Running head: Community

Kathleen Wallace
Wayne State University
Community

Community

Saint Clair Shores is best described as a suburban city approximately 13 miles northeast of
the well-known city of Detroit. This city is located in Macomb County within the state of
Michigan and attributes the Metro Detroit area. One of the greatest qualities of Saint Clair Shores
is that it borders Lake St. Clair. This boundary had a significant effect on the formation of the
city by transforming it into a suburban city after World War II; what once was a resort
community, turned into an area for trade because of its accessibility to the water. Throughout the
years, this once division of Erin Township comprised of todays city of Eastpointe, Grosse
Point and Saint Clair Shores, has blossomed into its own town and has created quite the name for
itself.
Community Then and Now
When comparing Saint Clair Shores from the years 1990 to 2010, there had been some
noteworthy differences discovered such as the decline in population, decrease in crime rate and
reduction married coupled families. According to the Bureau of the Census, in 1990 the citys
population was 68,300 and dropped down to 59,715 in 2010. Being a native to the city, this was
surprising because it has appeared as though the city has only continued to bloom over the years;
thus, one would image the citys improvements to increase the population. Another significant
change throughout the ten year period was the decline in crime rate (U.S. Department of
Commerce, 1990). According to City Data, around the year 1990 Saint Clair Shores had a crime
rate of 192.5 and decreased to a rate of 183.9 in 2012; the United States average is 299.
Although this was a positive change, it was quite alarming to learn there were three rapes in 2001
and a total of 20 rapes in 2012 (City-data, 2012). Hence, although the overall crime rate had
decreased, the number of sexual assaults had actually increased.

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Community Functioning Then and Now

Production, Distribution and Consumption
Overtime, Saint Clair Shores has continued to meet the material needs amid the
population including basic necessitates such as food, clothing, and shelter. The city has hardly
changed its approach to meeting these needs since the year 1990 to present day. Still to this day,
most of the citys commercial district stretches along the streets of Harper, Jefferson and Greater
Mack. These streets are still populated with restaurants ranging from fine cuisine, to musical
entertainment, all the way to fast food. Most notably, during the warmer months, the marina
district along Jefferson Avenue continues to be a busy, high-energy center of activity.
This city still has its small clothing shops such as Mr. Blue Jean dating back to 1981 and
the family owned Andrews Tailoring since the early 1990s. Yet, throughout the years, the city
has expanded with clothing stores such as Platos Closet and various thrift shops; i.e. Once
Again Bridal and Retro Thrift. Although the Macomb Mall shopping center is technically
located in neighboring city of Roseville, it has been a common phenomenon for individuals to
venture less than two miles away to the mall for their clothing needs since its opening in 1964.
Saint Clair Shores also provides essential services to meet citizens health needs and basic
household essentials by its numerous convenient stores throughout the city that include
pharmacies. However, the name of such stores have changed throughout the year; what once was
an Arbor Drugs, turned into a large corporation chain CVS. Additionally, the city remains
suitably located within a 10 mile radius to health services such as St. John, St. Joseph East and
West and South Macomb as it had 15 years ago.
Socialization

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Many prevailing norms and traditions have remained unchanged over the last 20 years in
Saint Clair Shores. One of the major traditions citizens celebrate is the Memorial Day Parade that
has been going for 64 consecutive years. In fact, this parade has been titled as Michigans largest
Memorial Day Parade (Caravan, 2016). Following the parade, citizens are encouraged to
parcipate in the Sailing Thru the Shores 5K walk or run that has been a tradition for 10 years
and counting. The Miss St. Clair Shores Scholarship Program is another norm attributed to the
city and is the longest running local Miss America Preliminary across the state of Michigan
(Miss St. Clair Shores Scholarship Program, 2016). This year, the city will be holding its 63rd
pageant, continuing to give away thousands of dollars in scholarships and awards (The City of
St. Clair Shores, 2016).
The Activities Committee is a community group that sponsors traditional events such
as the Fourth of July fireworks at Veterans Memorial Park on the last Friday of June, as well as
Halloween in the Park at Blossom Heath Park, held on the last Sunday preceding Halloween.
This committee also puts together concerts at the Veterans Memorial Park every Wednesday
throughout the summer season. Another holiday tradition is held on the first Friday of December
at City Hall to kick off the Christmas season with a traditional Christmas Tree Lighting
Ceremony. Around this time of year it is social norm to see neighborhoods decorated with
Christmas lights and holiday cheer. Similarly, there are well-known houses within the city that
are notorious for having epic displays of Christmas lights that unite the city in catching a glimpse
of the presentations each year.
Social Control
There is a compilation of community members and governmental systems to ensure the
compliance of norms and values amongst the citizens of Saint Clair Shores. Common to social

