Home > Essays > This may have been Detroit's last Noel Night
By Alonso del Arte, December 9, 2017.
On December 2 of last year, I got to Noel Night too late to see the horses. I did see a couple of police horses, but I really wanted to see the horses pulling carriages. Apparently the rides ended at sunset.
Noel Night is the annual Christmas celebration in Detroit's Midtown, with special events at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), the Detroit Public Library's Main Library, Wayne State University's main campus, the College for Creative Studies, the Michigan Science Center, and numerous other venues in the area.
I didn't stick around long, I wanted to get to Honey Bee Market before closing (8:00 p.m. on Saturdays). My last Noel Night stop was Blossoms Midtown, where Amy Fell had some brilliant paintings on exhibit.
The fragrances at that place were a little overwhelming for me, and I'll have other opportunities to see Amy Fell's paintings. I got to Honey Bee Market with just enough time to get what I wanted to get.
That was fortunate for me, because there was a shooting incident at Noel Night. It happened at 7:40 p.m., at Farnsworth and John R, near the DIA, a few blocks away from Blossoms Midtown. At that time, I was probably just walking into Honey Bee Market.
It is of course unfortunate that the shooting happened at all. In addition to the people injured by gunshots, Detroit's reputation also took a hit, and there might be no Noel Night in Detroit next year or ever again.
I've heard different reports of what happened. Some say the shooter was a 15-year-old. Others say the shooter was an 18-year-old. Some say one of the victims was critically injured, others say the victims will all make quick, full recoveries.
Everyone says the shooting was an escalation of a disagreement that had begun earlier that day. And also that although the persons who got shot were involved in that disagreement, bystanders unaware of the disagreement could also have been injured all too easily.
This makes me wonder: is it easier for a teenager to buy a gun than it is for him to buy beer or cigarettes? Thanks a lot, second clause of the Second Amendment people.
According to Elisha Anderson for the Detroit Free Press, the alleged shooter, a 16-year-old, will be charged with felony firearm possession and designated an adult for sentencing purposes, though the judge will have some leeway.
My first thought on hearing about that the Noel Night shooting might cause the cancellation of next year's Noel Night was to remember the Cinco de Mayo 2014 parade, which was also shut down by a shooting over a disagreement that had started earlier.
There was a Cinco de Mayo parade in 2015, and also in 2016 (I covered it for Examiner.com, and also on Daily Kos) and this year (I covered it on Daily Kos but not on Examiner.com).
The parade is different, because, for one thing, it takes place in broad daylight. Maybe Noel Night could be switched to the afternoon, though then it would be misleading to call it "Noel Night."
Much more importantly, however, the Cinco de Mayo parade involves a stretch of road, Vernor Highway, for a couple of hours, whereas Noel Night involves several city blocks for roughly six hours, requiring a greater expenditure for security.
Christmas will continue to be celebrated in Detroit. But Noel Night will probably become a thing of the past.
The neighborhoods of southwest Detroit have their own version of Noel Night, the Southwest Holiday Fest. It took place on December 9, 2017, apparently without any incident.
I have looked for official confirmation about next year's Noel Night, but the concern seems to be that people might be discouraged from coming to Midtown on any day or night.
So that's what the organizers have addressed. Maybe the decision about next year's Noel Night hasn't been made yet.
This was originally posted on Daily Kos.