The Unofficial History Of "Can't Have Shit In Detroit": 5 Reasons Why The Meme Still Rules In 2025

The phrase "Can't Have Shit in Detroit" (CHSiD) has evolved from a viral, dark-humor internet meme into a global cultural shorthand. Today, in late 2025, it is used to describe any situation where an item—no matter how mundane or ridiculous—is stolen, damaged, or disappears without explanation, anywhere in the world. The phrase has become an ironic, self-deprecating badge of honor for the city, but its persistent popularity often overshadows the massive economic and social revitalization efforts happening across the Motor City.

The core intention behind the catchphrase is rooted in a single, bizarre real-life event that occurred several years ago, but its continued relevance in modern meme culture, especially on platforms like Reddit, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok, speaks to a broader commentary on urban struggle, perceived lawlessness, and the universal experience of loss. This deep dive uncovers the true origin, tracks its 2025 evolution, and provides a crucial counter-narrative to the enduring joke.

The Bizarre Biography of a Viral Catchphrase: Origin Story and Key Entities

The "Can't Have Shit in Detroit" meme is not about a person, but about an object and the person who lost it. Its fame is tied to a specific, almost unbelievable incident that cemented the phrase in internet lore.

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• The Core Incident: The meme's origin is widely traced back to a 2018 news story.
• The Victim: Detroit resident Antonio Silva.
• The Stolen Item: Silva reported that his entire front porch or stairs had been stolen from his home. The sheer audacity and physical impossibility of stealing a set of stairs instantly captured the internet's attention.
• The Viral Image: The original post was often a picture of a house with a missing set of front steps, leaving the door suspended in mid-air. While some early versions of the meme were mistakenly attributed to Cincinnati or other cities, the "Detroit" label stuck, likely due to the city's pre-existing reputation for urban decay and scrap metal theft.
• The Meme Evolution: After the initial surge, the phrase became a template. It is now used globally to caption images of anything missing, removed, or inexplicably absent, such as a manhole cover, a car's engine, or even symbolic items like "hope" or "patience."
• LSI Keywords/Related Concepts: Stolen stairs meme, Detroit meme origin, Antonio Silva, lawless place meme.

5 Reasons Why "Can't Have Shit in Detroit" Still Goes Viral in 2025

Despite the story being years old, the CHSiD meme has not faded. In fact, it continues to be one of the most reliable and frequently used catchphrases in online commentary, cementing its place as a cultural touchstone.

1. The Universal Appeal of Absurd Loss

The power of the meme lies in its hyperbole. It takes the common, frustrating experience of having something stolen (like a bicycle or a package) and escalates it to the point of absurdity: a whole porch, a bridge, or a city's water tower. This exaggeration makes the joke relatable to anyone, anywhere, who has ever felt victimized by petty crime or inexplicable misfortune. The original image of Antonio Silva’s missing stairs is the perfect visual representation of this extreme loss, making it instantly recognizable and shareable across social media platforms like Reddit’s r/memes and r/OutOfTheLoop.

2. The Continuous Flow of Real-World Reinforcement

The meme is constantly refreshed by real-life news stories that seem to confirm its premise. For example, recent years have seen widely circulated reports of vehicle stripping, where thieves dismantle entire cars for parts in a matter of hours. The infamous incident of a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat being stripped down to its chassis, or ongoing reports of catalytic converter theft, provide fresh, non-meme content that the internet immediately captions with, "Can't Have Shit in Detroit." This constant feedback loop between real-world events and the meme ensures its longevity and topical authority.

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3. The Contrast with Detroit's Revitalization Narrative

As of late 2025, Detroit is undergoing a significant, documented economic turnaround. The city's downtown core, driven by investments from companies like Quicken Loans (now Rocket Companies) and the development of areas like Midtown and Corktown, is unrecognizable from its pre-2010 state. This contrast fuels the meme's dark humor. When a news report highlights positive developments—like a major drop in homicides reported in 2024, or the construction of the new I-75/375 interchange—the comment section inevitably fills with the CHSiD joke, highlighting the tension between the city's grim past and its ambitious future.

4. The Cultural Spread to Other Cities and Contexts

A key sign of a successful meme is its ability to be adapted. CHSiD has spawned numerous derivatives, demonstrating its viral power. The phrase "Can't Even X in Ohio," which became a major trend in 2023, is a direct, acknowledged descendant of the Detroit meme, proving that the concept of a "lawless place" is a potent comedic formula. This adaptation allows the meme to remain relevant even when not directly referencing the Motor City, ensuring it remains a part of the general internet vernacular.

5. The Power of Self-Deprecation and Local Humor

Crucially, many Detroit residents themselves use the meme. This self-deprecating humor transforms the phrase from an external insult into an internal joke. By owning the catchphrase, Detroiters defuse its negative power and turn it into a form of local pride and resilience. This internal adoption is often seen in discussions about the Detroit Lions or the Detroit Pistons, where the phrase is used to lament poor team performance or a bad call, showing that "Can't Have Shit" is now a flexible expression of local frustration, not just a jab at crime.

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The Real Detroit Story: Economic Turnaround and the Counter-Narrative

While the meme provides a laugh, it is essential to ground the discussion in the reality of Detroit's economic resurgence, especially as the city moves into 2025. The narrative of a "lawless place" is increasingly outdated, though challenges certainly remain.

Detroit's 2025 Economic Indicators

Recent reports from the University of Michigan’s Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics (RSQE) and the Detroit Regional Chamber paint a picture of cautious but steady growth. Economists forecast a significant economic turnaround in late 2024 and throughout 2025.

• Employment Growth: Resident employment in the city is forecasted to grow by 1.0 percent by the end of 2025, with a predicted increase in wages for residents.
• Industry Strength: The city's blue-collar industries, including the foundational Automotive Sector, have shown stability. The Detroit Region as a whole has seen employment growth since 2020 that matches the national average of 11%.
• Crime Reduction: The city reported a major drop in homicides in 2024, hitting one of the lowest rates in decades, directly challenging the meme's underlying assumption of unchecked lawlessness.
• Key Development Zones: Major revitalization projects are centered in the Downtown, New Center, and Eastern Market districts, attracting new businesses and residents, signaling a shift away from the urban decay narrative.

The "Can't Have Shit in Detroit" meme is a fascinating case study in how a single, bizarre event can create an enduring cultural phenomenon. It perfectly blends dark humor with a kernel of truth about urban struggles, yet it fails to capture the full, complex story of a city actively rebuilding its identity. While the joke will undoubtedly persist on the internet, the reality on the ground in Detroit—marked by economic growth, development, and a concerted effort to improve safety—is proving that the city can, in fact, have quite a lot of good things.

The meme serves as a reminder of the city's past, but the current statistics and ongoing revitalization efforts show a clear path to a future where the phrase may finally become a relic of internet history, rather than a reflection of reality.