GREAT PHOTOJOURNALISM

Great Photojournalism

John Tully

A Day in D Town

From one day in Detroit on assignment for The Washington Times.

Posters and photographs of Frank Sinatra hang on a wall staring at another wall filled with framed photographs of Harry S. Truman in the office of Jim Fouts, the Mayor of Warren, Michigan. His office, lying directly across from a GM plant that employs about 30,000 of Warren's residents, is where he recently launched a "Buy American" campaign. "GM is the heart of Warren," he said, adding that if the plant goes down , Michigan's third largest city and suburb of Detroit will soon follow.

Ghaleb Khouryzat, from Dearborn, Mich., walks through downtown Detroit heading home from the rally in front of the Cobo Center. Khouryzat, who is retired from the Ford plant and a father of four girls, came to show support for autoworkers and express concerns for his pension and health care benefits that are in jeapordy. Three years ago he underwent open heart surgery. "I'm very much worried about healthcare," he said Sunday.

From left, Calvin Buckmaster and Paul Wohlfarth, who carpooled together from Toledo, Ohio to rally in front of the Detroit auto show, talk with Dianne Feeley, Head Marshall for the rally, about the climate of the auto industry. Wohlfarth, who decided to retire after 31 years working on the line, has two children in college. "I worry about my kids," he said, adding that Chrysler's tuition reimbursement has stopped and he's worried about the future of his pension. "We thought we were getting a job with an honest living," he said, after seeing his father and grandfathers retiring from the company. "They make us out to be a bunch of bad guys, but we work hard," Wohlfarth said.

Calvin Buckmaster, who carpooled with three friends from Toledo, Ohio, marches with a flag outside the North American International Auto Show Sunday afternoon in Detroit. "We don't want to lose fair wages," said the automotive electrician of 16 years at the Jeep manufacturing plant in Toledo. According to Buckmaster, the plant closed down on December 22, forcing him to sign up for unemployment to support his two daughters and one son. "I shoveled food the last two days. It put food on the table," Buckmaster said.

Rick Wagoner, GM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, talks with the press following General Motors first presentation at this year's Detroit auto show.

General Motors employees and their families lined an aisle at the Detroit auto show waving signs supporting a push towards electric cars and better gas mileage proposed by GM. "To let the public know we stand behind the company and for our voices to be heard," Robyn Murphy said. Murphy, an employee in the GM Fleet and Commercial Finance area at GM headquarters who felt the company was getting an inaccurate representation, cheered with her daughter Morgan, 12, as each new car rolled to the stage.

Mark Fields, Executive Vice President of the Ford Motor Company and President, The Americas, stands aside on the floor of the Cobo Arena after introducing the 2010 Ford Taurus.

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JOHN TULLY/For The Washington Times
The General Motors headquarters in downtown Detroit, Mich., towers over the rest of the city as seen from Brush Street.