The police were called, as they had been on several other occasions. None of this brought any assistance to Gloria Abraham and her family. As for the city of Pontiac, its economy was based on the auto industry. Its 70,000 inhabitants have endured two decades of plant closures, layoffs, budget cuts, deteriorating housing and schools, and general impoverishment. Neighborhoods that were once relatively stable and secure are today blighted by poverty and crime.
Countless houses suffer from disrepair.
Many are boarded up. Nathaniel grew up in one of the roughest and most devastated parts of the city. One barely gets a glimpse from the front pages or the evening news of the conditions that bore down on Nathaniel. And for good reason. Michigan, as we know, is an economic success story.