There’s a new park on the riverfront in downtown Detroit, and you can’t miss it. 

The 22-acre Ralph C Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park is located along Detroit’s riverfront between the Ambassador Bridge and the Renaissance Center. It features a whimsical playground and splash pad, two covered basketball courts, hundreds of newly-planted trees and a water garden.

The park’s opening is the result of 8 years of outreach, planning and design. The seed funding was provided by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation and the project was led by the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy.

Cassie Brenske, spokesperson for the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, told WDET’s Alex McLenon that a community advisory team of 22 Detroit residents were part of the planning process early on.

“We took them across the country to New York, Philadelphia and Chicago, and gave them the opportunity to see what other parks across the country looked like and what we might want to see here in Detroit.”

Jim Boyle, Vice President of Programs and Strategy at the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation told The Metro the new park connects neighborhoods that border downtown via the Joe Louis Greenway and the Riverwalk.

“It’s a regional asset that’s an economic driver for talent, and a major place where people want to be. But, it’s also a neighborhood amenity that makes living in those neighborhoods that much better.”

The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation Centennial Park is now open to the public on Detroit’s Riverfront.

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Amid reports that federal immigration officials are accelerating the deportation process of Lue Yang, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has pardoned the Hmong refugee. The governor called him “a devoted family man and respected leader in Michigan’s Hmong community.”

Yang, 47, a father of six from St. Johns, was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in July. ICE cites a decades-old conviction for attempted second-degree home invasion, a crime committed when he was 19.

Michigan courts have since expunged that record under the state’s Clean Slate law, but federal immigration rules still treat it as grounds for removal.

Since his arrest, Yang has been transferred through multiple ICE facilities, including the federal staging site in Alexandria, Louisiana, which is part of a network used for deportation flights. His case unfolds as the Trump administration has increased removals of Southeast Asian refugees this year.

Refugee to community builder 

During the Vietnam War, Yang’s family, like many Hmong in Laos, worked alongside U.S. troops and CIA operatives, a loyalty that later forced them to flee their homeland and begin again in America. 

Before his family’s journey to the U.S., Yang was born in a Thai refugee camp. He was brought to America as a young child and has no connection to Laos, the country immigration officials are considering for his deportation.

His wife, Ann Vue, told The Metro he has been a pillar for the state’s Hmong residents.

“He has literally brought our Hmong community out and gave us a voice — that we do exist in the state of Michigan.”

Ensnared in the system

Advocates, including Michigan State Sen. Stephanie Chang and immigration attorney Aisa Villarosa of the Asian Law Caucus, say they’ve received reports that Yang’s deportation is proceeding. They believe he was placed on a plane last night with a leg to Laos. 

The Metro has contacted ICE but has not yet received confirmation.

Villarosa says she is encouraged by the governor’s pardon, calling it “a groundbreaking step in the movement to challenge Lue’s detention and deportation, and a message of affirmation to the millions of loved ones and advocates at the front lines of inhumane immigration enforcement policies.”

Still, she says, the effect of Whitmer’s pardon on Yang’s immigration case remains unclear.

Just before Whitmer announced Yang’s pardon, Villarosa joined The Metro’s Robyn Vincent to discuss fighting to keep families like the Yangs together. 

Use the audio player above to listen.

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It began at Comerica Park during a summer Tigers game — lights bright against the sky, fans filling the stands, the rhythm of the game unfolding.

For deaf and hard-of-hearing volunteers from Detroit’s DAD Foundation, the energy was palpable, even if the experience of the ballpark was not defined by sound. They relied on sight and movement as they staffed a concession stand to raise money for their nonprofit.

They were trained for the job, but no one provided interpreters or signs to help them communicate with customers. After a confusing encounter with a secret shopper, they were told not to come back. 

Now the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice has taken the case to court. They argue that what happened is discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Last month, a federal judge said their lawsuit can move forward. That means their claims under the ADA warrant a complete examination.

