Opinion

Gary, Indiana, can’t blame racism for every failure exposed by its catastrophic blackout

Rooftop Revelations: Gary is one of those places where the streak of bad luck never seems to run out

By Corey Brooks Fox News

Published September 1, 2026 10:00am EDT

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'Life in Gary came to a literal standstill': Project H.O.O.D. aids Indiana city following blackouts

Pastor and Project H.O.O.D. founder Corey Brooks details his visit to Gary, Indiana and the city's difficulty recovering from a catastrophic storm and prolonged blackout.

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Gary, Indiana, sits on the southern shore of Lake Michigan not too far from where I am on the South Side of Chicago. I know that city well and my Project H.O.O.D. has done many events and good works there.

The one thing everybody knows about Gary is that it is the birthplace of Michael Jackson, a place where one of the biggest stars the world has ever known was forged. In the years before Jackson was born, Blacks moved to Gary from the South to work in the steel mills and many made good livings. But today, Gary sits in the middle of the Rust Belt, and it faces high poverty, widespread vacancy and a long population decline. Its population fell from more than 80,000 in 2010 to an estimated 67,289 in 2025.

Gary is one of those places where the streak of bad luck never seems to run out. I say this with a heavy heart because I know that many people there are good people and they’re trying their best to make some kind of fortune out of their city’s misfortunes. What no one could have predicted is what hit them next — literally.

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The weather people on TV call it a derecho. Unlike a tornado that spins in a circle, a derecho consists of winds running straight through with great force. On Aug. 11, a derecho swept through Northwest Indiana, bringing widespread straight-line winds of 70 to more than 100 mph. A 99 mph wind gust was recorded at Gary/Chicago International Airport. Those gusts were comparable to the winds associated with a Category 2 hurricane.

For nearly two weeks, thousands of Gary residents remained without power. The........

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