When Judge Steven Rhodes convenes the first hearing in Detroit’s bankruptcy this week, more than a hint of irony will permeate the city’s federal courthouse.
The 64-year-old veteran bankruptcy judge will be presiding over the biggest municipal bankruptcy in US history, sifting through more than $18 billion in debt and unfunded liabilities, and taking decisions that will affect the lives of city residents, workers and retirees.
We take a look in images at the forgotten US city and daily life for its inhabitants.
Carla Lyons holds her bidders card before the start of an auction of foreclosed properties in Detroit
Un-employed truck driver Allen Askew III checks for job listings at a jobs search agency in Detroit
A vacant blighted home is seen on a street that was once lined with houses in Detroit
‘Detroit City Limits’ border sign is seen as traffic enters a westside neighborhood in Detroit
Newly crushed vehicles sit in stacks before being shipped to the shredder at US Auto Supply in Detroit
A woman walks next to the abandoned Packard Motor Car Company building, that ceased production in the 1950’s, in Detroit, Michigan December 18, 2008. The White House said on Thursday it is considering the option of an “orderly” bankruptcy as it weighs aid for US automakers and Chrysler LLC prepares to shut down all of its 30 factories for a month.
Shoes are seen at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen service center in Detroit, Michigan
People look for clothes at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen service center, where hundreds of people receive food and supplies everyday, in Detroit
The inside of the abandoned “Martyrs of Uganda Catholic Church is seen in Detroit
Dr. Ed Jelonek (R) works in his own free time as patients line up outside at the Order of Malta Medical and Dental Clinic for low income Michigan residents in the basement at the St. Leo Catholic Church in Detroit
The abandoned and decaying manufacturing plant of Packard Motor Car is seen in Detroit, Michigan