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Belle Isle has long been a scenic retreat for picnics and fishing and baseball games and family reunions. In recent times, it has also been the scene of the Grand Prix.
Michael Betzold writes in Motor City Muckraker that every spring, concrete barricades and huge grandstands occupy the most popular and scenic west end of the park -- and that is bugging some folks. The event runs from June 3-5.
This Saturday a group plans a “peaceful rally” to protest the Chevrolet Belle Isle Detroit Grand Prix, Betzold reports:
Sandra Novacek, spokeswoman for the protest organizers, says Roger Penske’s race takes way too long to set up and tear down and isn’t being held to account for the damage it does to the island’s ecology and mission.
“The race has nothing to do with what the island is supposed to be,” Novacek says. “It’s led to the degradation of the island so that now people think it’s suitable for any kind of racing,” she adds, citing last year’s Red Bull race around Scott Fountain and occasional unofficial car meets that have cropped up in recent years. Though she acknowledges the Grand Prix has raised money that has been used for some island improvements, she says that should be done in a way that’s more compatible with the park.