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work focusing on the welfare and well being of all people, on July 26, 1994 the city of Saint
Clair Shores established the parental responsibility ordinance. This regulation was created to
address the social problem of the inadequate supervision of minor children by their parents in
order to preserve the public welfare, health, and peace of the people. These parental duties
included preventing minors from committing delinquent acts, ensuring minors are following
curfews and requiring minors to attend school regularly. Consequently, if parents or guardians
fail to comply with this regulation, they shall be held accountable for the damages caused by the
expenses of any delinquent act by the minor (Order of the City Council, 2016).
Devils Night is an unofficial holiday celebrated throughout the state of Michigan,
including the city of Saint Clair Shores, falling on the 30th of October. Its a tradition believed to
encompass mischievous behaviors by teenagers including throwing eggs at houses and staying
out past curfew. However, over the years, the city of Saint Clair Shores has collaborated with
various schools throughout the city to establish groups of parents to pay particular attention to
the school grounds on this particular night (Klug, 2013). This became a main focus within the
community after the Devils Night fires of 1994 that occurred miles away in the neighboring
city of Detroit. Afterwards, the mayor of Detroit, Dave Bing, renamed the holiday Angels
Night, and enacted volunteers to patrol the streets on this night to cut down crime rates. Hence,
the city of Saint Clair Shores shortly followed suit (DeVito, 2015).
Social participation
Monday, February 15, 1970 was a memorable day in Saint Clair Shores history,
recognized as the opening day of the Civic area with the first hockey game taking place on the
new ice rink. Since this event, the arena has not lost its significance to the people of Saint Clair

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Shores. The hockey association continues to play a huge part of the culture and social
participation of the city by expanding its recognition to include adult teams, womans leagues
and travel teams. Citizens still come out to root for their favorite teams and watch the fierce
competitions. To meet the high popularity, the arena has made renovations including concession
stands, pro shops and open skating when there is not a game occurring. The city continues to
uphold its well-known hockey reputation with more state championships than any other rink in
the entire state to this day (St. Clair Shores Hockey Association, 2016).
Another form of a social outlet within the city is Kyte Monroe Park located on Harper
between 14 mile and Masonic Boulevard. This park brings in large crowds because of its
baseball, softball and soccer tournaments; these leagues featured at Kyte Monroe Park
associations of the city. Saint Clair Shores Parks and Recreation also holds adult softball, adult
baseball and adult kickball leagues at the park. There are five multi-purpose diamonds, two
baseball diamonds, four tennis courts, two basketball courts, 10 horseshoe pits, playground
equipment, two soccer fields, a batting cage facility and numerous picnic tables and barbeques
for family fun (The City of St. Clair Shores, 2016). Especially during the spring and summer
months, this park is known to bring the entire community together.
Mutual support
Great Parents, Great Start and the Shorewood Kiwanis sponsor programs entitled 1st stop for
Tots and Top Time at the citys local library on Wednesdays, Thursdays and the 3rd Saturday
of every month. 1st Stop for Tots is at 10:00am and allows children up to four years of age to
join the volunteers in activities such as learning nursery rhymes, singing songs and reading
stories. Top Time is at 10:30am and is a free, drop-in program for children up to five years of

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age. Children choose books to read with volunteers, play with toys and puzzles, or simply enjoy
the company of other children and adults. There is no registration required for either program
and the events are free (St. Clair Shores Public Library, 2016).
Another form of mutual support amongst the city of Saint Clair Shores is the policy for the
operation of the citys government access video channel (SCSTV). By merely turning on the
television, the people of Saint Clair Shores can keep up-to-date with whats happening
throughout the city. This programming enables citizens to receive public service information and
learn about events that are sponsored by the city or its commission and volunteer boards. This
channel also provides information to residents looking to contact different City departments.
SCSTVs mission is to operate in a way that minimizes operating costs and capital while
simultaneously offering mutual support through its service to the public (City of St. Clair Shores
City Council, 2016).
The Saint Clair Shores Housing Commission is a professional program that cares for the
distressed. This commission enacts low rent and section 8 housing to meet the needs of citizens
facing economic hardships. Occupants of the city interested in this type of assistance can easily
walk into the commissions office, centrally located on Blossom Heath Boulevard, to receive
information and an application (Need Help Paying Bills, 2016). Likewise, one of the four
locations that sponsor the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) supplemental nutrition program
is located in the city at the Southeast Health Center. This federally funded program provides
nutritious food and infant formulas for absolutely no cost. In addition, WIC provides citizens
facing oppression with immunizations, nutrition education, breastfeeding education, counseling
sieves and health screenings Macomb County, 2013).

