Steve Neavling of Motor City Muckraker has discovered tourists in organized group touring the Packard Plant, despite the falling chunks of concrete, carjackings, dumped garbage and other dangers.
Neavling writes"
A day after large chunks of the abandoned Packard Plant spilled onto the road last weekend, nearly striking a pedestrian, a large charter bus pulled into a litter-strewn lot and opened its doors. Dutch tourists clutching cameras walked out and began exploring the historic ruins.
A few days later, two tourists were carjacked in the same area and robbed of their money, camera and cell phones. It was just the latest assault on unsuspecting visitors who are drawn to the Packard’s 1.5 million square feet of crumbling concrete buildings, twisted metal and graffiti-covered walls.
For whatever reason, the risks aren’t deterring opportunists from profiting off of group tours of the cavernous ruins.
One such group, Motor City Photography Workshops, charges photographers to explore the Packard Plant and other abandoned buildings.
We “have been offering urban outings to Detroit to explore and shoot abandoned buildings since January 2012,” the site reads. “We have taken our members to over 40 abandoned locations in 2012 alone.”
Neavling reports another local photographer rented a large charter bus from The Detroit Bus Company and took a group of Dutch tourists to the Packard Plant last weekend. They fanned out and explored the ruins.
When asked about the tour, The Detroit Bus Company founder Andy Didorosi said he had no idea one of his buses was taken to the Packard, and he vowed it wouldn't happen again.