Although this happened at a baseball game at a popular stadium in Detroit, the story asks something bigger than baseball. What does access look like in a world built around sound? 

Attorney Liz Jacob from the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss what this ruling could mean for deaf and hard-of-hearing people across the country. 

Transcript of the conversation below.

Robyn Vincent, co-host of The Metro: Liz, welcome back to The Metro.

Attorney Liz Jacob: Thanks so much for having me. 

Robyn: And a note before we begin: radio is a hearing-based medium, and that’s part of the problem when we talk about access. So a full transcript of this story will be available online, because access starts with how we tell the story itself.

Now. Liz, before we get to the law, can you take us to that night at Comerica Park? What did communication look like for your clients? What was missing, and how did that absence shape everything that followed?

Liz: Absolutely, and let me just start off by talking a little bit about our clients. We have an amazing group of clients here who are all people who, themselves, are deaf and hard of hearing and are a part of an organization, the DAD Foundation, that actually advocates for the rights, needs, and community for deaf and hard of hearing people. 

So participation in this program at Comerica Park was so important to our clients, it gave them a chance to get to be a part of game day, to get to volunteer during that excitement down at the stadium, and to be able to support their nonprofit for their volunteer work at the stadium, they were able to get a donation for the DAD Foundation, a community group that they care about that supports their needs and allows them to thrive in the community. 

All the volunteers went through a training offered by the vendor services organization at Comerica Park. They understood the role, and they were ready to participate. What was missing, Robyn, was the chance for them to participate equally. The organization knew that they were deaf, they knew that the volunteers were hard of hearing. They knew that they needed accommodations in order to thrive in the role, but they weren’t provided that. They weren’t given even the barest minimum of accommodation required under the Americans with Disabilities Act, which in this case could be signage. It could be having a sign language interpreter on site with the volunteers. It would also include training a secret shopper to know that these individuals volunteering at the concession stand are deaf and hard of hearing, and they should adjust the way they communicate with them accordingly. 

They weren’t provided with those accommodations, and that broke down communication.

Robyn: Liz, let’s talk more about what the law actually requires, because the Americans with Disabilities Act does talk about effective communication, and you have just given us some examples of what was missing. Who decides which aids or services are appropriate?

Liz: Great question. So the aids and services required should be centered around the needs of the people who have the disability. So the Americans with Disability Act considers the individualized needs of the folks who have the disability. So in this case, folks who are deaf and hard of hearing, there are really well-understood and accepted accommodations for folks who have this particular disability. In this case, signage, access to an interpreter, are considered reasonable accommodations regularly offered under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Robyn: And these were all missing in this situation. Now, Liz, this case is a little unusual, because the people at the center of it weren’t paid workers. They were volunteers. That meant the usual workplace protections under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act didn’t apply. Instead, you’re arguing this falls under Title III, and that’s the part of the law that covers public spaces. So that means restaurants, stores and stadiums, like Comerica Park, and it guarantees equal access for everyone, not just employees. Why does that distinction matter? What does it reveal about how the Americans with Disabilities Act protects people who contribute to public life in ways that, say, aren’t defined as work?

Liz: Great question. So, one of the really important things about the Americans with Disabilities Act is that it underscores a congressional intent to make public life accessible to people with disabilities. Work is one part of public life, that’s why it’s captured under Title I of the act, but Title III was really an important intention from Congress to expand access to the general public, to people with disabilities, it was a recognition that we have built so many inaccessible spaces in our world that do not allow people with disabilities to show up fully and be able to participate. So Title III, and the way that we’re trying to push the court to understand this issue, is that Title III really covers fair and equal access to any place of public accommodation. Those are spaces like Comerica Park that are open to the general public. And we’re pushing the court here to see that when we say public accommodation, we don’t just mean physical access to the stadium. We mean access to all programs offered at the stadium to the general public. That’s what we have here, a program offered generally to any nonprofit in the public in fact, our clients were invited to participate in this program. And when you’re going to offer that kind of public-facing program, you need to make it accessible to everyone. Folks should not be denied the right to participate in these programs just because they have disabilities. 

