Archer is determined not to let that happen, however. He'll be damned if his city is the subject of ridicule. He has promised that he will "ensure that Detroit stands up and is counted."
Census-mania has brought a spirit of philanthropy to Detroit, however. Local McDonalds owners gave unlimited, free meals to almost 10,000 homeless citizens for filling out their censuses and receiving a yellow button reading, "I'm important. I've been counted."
It is a shame that simply helping the homeless isn't enough of a motivation for such good deeds. The homeless should be counted so that Detroit is allotted the resources to be able to feed them. Making sure they are counted is certainly a worthy endeavor--however, it is a worthy endeavor in and of itself, out of the context of simply trying to break a million. They and their issues are important regardless of Detroit's final population count.
Get a clue, Detroit. A million would be nice, but there are other, more important reasons to "stand up and be counted."