CITIES: New Men for Detroit and Atlanta

Both are the first blacks to be elected to run their cities. Both take office with solid assurances of aid and support from not only the black but the white leadership of their communities. And both confront first and foremost the problem of street crime: their cities rank among the highest in the U.S. in homicide rates. A tale of two cities and their new mayors, Coleman Young of Detroit and Maynard Jackson of Atlanta:

DETROIT. Coleman Alexander Young's first speech as mayor was blunt and to the point. Squinting into the bright...