I come across this American phrase quite often. Usually after a catastrophe, officials always seem to compare their local destruction to downtown Beirut. So today, the award goes to Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans who is currently running for the post of Mayor of Detroit. His campaign focus has been on policing and public safety.
When asked what his [Warren Evans] plans were for the city’s large blighted neighborhoods, Evans said he didn’t see blight as something the city was in a position to correct anytime soon. He said he would focus on demolishing abandoned houses in neighborhoods experiencing less decay.
And now for the award winning statement:
…I will try to work on the neighborhoods that are stable… he said. …And the one’s that aren’t, frankly I won’t spend a lot of money tearing down those houses. If that’s going to be Beirut, let it be Beirut, but don’t let Beirut grow…
And as part of your award, here is what you downtown Beirut looks like:
Downtown Beirut
Enjoy!