Children playing at night in a Dearborn street.

Dearborn has a rich, diverse culture— a hybrid of the Middle East and the Midwest that can manifest itself in tasty food, welcoming faces and exuberant atmospheres. But not all is great. 

Our enthusiasm and liveliness are turning into chaos. Our tendency to be loud and stay up late is becoming intrusive for our neighbors and the erratic driving of some of us is making the roads more hazardous.

We should reform our habits as residents in order to preserve our society and thrive as a community.

Inconsiderate conduct and lack of courtesy are of concern to all of the city’s residents and visitors. 

Cars and motorcycles speeding through residential subdivisions with roaring engines and loud mufflers are a common occurrence in Dearborn. A drive down Warren Avenue between Wyoming and Greenfield reveals that some of our drivers have forgotten the function of turn signals; others make turns from the wrong lane and there is always a teenage “wallah bro” in a fancy sports car tailgating people and cutting them off.

It is not a pleasant sight. It does not represent our culture. But it is what our fellow Americans see of us when they come to our city.

Littering and absence of cleanup efforts have turned some of our streets into an eyesore. Our children are playing unsupervised through our already congested subdivisions. Our streets are filled with cars, while our driveways are empty because some residents find it easier to park by the curb. Some people honk for their friends and relative to alert them that they have arrived, disturbing the entire neighborhood in the process.

Walking around east Dearborn is also challenging. Teenage drivers are always harassing pedestrians. The rampant bullying in our schools is moving to the streets. Bullies often slow down, roll down their windows and verbally assault pedestrians or make demeaning comments about their appearance.  

Overall, there is a general attitude in this community of not caring how our behaviors affect our surroundings. 

It is not all the residents’ fault, however. There is less police presence in the neighborhoods, which is opening the door for unacceptable conduct to go unchallenged. According to many residents, street sweeping has not been consistent. Dried up funds have led to giant potholes in our roads and alleys, which are filling up with trash.

This downward spiral is dreadful and it will impact all of us in the long run. Bad neighborhoods lead to worse neighborhoods. Trash, noise and congestion are driving residents out of Dearborn, which will decrease the property values and tax revenues in the city.

Reform should start now. Change starts with each individual resident. We are under constant attack from bigots. What each of us does reflects on all of us. Let us represent our community properly by being the best citizens we can. 

If you see a piece of trash on the sidewalk, pick it up. But don’t litter to begin with. If your neighbors are being loud and obnoxious in their backyard at night, alert them politely that it is not appropriate. Call the authorities to report illegal activities. Urge your children to behave with respect.

We are a young community in terms of demographics. And with youth comes recklessness. But we need to guide our children, discipline them and empower them.

However, mentoring our youths cannot be the sole responsibility of the parents. There is a generational gap and— in some cases— linguistic and cultural barriers between children and their parents. That’s where our organizations should step in to help families correct their conduct. Our religious institutions, cultural clubs, schools and other role models should help advise the youths to become better citizens.

Our criticism of the behavior of some individuals does not undermine the successes and contributions of Arab Americans. Immigrants from the Middle East and their children have established a proud community and enriched this region culturally and economically. 

Bottom line, we should preserve what we have built. These issues of a lack of courtesy are not inherent in our culture. Nevertheless, they are perpetuated by some members of our community.

We must acknowledge that something is wrong if we want to fix it.