Ferndale café owner A.J. O'Nei is collecting those promises at his café and on his Web site,In late March, he will sponsor a weeklong music marathon to gather final signatures and call attention to the issue. Called the Assembly Line Project, the event will invite everyone from street-corner musicians to famous Detroit artists to offer continuous songs of praise to Detroit's auto industry.

"I'm fully expecting people like Bob Seger or Kid Rock or Eminem to participate," said O'Neil, who doesn't actually know any of those artists or how to reach them.

O'Neil thinks he can bolster the chances that the Detroit Three will survive the biggest challenge the auto industry has faced in decades.

Date:Jan. 12, 2009