A heavyset African-American passenger in her early thirties pushed the top half of her body through the open window of a white Cadillac Escalade and shouted repeatedly, "Gary's a-crackin'."
Preaching to no one in particular, she continued her full-throated sermon as cars streamed into the parking lot of the new Hard Rock Casino in northern Indiana.
It was Opening Night at Hard Rock and the overjoyed lady was documenting the action on her smartphone camera while describing the action to the masses.
"Gary's back," she cried out.
"The place to be is Gary, Indiana."
"Gary be a-crackin'."
"Gary's back!!!"
Not so fast.
The city of Gary still has a long way to go.
In 2019, a Business Insider story named Gary as "the most miserable city in America."
Riddled by rising crime rates, declining job opportunities, decaying infrastructure and myriad social problems, Gary's entry into casino gambling is not the cure-all for the countless systemic issues plaguing a largely African-American community.
Once a mecca of the steel industry, Gary was hit hard economically by a massive reduction in United States steel production in the late 1970's and early '80's.
Like other cities in the Rust Belt, Gary's problems increased when job opportunities decreased.
Unfortunately, Gary's other major product also saw a meteoric rise and premature death.
Michael Jackson, dubbed the "King of Pop," rose to prominence as the youngest member of The Jackson 5 in 1964 and took off on a solo odyssey in 1971 before ultimately dying of a drug overdose in 2009 at the age of 50.
Some would say the city of Gary is cursed while others would claim it gets exactly what it deserves.
One member of the African-American community in Gary explained the dilemma in simple terms, "The white residents fled the city when the steel jobs disappeared. We blacks are stuck here."
Nearly 80% of Gary residents are black and the city is saddled with a poverty rate exceeding 35%.
No one wants to be associated with Gary, Indiana.
Not even Hard Rock Casino.
Allow me to explain.
When Hard Rock International -- a global brand with over 240 venues in more than 60 countries -- announced plans for its Gary casino in the summer of 2019, the complex was described in press releases and elsewhere as "Hard Rock Casino Gary."
Some news organizations even went so far as to publish Hard Rock's iconic purple and beige logo with the city name "Gary" placed underneath the emblem.
The city of Gary was set to enter the big time alongside glitzy Hard Rock locations like London, Singapore, Cancun, Atlantic City, Daytona Beach and Lake Tahoe.
But sometime between the summer of 2019 and the spring of 2021, someone somewhere quietly made the decision to debut the property as "Hard Rock Northern Indiana."
A check of Hard Rock's website shows every single property under its corporate direction is described by its city name except for one, of course.
Poor Gary.
And shame on Hard Rock International.
With that surreptitious move as early evidence, the smart money predicts Hard Rock Casino will drain more money from Gary residents than it will supply in return.
It seems Hard Rock International wanted to distance itself from a city that was good enough to allow the casino corporation plenty of steep tax breaks but not good enough to have its name in lights.
"Hard Rock Northern Indiana" is a slap in the face to a city desperately in need of a shot in the arm.
Preaching to no one in particular, she continued her full-throated sermon as cars streamed into the parking lot of the new Hard Rock Casino in northern Indiana.
It was Opening Night at Hard Rock and the overjoyed lady was documenting the action on her smartphone camera while describing the action to the masses.
"Gary's back," she cried out.
"The place to be is Gary, Indiana."
"Gary be a-crackin'."
"Gary's back!!!"
Not so fast.
The city of Gary still has a long way to go.
In 2019, a Business Insider story named Gary as "the most miserable city in America."
Riddled by rising crime rates, declining job opportunities, decaying infrastructure and myriad social problems, Gary's entry into casino gambling is not the cure-all for the countless systemic issues plaguing a largely African-American community.
Once a mecca of the steel industry, Gary was hit hard economically by a massive reduction in United States steel production in the late 1970's and early '80's.
Like other cities in the Rust Belt, Gary's problems increased when job opportunities decreased.
Unfortunately, Gary's other major product also saw a meteoric rise and premature death.
Michael Jackson, dubbed the "King of Pop," rose to prominence as the youngest member of The Jackson 5 in 1964 and took off on a solo odyssey in 1971 before ultimately dying of a drug overdose in 2009 at the age of 50.
Some would say the city of Gary is cursed while others would claim it gets exactly what it deserves.
One member of the African-American community in Gary explained the dilemma in simple terms, "The white residents fled the city when the steel jobs disappeared. We blacks are stuck here."
Nearly 80% of Gary residents are black and the city is saddled with a poverty rate exceeding 35%.
No one wants to be associated with Gary, Indiana.
Not even Hard Rock Casino.
Allow me to explain.
When Hard Rock International -- a global brand with over 240 venues in more than 60 countries -- announced plans for its Gary casino in the summer of 2019, the complex was described in press releases and elsewhere as "Hard Rock Casino Gary."
Some news organizations even went so far as to publish Hard Rock's iconic purple and beige logo with the city name "Gary" placed underneath the emblem.
The city of Gary was set to enter the big time alongside glitzy Hard Rock locations like London, Singapore, Cancun, Atlantic City, Daytona Beach and Lake Tahoe.
But sometime between the summer of 2019 and the spring of 2021, someone somewhere quietly made the decision to debut the property as "Hard Rock Northern Indiana."
A check of Hard Rock's website shows every single property under its corporate direction is described by its city name except for one, of course.
Poor Gary.
And shame on Hard Rock International.
With that surreptitious move as early evidence, the smart money predicts Hard Rock Casino will drain more money from Gary residents than it will supply in return.
It seems Hard Rock International wanted to distance itself from a city that was good enough to allow the casino corporation plenty of steep tax breaks but not good enough to have its name in lights.
"Hard Rock Northern Indiana" is a slap in the face to a city desperately in need of a shot in the arm.
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