U-Matic

People Mover Groundbreaking Speakers
10-31-83
Tape 1

U-Matic S tape containing footage of several of the speakers--including Mayor Coleman A. Young and Senator Carl Levin--at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Detroit People Mover, behind Cobo Hall on October 31, 1983. Portions of the recording were recorded over with test footage at the beginning, and again near the end of the tape. The ceremony and the press' interview with Mayor Young afterward are continued on tapes 2015.008.264 and 2015.008.265.

The tape begins with recording of a voice over a blank picture, (and no times code track). The man's voice explains that he is making the recording to diagnosis a problem with the recording equipment.

After the audio recording ends, the video of the ground breaking ceremony begins with a color guard bringing to the stage, the flags of the United States, Michigan, Detroit, and the Southeastern Michigan Transportation Authority (SEMTA). Afterward, Dewitt Henry of SEMTA begins an introductory speech. Following a cut, U.S. Senator Carl Levin speaks about his connections to the project both during his time on Detroit's City Council, and presently in Washington D.C. Following another cut, David K. Easlick takes to the podium in a SEMTA helmet to acknowledge the roles played by Robert McCabe and Detroit Renaissance in the project. After yet another cut, Diane Edgecomb of the Central Business District Association, reads a 1973 letter written by Hans Gehrke of the Central Business District Association to Thomas Lipscomb of SEMTA about their support for the People Mover concept. The camera cuts away from her reading and resumes as she is listing other recent development projects around the city.

Following another cut, another man with a SEMTA helmet takes to the podium, but the remainder of his speech was recorded over by a lengthy series of silent shot of woman behind a podium with Mayor's seal on it in red press conference room. She uses her fingers to record the shot number at the beginning of each one. In the 6th shot a blue backdrop has been brought in as well.

The recording of the groundbreaking ceremony then resumes with Mayor Coleman A. Young in the middle of addressing the crowd, He talks about the importance of cooperation between the city and other members of the SEMTA region. He then jokes about how the earth slated for the ceremonial groundbreaking has been prepared for the dignitaries. The tape then ends, with the actual groundbreaking following on tape 2015.008.264.