Thanks to COVID-19 a walk down the streets of Detroit is almost like a scene out of Omega Man, a city seemingly devoid of people.
However, just because you don’t see the people doesn’t mean the heart of the city has stopped.
A video called Love Detroit was the vision of Billy Strawter Jr., founder and partner of Soul Motor Co., shows how much is still going on under the surface.
Two weeks ago, on a beautiful, sunny morning, Strawter went for a walk to see what the city was like and to get a look for himself at the Motor City under social distancing.
“I wanted to know if Detroit missed me as much as I missed it,” he says.
Strawter walked down Woodward from Mack Avenue to the Detroit River and from Little Caesars Arena to Campus Martius.
The streets were empty. Everywhere Motown’s biggest gathering places were silent. There was no hustle and bustle. Seeing the quiet streets highlighted the importance of the people who still had to be out every day…. doctors, nurses, volunteers and essential workers.
“If you look at what people put on social media you would think that Detroit is a hotspot where no one is following the rules,” says Strawter.
It’s just not so.
Strawter noticed of all the ads he sees on TV that talk about how serious and important it is to social distance and stay at home. They all clearly convey the seriousness of the virus. It is an important story … that everyone knows and understands.
There is more to the story of Detroit in COVID-19’s shadow than just sheltering in lace. That was the message he wanted to get out.
He got an idea to make a video that highlights the city, how it is and how it is still functioning under a seemingly empty surface. He wanted to highlight the people still working to make Detroit run.
The question he wanted to answer, “What would Detroit want to say to itself and surrounding communities?”
He pitched the idea to his team at Soul Motor Co. and Chief Creative Officer Mark Simon set out to drive around and get his take.
What developed was a video that not only showed Detroit’s resilience – it is a love letter to the city and the surrounding area.
The Motown Museum provided the video’s song – “Some Day We’ll Be Together” by Diana Ross and the Supremes.
The song dovetails nicely with ads promoting social distancing that say, “We’ll See You Soon.”
It isn’t only people living in the city who are waiting to enjoy all that is downtown. All of metro Detroit is waiting to take to the city’s streets again.
The response to the video, and to Soul Motor Co., has gotten nothing but positive feedback. Viewers say it “hit them right in the feels,” Strawter says. Some say it could have been longer.
Without further ado, the video …
Detroit isn't Detroit without you.
Posted by Soul Motor Co. on Thursday, April 30, 2020
Love Detroit video captures the real city under COVID-19 social distancing added by M Lapham on
View all posts by M Lapham →