The Americans with Disabilities Act shifted that responsibility onto these private organizations that are going to host events open to the public, programs and services open to the public. It puts the onus on the private actors then to make those spaces accessible to everyone.

Robyn: So, what I’m hearing from you is that there needs to be a higher threshold of responsibility when it comes to these organizations and how they’re accommodating people with disabilities. I want to zoom out, because we often talk about sound in stadiums, but inclusion is visual and it’s linguistic. Where do you see systemic breakdowns across sports venues when it comes to deaf culture and ASL as a language,

Liz: It’s a great question, Robyn. What we have heard from our clients and other members of the deaf and hard of hearing community is that it’s not just being able to see the game played, it’s also being able to hear and understand that is such a big part of the experience that they’re not able to access, right? We have commentators sharing what’s happening play by play on the field. We have folks talking in their seats. Those are all parts of the experience that could be made more accessible. Having sign language interpreters who are actually breaking down commentary during games is one part of the experience that could be made better. And in this case, we’re talking about the ability to participate in that full game day experience. It’s not just what’s happening on the field. A big part of game day is built around the concession stands, getting to enjoy a hot dog with friends, getting to build camaraderie with fellow volunteers as you serve those concessions. That’s a really important part of access on game day, too. 

So, being able to make sure folks can participate fully in the experience on game day, whether that’s as a spectator or as a member of the concession stands, is so important to building a better vision of full inclusion for every person who’s in that stadium on game day.

Robyn: Let’s contextualize this beyond game day, if we could. Liz, because the data show a durable employment gap: roughly half of deaf adults are employed, and that’s compared with about 70% of hearing adults. And I should note, many of the jobs deaf people have are outside the traditional workforce, and those positions may differ a lot when it comes to quality, hours, or stability. Liz, when a public venue fails to provide interpreters or visual communication and then removes deaf volunteers, how would you say that single access failure ripples into the workforce?

Liz: It’s a great question, Robyn. So what we have heard from our clients is that participation in this volunteer program is so important, exactly for the reason that you’re underscoring. It is so hard for members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community to be able to access dignified, meaningful work. And these volunteer roles are actually really important because it gives them work experience, it allows them to build their resume, get experience on the ground when it’s so hard for them to be able to access those jobs. 

So participation in these programs are important. It shows that they have the ability to do it. It helps them build their skills and experience, and it allows them to have a leg up the next time they go to apply for a job. That’s also why having an experience that like this, that was so hurtful, so stressful and so distressing during a volunteer experience, also sets our clients back a lot. It makes them feel yet again, like spaces are not built for them, like it’s yet again so difficult for them to find an accessible opportunity that how can they then find a job that’s going to accept them or build the accommodations that they need. 

So that’s why it’s so critical that we fight these inaccessible spaces even when they’re in a volunteer context, because for our clients, they matter. They’re the experiences that allow them to build their lives that push them closer to dignified work. And it shows us that building meaningful, dignified employment opportunities for deaf people also has to start with their other experiences in the community, their experiences as a volunteer, their experiences with fellow volunteers, where they’re building community and building skills, are just as important if we’re taking a full person approach, and that’s why we need to push for the civil rights of folks with disabilities at every level. We need to keep up with the fight, whether it’s a full time job or a volunteer employment opportunity, because those are the experiences that define people’s lives. Those are the experiences that set the tone for the spaces that they can access next.

Robyn: Liz, this has me wondering, though, about Comerica Park, about the Detroit Tigers, what responsibilities do teams and venue operators have when contractors are running concessions, where does accountability live in these multi-party arrangements?

Liz: This case, I think, is highlighting the fact that there are so many different actors who control the experience on game day, who run the concession stands and who impact the abilities of the general public to be able to access the space. 

