Detroit's decline from one of America's most prosperous cities from the 1940s through '60s into the ruins of today is detailed in the documentary <em>Deforce</em> (out on DVD). Even before it became the Motor City with the installation of Henry Ford's rolling assembly line (1914), Detroit was an industrial powerhouse in shipbuilding and iron casting. With the rise of the auto industry, Detroit became a magnet for job seekers. During the city's glory days workers with no English, no education and few skills could learn on the job, join the union and be lifted into the middle class. Opportunities have shrunk. Since the '60s, Detroit's population has declined, poverty rates have risen and many districts have been abandoned. Filmmaker Daniel Falconer examines the darker side of Detroit's golden years, which mostly concerned racial segregation and riots, and interviews residents and activists who hope to build a sense of community that will arrest the city's decline. For more, go to www.deforcemovie.com.
