Detroit’s had a rough week.

The announcement of felony charges against Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his former chief of staff, Christine Beatty has divided all groups — Detroiters, non-Detroiters, public and state officials — and threatened to pause the re-development of a city that so certainly wants to be thriving once again.

There doesn’t appear to be much room for grey area in any of the oppositions: Resign vs. Stay. Guilty vs. Innocent. Public vs. Private. Love vs. Use. Self vs. Greater Whole. Everyone is strongly aligned one way or another and the announcement of formal charges has driven more people to communicate their stance as widely as they can. It’s graphic design at it’s most basic: a visual form of a clear, passionate message. The postcards distributed outside the State of the City address were black type on a white card “… Resign … Text us when you leave.” The Kwame Mug, a coffee mug with (of course) a graphic interpretation of the mayor’s mugshot, from aptly named kwamemugshot.com, is among several items offered as “merchandise as a form of (light-hearted) expression… to spark discussion.” In many ways, the basic graphics fit the city: Detroit, in it’s current state and attitude is not about flash and slick-ness. For the most part, it’s a blue-collar, hard-working, tough, honest city with a little bit of grit and a lot of heart.

There are months to wait for a legal outcome, and many dialogues to be had … And perhaps most importantly, many opportunities to show that Detroit is not defined by it’s mayor and his scandal. 

It’s a sentiment that’s been tossed around a lot lately, mostly as a defense, but be certain Detroit, I (and many others) love you. 

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