osborn." (Archive) Urban and Regional Planning Program, University of Michigan Ann Arbor. February 2009. p. 39. Retrieved on November 9, 2012.
  15. ^ "MAYOR KWAME M. KILPATRICK TO ANNOUNCE DETAILS OF." [sic] (Archived December 20, 2013, at the Wayback Machine) City of Detroit. May 11, 2007. Retrieved on November 9, 2012.
  16. ^ "ABOUT". 31 May 2013.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

42°26′12″N 83°00′04″W / 42.4368°N 83.0011°W / 42.4368; -83.0011