So for Comerica Park and for the Detroit Tigers, they have a powerful opportunity now to be in solidarity with our clients, with members of the deaf and hard of hearing community, and actually hold their contractors accountable. 

These are not just things that would be nice to do. These are legal requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act that we have here in Michigan. So there’s an opportunity now for the Detroit Tigers in Comerica Park to hold their vendors accountable to the law and to making sure that they are inclusive and accessible to the community. 

So we hope the Detroit Tigers and Comerica Park will join us in holding these vendors accountable and set a better standard going forward for all their vendors to make sure that everyone, regardless of their level of ability, is able to enjoy all of the programs offered on game day.

Robyn: Liz, let’s stay on game day. What would meaningful compliance look like next opening day. In other words, how do we measure success beyond a settlement?

Liz: So for our clients and for other people who are deaf and hard of hearing, Compliance would look like starting at the very beginning. When they’re invited into these nonprofit programs at Comerica Park, they receive training that’s accessible. They have sign language interpreters at the trainings. They’re given visual tools and resources to allow them to get correctly trained up and have access to a training that they can fully understand and participate in. 

Then when they’re there on game day serving concessions, they have signage that makes it clear that the folks working in the stand that day are deaf and hard of hearing, so that folks who are coming up to the concession stand know how to better communicate, and they have the resources to do it. Maybe there’s a handwritten option or a digital tool that allows them to place their order, or they’re able to point or reference an easily accessible menu to show a deaf or hard of hearing person what they’d like to order. 

In addition, there could be sign language interpreters available at the concession stands that have deaf and hard-of-hearing volunteers so they can have full conversations with participants. And if you get to be a part of game day in that way, you know, sharing a reaction to the game, being able to talk about someone’s order, that would look like much fuller inclusion to be able to provide them the same opportunities that any other volunteer at that concession stand is able to have.

Robyn: Liz many workplaces and public programs are what advocates call hearing-led, and this may be the first time that some people listening to this conversation right now have ever even heard that term, which means places where hearing people set the tone, the systems and the language when those organizations want to do better, whether it’s Comerica Park or someplace else. What should that look like from the start? How do you co-design access with deaf communities in mind?

Liz: So, organizations like our client, the dad Foundation, are great examples of partners in doing that work and thinking about what it looks like to actually center and prioritize the needs of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. So there are organizations like the Dad Foundation that are really excited to have those conversations that already have in their membership, tons and tons of Deaf folks who would like to be a part of those conversations, who know what they need and want to help shape spaces. 

So, my first invitation to folks who are thinking about, how can you shift a hearing-led space is, one, work in partnership and in solidarity with people who are in the deaf and hard of hearing community, communicate with them, understand their needs, and then take that forward into the design of your workplace, your community or your public space. The other option to think about too, is, as hearing people, we have privilege being able to think about how we experience space, when we can hear sound, hear voices and hear noises in our environment, and then unpack those privileges. What would allow someone to experience that space if they couldn’t hear what would allow someone to participate if they couldn’t understand the words that were being spoken? Whether that’s shifting to sign language to written tools to visual tools, there are changes we can all make when we consider our hearing privileges, and how if someone didn’t have those privileges, they could better access that space.

Robyn: Finally, Liz, I have a question about WDET, and radio more broadly, because radio is, of course, an audio-first medium. What do you want from newsrooms covering deaf stories beyond transcripts, so that coverage itself doesn’t replicate the barriers you’re fighting in court right now?

Liz: Great question. Being able to think about multimedia stories is a way to meet the needs of our Deaf community members. So making sure that we don’t just have audio-first stories, but we’re actually putting together media assets that are kind of whole packages that folks can experience a number of different ways that best meet their needs. 