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Defense
Saint Clair Shores has an efficient police department that offers protection and care of its
members. Police are on duty around the clock and its office hours are open from 8:00am to
5:00pm, Monday through Friday. The department also provides a contact number for nonemergency calls to meet citizens their specific needs (Jefferson, 2016). The Saint Clair Shores
Police Department uses local radio stations and Cable Channel 6 to broadcast snow and public
emergencies to keep its citizens informed. The city is protected with 84 officers and six civilian
employees. These officials are categorized into seven bureaus with each having functions that
relate to a specific expertise. These bureaus include the criminal investigation division, juvenile
bureau, narcotics bureau, operational support services and records bureau, patrol bureau, special
investigations and traffic bureau (The City of St. Clair Shores, 2016).
Communication
Although the city has a Cultural Committee to facilitate access to and create awareness of
cultural events for residents, the primary customs of Saint Clair Shores are English speaking and
Caucasian backgrounds. Yet, schools within the community encourage students to participate in
foreign language classes. Often times, school districts will require students, especially through
high school, to take at least one foreign language class prior to graduation. Additionally,
compared to the 1990s when Spanish was the most common foreign language class amongst
educational institutions, schools now offer additional options such as Mandarin and French.
Likewise, in 2011 Lake Shore High School created a foreign exchange program that offers
housing and educational services for Chinese, German and Spanish students traveling to the
community from their home countries (Cultural Committee, 2016).

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Analysis of Changes
Saint Clair Shores has had minimal change in comparison to 1990 and 2010. Although
the population has declined, the same traditions are celebrated throughout the community and
many businesses are still running. The community continues to gather together for events such as
the Memorial Day Parade, concerts in the park and watching the citys firework display on the
Fourth of July. When discussing the city with librarians and community members, it was found
to be a common phenomenon for individuals to have lived in the city all their lives. This creates
closeness among natives because it is common for members of the older generations to have
grown up with the same neighbors they have today. Consequently, it is common for students to
have parents that are associates of their classmates parents, as well as teachers recognizing their
parents as former students. It is as though everyone is somehow connected, emulating the famous
saying, it is a small world.
As per the census of 2010, out of a total population of 59,798, only 3.9% were African
American and a mere 0.3% classified as Native American; hence, these populations appear to be
the most vulnerable among Saint Clair Shores. Considering the culture of the city has had little
change over the years, these specific populations continue to identify as the minority. Yet, in the
educational setting, the school districts of Saint Clair Shores have enacted School of Choice
applications to expand education opportunities to different populations. Hence, this application
officially falls under the senate bill 624 that allows public schools to invite out-of-district
students for enrollment. Yet, citizens such as Kelly DeKeyser Spanick do not necessarily agree
with the invitation. Hence, Spanick argues her child with ADHD is affected by non-native
students coming into the district since there are not enough books to meet the increasing student
population and claims, we pay the taxes for our schools if you want a better school, move to the

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district, otherwise stay out (Cardenas, 2011).

