Scrapping thieves have become alarmingly more daring and audacious as police have virtually ignored an organized scrapping operation that has sprung up at the abandoned Packard Plant in Detroit.
Devil’s Night will be a big test for the city, which recently laid off firefighters, as strong winds continue to wreak havoc on power lines and trees.
Many live lines snaked unattended across streets, fields and sidewalks for more than an hour because neither the fire department nor DTE had sufficient resources to handle the hazards.
Fighting fires is becoming an increasingly difficult task because of recent budget cuts that have trimmed personnel, rigs and new equipment.
In just one day last weekend, two men were brutally beaten, an explorer was attacked and his car stolen and a photographer was robbed by a gunman. Thieves have smashed so many car windows that the streets and parking lots bordering the 105-year-old plant are covered in blue-green bits of glass.
Two women in their 50s rummaged through the sprawling Packard Plant for scorched wood to use for an art project. They didn’t have to look far. As the pair sifted through the debris Wednesday, a fire quietly burned inside one of the factory’s buildings, sending smoke into the sky. Not far away, a trio of […]