Blades vs Blight: Detroit Mower Gang Kicks Grass on the West Side
Residents at the Hammerberg Playfield depend on the Detroit Mower Gang in the fight against blight.
“I came here for the wrong reasons, but I keep coming back for the right reasons.” – Rich Corney, Detroit Mower Gang
The Hammerberg Playfield is rough shape. Located at Chicago Avenue and Wyoming Street on Detroit’s west side, it’s a sizable park that directly backs-up against the grounds of McKenzie Elementary School.
Hammerberg sees activity throughout the summer and well into fall as the home of an area football team. Detroit native and football legend Jerome Bettis — an Hall of Fame running back who spent most of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers — donated the football field there nearly 20 years ago. It’s where you can find a Detroit Police Athletic League team called The West Side Steelers sweating it out during practice on weekday afternoons.
The Steelers’ cheer-leading team utilizes the track around the football field for practice, not only because that’s where they spend a fair amount of time during games, but because on a recent summer day, grass over two-feet-tall lined the adjacent, litter-strewn fields. While the girls ran drills and the boys did push-ups, coaches were raising their voices even louder than normal, as renegade landscape crew called the Detroit Mower Gang was on the offense.
Sources for an earlier version of this story incorrectly pointed to the City of Detroit as the caretaker of the Hammerberg Playfield. Detroit officials say the city transferred responsibilities of the park to Detroit Public Schools two years ago. A DPS spokesperson confirmed the transfer of the park and says contractors are scheduled to mow there within the week (as of July 21, 2015).
Thanks to Tyrone Montgomery, Rich Corney, Darnell Coleman, John & Danielle Barrett.