So, in this case, we could have a version of this story, for instance, where we’re able to be on the ground at Comerica Park or in our offices. Folks are able to see us talk and actually have a live sign language interpreter throughout the whole conversation, being able to have a visual story that, instead of using any audio, just communicates through graphics and other kinds of written texts and tools. Being able to think about a multiplicity of ways to tell a single story allows it to be so much more accessible and so much more inclusive to audiences who might not be able to access what we have right now of a radio story, of a story relying entirely on audio.

Robyn: Attorney Liz Jacob with the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice. Liz, thank you so much for joining me on The Metro.

Liz: Thanks for your time today.

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Metro Detroit is home to one of the largest Iraqi communities outside the Middle East. Muslims and Chaldeans share streets, shops, and schools here. Together, they hold stories of displacement, of wars fought by the United States on their homeland, even as that same nation became their place of safety. Yet that closeness is cleaved by sharp differences, especially at the ballot box. 

Many Chaldeans, rooted in Catholic tradition and conservative values, have leaned Republican. Muslim Americans, once loyal Democrats, broke away in 2024, frustrated that the Biden administration did not stop the devastation in Gaza. Many instead voted for Green Party candidate Jill Stein.

These political choices are layered with questions of identity, family, and faith. They are the backdrop of Pomegranate, a film written and directed by Iraqi American author Weam Namou.

The story unfolds during the 2016 election. It follows Niran, a young Muslim refugee who finds herself in a conservative Chaldean Christian neighborhood. Through her eyes, we see the push and pull of trying to belong amid the stereotypes Middle Eastern women face in America.

Namou has spent her career writing about these themes. She has given voice to Iraqi women’s experiences of migration, resilience, and faith. “Pomegranate” carries that work forward. Although the film is set years ago, its questions still feel urgent: How do communities live together when politics and religion pull them apart? How do women escape the boxes sharply drawn out for them?

Namou joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss belonging in America today.

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Colorism is defined in the Oxford dictionary as “prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group.” 

It’s one facet of discrimination that often goes without proper acknowledgment, and one that Professor Rogerio Pinto aims to shine a light on through his work.

Rogerio Pinto is a University Diversity Social Transformation Professor. He is a Berit Ingersoll-Dayton Collegiate Professor of Social Work and he’s a Professor of Theatre and Drama, School of Music, Theatre & Dance at The University of Michigan. 

Born in Brazil, Professor Pinto has dedicated his life to breaking the social constructs of colorism and other “-isms” that divide people. 

Earlier this year, Professor Pinto curated and hosted “Colorism,” a mixed-media installation that used video, photography, tactile elements and a montage to explore colorism. “Colorism” took a look at the term from its roots to where we are today in society.

Professor Pinto also curated a Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers live event on colorism.

Professor Pinto stopped by The Metro to explore the complexities of colorism and its impact on people immigrating to the U.S., and how to tackle identity in times of division.

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For the first time in 30 years, a major exhibition featuring contemporary Native American art from the Great Lakes region will be on display at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). “Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation” opens Sunday, September 28, 2025 and runs through April 5, 2026.

While the DIA has an extensive Indigenous Americas collection with artifacts from South, Central and North America, this exhibition stands out as one consisting entirely of contemporary art from Anishinaabe artists.

The exhibition features 60 artists and over 90 works in mediums from textiles to film, all of which were created by Anishinaabe artists and curated with guidance from a council of Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi artists.

Curator Dr. Denene De Quintal and museum director Salvador Salort-Pons joined The Metro to discuss the exhibition.

The exhibition is free with general admission to the DIA, which is always free for Tri-County residents. It is also free for visitors and accompanying children with a tribal ID.

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Under the Trump administration, the space for diversity, equity, and inclusion is shrinking. Federal dollars are drying up, and programs that once opened doors are disappearing. 

Given this climate, could restorative practices hold additional weight? Restorative justice is not DEI. It does not sit in a binder or hide inside a grant report. It lives in people — survivors and those who have caused harm sitting together, telling the truth, trying to mend what was broken. It is harder to measure, but also harder to erase because it is built on relationships.