Community Perspectives
Amongst various theories, Saint Clair Shores relates best with the Systems Theory. The
city operates as a machine in which its citizens and city officials work together and integrate
smoothly. Over the years, the city has not had major controversy or issues; thus, individuals
appear to be well coordinated with one another. Hence, order is stressed over inconsistency and
change. The culture of the city has remained consistent over time and members appear to feel
comfortable with their lifestyle. If individuals of different cultures unexpectedly moved in the
city, it would cause a disruption to the normalcy the city currently encompasses. Another reason
Systems Theory relates best with Saint Clair Shores is because it does not focus on politics and
power. The city embodies an equal distribution of power in comparison to citizens and city
officials. In fact, city officials have worked hard over the years to provide services such as the
City of Saint Clair Shores Cable Channel to keep everyone informed with what is going on
within the city. Citizens are treated with equal respect and if there is an issue, officials are easily
accessible to individuals and can be contacted by a simple phone call (Netting, Kettner, &
McMurtry, pp. 140-142, 1993).
Individual Reflection
Considering I have lived in Saint Clair Shores my entire life, the city has played a major
role in shaping my identity. Since the demographics have remained constant throughout the
years, I have learned to appreciate new cultures and ethnicities, especially when interacting with
students of different background during my college career. Growing up I had little interaction
with diverse populations; thus, this has created an aspiration to explore other communities and

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travel. When researching Saint Clair Shores, I gained a gratitude for the citys traditions such as
the Memorial Day Parade and concerts during the summer months at Memorial Park. Before my
research, I had not realized how long such traditions have brought the community together.
Additionally, I grasped the importance behind the Miss Saint Clair Shores pageant and its
affiliation with rewarding scholarships. The city has shaped my expectations for things to remain
constant; although, this could be viewed as a negative characteristic since I have not had
widespread interactions with diversity, I have found a new appreciation for the close-knit
relationship of my community.

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Resources

Caravan, G. (2016). Saint Clair Shores Memorial Day Parade. Retrieved, from
http://www.scsparade.com/
Cardenas, E. (2011, September 8). Shores residents discuss schools of choice legislation.
Retrieved, from http://patch.com/michigan/stclairshores/shores-residents-discuss-schoolsof-choice-legislation
City-data. (2012). Crime rate in St. Clair Shores, Michigan (MI): Murders, rapes, robberies,
assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto thefts, arson, law enforcement employees, police officers,
crime map. Retrieved, from http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-St.-Clair-ShoresMichigan.html
City of St. Clair Shores City Council. (2016). Policy for the operation of the city of St. Clair
Shores government access video channels (SCSTV). Retrieved from http://www.ci.saintclair-shores.mi.us/DocumentCenter/View/52
Cultural Committee. (2016). Got culture? Retrieved, from
http://www.scsculture.com/WELCOME.html
DeVito, L. (2015, October 29). Everything you need to know about angels' night 2015.
Retrieved, from http://www.metrotimes.com/Blogs/archives/2015/10/29/everything-youneed-to-know-about-angels-night-2015

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Jefferson, R. (2016). Police department. Retrieved, from

http://www.cityofstclair.com/departments/police-department/
Klug, F. (2013, October 30). Michigan may be only state to call tonight devil's night. Retrieved,
From
http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/10/michigan_may_be_only_state_to.html
Macomb County. (2013). Women, infants, and children (WIC). Retrieved, from
http://health.macombgov.org/Health-Programs-FamilyHealthServices-WIC
Need Help Paying Bills. (2016). Michigan section 8 housing choice voucher program.
Retrieved, from
http://www.needhelppayingbills.com/html/section_8_housing_michigan.html
Miss St. Clair Shores Scholarship Program. (2016). The miss St. Clair Shores scholarship
program. Retrieved, from http://www.missstclairshores.com/
Netting, F. E., Kettner, P. M., & McMurtry, S. L. (1993). Social work macro practice. New
York: Longman.
Order of the City Council. (2016). Compilation of ordinances. Retrieved, from
https://www.municode.com/library/mi/st._clair_shores/codes/compilationgeneral_and_zoning?nodeId=COOR
St. Clair Shores Hockey Association. (2016). History. Retrieved, from

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http://www.scsha.org/page/show/213412-history
St. Clair Shores Public Library. (2016). 1st stop for tots. Retrieved, from
http://www.scslibrary.org/tots.html
The City of St. Clair Shores. (2016). Kyte monroe park facilities. Retrieved, from
http://www.ci.saint-clair-shores.mi.us/index.aspx?NID=153
The City of St. Clair Shores. (2016). Police. Retrieved, from http://www.ci.saint-clairshores.mi.us/index.aspx?NID=153
The City of St. Clair Shores. (2016). Welcome to an engaged community. Retrieved, from
http://www.ci.saint-clair-shores.mi.us/index.aspx?NID=153
U.S. Department of Commerce. (1990). 1990 Census of population. Retrieved from
http://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cp2/cp-2-24-1.pdf

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