According to Bankole Thompson, Detroit needs improvements that will impact the lives of its ordinary residents. The tax breaks for big companies are off the backs of ordinary citizens. Residential poverty still exists because of the lack of initiatives designed to make a difference. The city has given away huge tax subsidies to highly capitalized companies who don’t follow through with concrete plans. This is what’s creating the opposition to Dan Gilbert’s request for $60 million in tax breaks for the Hudson site project. Gilbert has the money to complete the project without a tax break from disenfranchised Detroiters. The author believes the heart of the issue is a civil rights issue. The jobs that are promised during the PR blitz for subsidies often do not materialize. The City Council should use the tax break Gilbert wants for more important quality of life issues.