While restorative justice is not the same as DEI, both often speak to the same communities, those historically marginalized by race, class, or circumstance. Where DEI seeks to create fairer systems, restorative justice offers a way to repair harm when those systems fall short.

Angel McKissic, director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State Law and founder of the Metro Detroit Restorative Justice Network, helped lead the recent report Unraveling Harm, Cultivating Safety. Based on surveys and interviews with Detroiters, the report found that many residents want alternatives to the traditional justice system — responses that emphasize healing and accountability rather than punishment.

McKissic’s work brings those findings into practice. Through trainings and community partnerships, McKissic is helping Detroiters use restorative practices in schools, courtrooms, and neighborhoods. For her, justice can mean both accountability and healing.

She joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to demystify some of the haze around restorative justice and why she believes it could transform Detroit communities and the criminal justice system more broadly.

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Detroit City Council’s Historic Designation Advisory board is nominating the Bagley-West Vernor commercial district in Southwest Detroit for the National Register of Historic Places.

The board will present to nomination to the neighborhood on September 11, and answer questions about the benefits of receiving the designation.

A spot on the register could open up many federal dollars for the area to restore and revive many of the buildings in the corridor.

Michael Gutierrez is a resident of the area and a journalist with the El Central Hispanic News. His family also owns Mexican Village Restaurant on Bagley.

“Mexican Village wasn’t just serving food,” Gutierrez said. “Upstairs they were also hosting labor union meetings in the 1950s where Latino workers were fighting for better conditions.”

 Gutierrez says many of the buildings and businesses in the area date back to 1800s. It’s been a cultural, social, and economic hub for the Latino community for a long time and recognition through this designation would provide a sense of validation.

“There’s something to be said, when you’re walking on the streets of your own neighborhood and you know that there’s this is kind of like, not just the beating heart of the Latino part of your city, but that you know that this place has roots, that that really go back for a long time.” Guiterrez said.

If approved, the designation would open the corridor up to financial incentives and tax credits up to 45% for renovations and restoration of the buildings.

It could also attract more visitors to the area, which can provide a boost for small businesses.

The Shifa Institute hosts Islamic psychoeducation workshops across community centers and college campuses as students return to school.

At a recent Institute for Muslim Mental Health networking event, Shifa founder Salman Pervez shared how this initiative is creating mental health safe spaces across the state. 

“It’s it started at MSU as a school chapter, and then now we’ve branched out into the community… we have chapters starting at Wayne State University and the University of Michigan and University of Detroit Mercy this fall,” he says. 

Shifa means healing in Arabic. 

Pervez says the group uses creative outlets to introduce students to wellness, “like Golden Age ideas of Islam, like astronomy or art or, or like, engagement with nature and sort of like being in awe of it.”

The workshops usually consist of professional speakers engaging people about mental health related topics in third spaces by “informing people, translating mental health research, and sharing it with college students in a way that’s relatable, applicable to them,” he says. 

“We found that that’s very effective in getting students to engage with this sort of work and into the field as well education,” says Pervez.

The group also works with campus Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), which provides free therapy to full-time students. 

Pervez says he works with college students to help them become aware of resources and even potentially go into psychology as a field. He says Gen Z is a lot more open to talk about mental health.

“I think it’s overall, it’s really nice that they’re they’re more casual about it, and that they want to do something about it,” he says. 

Last week, the lights went dim on a renewable energy program with big promise for the planet and your pocketbook. 

Michigan was set to receive $156 million from Solar for All. 

The money would have helped low-income households add rooftop or community solar, paid for battery storage and basic upgrades like panels, wiring, or roof work, and funded workforce training and community outreach. Households were projected to save about 20% on electric bills—roughly $400 annually. 

The Environmental Protection Agency terminated the $7 billion program after Congress rescinded the funds via President Trump’s new tax-and-spending law. Lawmakers are contesting the move, but for now, projects are paused, and families who expected relief from high energy bills will keep waiting. 

Oakland County Commission Chair Dave Woodward has supported local solutions that lower residents’ costs and give businesses tools to adopt renewable energy. He joined Robyn Vincent to discuss what a real path forward could look like in the absence of federal support.

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Voters in Detroit face a defining choice in the August 5 primary election. But right now, fewer than 10% of registered voters have participated. Most of those ballots have been mailed in. In‑person early voting, which ended August 4, was minimal.

That is a little surprising this year, given Michigan’s no‑excuse absentee law, which voters approved in 2018. It lets anyone request a mail-in ballot without needing a reason.

This is also the city’s first competitive mayoral race in over a decade, with three-term Mayor Mike Duggan running for governor of Michigan. In other words, it’s a pivotal chance for leadership change. But turnout, so far, doesn’t yet reflect this moment.

Meanwhile, voter accessibility has been a question. During the 2021 election, disability advocates filed an ADA complaint saying key voting information, like where and how to vote, was inaccessible online for users of screen readers, affecting thousands of Detroiters. And, some polling locations across metro Detroit remain inaccessible to voters with disabilities.

To discuss this, Detroit’s top election official, City Clerk Janice Winfrey, joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro.

The Metro has spoken with all of the candidates running for mayor. You can find those conversations at WDET.org/voterguide2025.

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The Detroit Police Department is asking city council to increase its enforcement of the city’s youth curfew. Fines for the parents of kids out past 10 p.m. is $75 and could go up to $200.  

This is a response to an increase in violence among young people, including several shootings this month.

The issue of teen violence recently came up at Detroit’s Board of Police Commissioners Community meeting. It’s also started a conversation about how to better support young people in Detroit. 

Metro Producer Jack Filbrandt talked to Detroit Documenter Nadia Ziyad and Coordinator Lynelle Herndon about solutions that are being discussed at meetings and in the community. 

We also spoke with Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison last week about the changes to Detroit’s curfew fines. He said the fines are meant to encourage parent accountability and prevent those parents from greater problems down the road. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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Soul food is one of the most identifiable American cuisines. 

The dishes were crafted from the scraps that were left behind for Black people at a time when slavery was the law of the land. With a little ingenuity and a lot of determination, those leftovers became a main attraction for Black families and the rest of the country eventually caught on.

This weekend, collard greens will be placed center stage as Detroiters gather in Chandler park to celebrate the soul food staple. The 3rd annual Collard Green Cook-Off will take place from 2 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 23, bringing together food, culture and community.

Khary Frazier  is the founder of Detroit is Different, the organization hosting the event. He joined The Metro on Tuesday to share what’s in store this year and the importance of celebrating Black culture, community and culinary excellence in the city.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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The Trucks Off Our Streets coalition urged the Detroit City Council on Tuesday to enforce existing truck regulation laws while waiting for a route ordinance to pass. 

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Detroit was named one of the worst cities to live with asthma in 2024, and activists says a leading cause of that is the trucks driving through residential areas.   

Activist Simone Zagovac says a truck census in 2024 on Livernois counted 1,000 semi-trucks passing in one day on a road without any industry on it.   

“So every day, yesterday, today and tomorrow, 1,000 semi trucks are driving down those streets. In the last two years since we toured city administration staff, that means one million semi trucks have driven down Livernois,” she said.  

Zagovac told city council simple enforcement of existing laws against speeding, parking, and route restrictions of semi-trucks can greatly improve the health of residents.   

She advocated for the council to also consider zoning amendments to better separate industry and residential areas.  

Other headlines for Wednesday, July 23, 2025:

• A Detroit man is suing the city of Detroit and its police and fire departments for $100 million in damages over his wrongful conviction in 2013.
• Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey will be kicking off early voting with a block party celebration this weekend. The Block Party for Democracy will be held on Saturday, July 26, on Grand Boulevard between Second and Third streets to mark the opening of Detroit’s Early Vote Centers.  The party will feature DJs, local vendors, food trucks, and dog adoptions from the Michigan Humane Society.  Primary election day is Aug. 5.  
• Temperatures are expected to reach the mid to upper 90s on Thursday, July 24. Detroit is reopening their cooling centers. Residents can visit any Detroit recreation center or Detroit library during normal hours to beat the heat. The Northwest Activities, Patton, and Heilmann recreation centers will have extended hours from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.  

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

It’s no secret Detroit is at a turning point. Mayor Mike Duggan is on his way out. And soon, a new group of city leaders will enter the fray.

But will these leaders and their appointees truly represent the needs of everyday Detroiters?

That’s exactly what the Detroit City Appointments Project is working on. It’s trying to recruit and vet residents who want to serve under Detroit’s next mayor.

The project, led by longtime organizer Maurice Weeks, is focused on finding qualified people. It’s also about finding leaders committed to fairness, equity and accountability to Detroit’s neighborhoods.

Weeks joined The Metro on Monday to talk about the project, what’s at stake for Detroiters, and how roles in local government can be transformational for the city.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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Detroit voters will elect a new mayor this fall. Nine people are running to succeed Mike Duggan, who’s making an independent bid for governor next year. The top two finishers in next month’s primary election will advance to the general election in November.

WDET is having one-on-one conversations with voters about the issues they want the next mayor and city council to address. We call it the Citizen Vox Project.

WDET’s Bre’Anna Tinsley spoke with Eugene Brown II, a resident of Detroit’s Brightmoor neighborhood on the city’s west side, about why he says honesty and action matters in the city’s next leader.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Eugene Brown II: Because we’re not too big on the words anymore. We need to see action, movement, growth, development, and these are all things that are taking place now in the city of Detroit and have been taking place for the past 15 years. So, we have always been at work setting up things, having successful things happen by by way of the water department. Even initiating the things that have happened with the Gordie Howe Bridge. You see what I’m saying? So, we’ve been hard at work, really, in the streets.

Bre’Anna Tinsley, WDET News: Who do you think right now is the best person for the job? Do you have someone in mind?

EB II: Well, you know, when I look at Mary Sheffield — I usually don’t, I usually don’t endorse people. But when I look at the Sheffield brand, it’s pretty solid.

BT: What is it specifically about her brand that speaks out to you?

EB II: Well I would you say from past to present. And then you could probably say to yourself, if you know certain people that have that name, then you probably can say that for yourself. You can put it together however you want to put together. I don’t name drop, but you could just look at that and just put it together and see. And then if she lying, she’d be called out, just like anybody else is.

BT: Is there anything specifically in your neighborhood that you would like to see the mayor possibly work on?

EB II: Well, our neighborhood is pretty solid. We’re pretty much a group of family. The only really thing that we really focus on here is protection, peace, happiness, love, no violence, no killings, no stabbings, no robbings; none of that stuff out here. We don’t need any of that. I came from the ’80s. I already lived through all that — ’90s drug era, crack epidemic, Devil’s Night. You see, then ‘YN’ crazy culture, like whatever we’re dealing with right now. But the Detroit Police Department is doing a very fine job, as well as the adjacent, you know, task force that have been set up for the 25 years [sic].We all know this Wayne State progression. It’s a beautiful thing to see people coming together in the city to handle life differently after things were so ripped off, like the water department. We received about a what, 25% pay cut in 2008 to actually help with this process. We actually helped with this process because we were robbed of our money. Well, not robbed. I’ll say… our money was put in trust.

We are investors in the Gordie Howe project, because we had to take the blow of this for the citizens of Detroit to drink water to live, and to flush their boo boo down the pipes so they don’t die. So, you know, we’ve really been hard at work, city of Detroit Water Department, so as far as I’m concerned, since we worked the waters, a portion of these assets that they’re wanting to collect, we should probably be repaid. So, I’d like to see that happen, because all those brothers, they live in this community, too.

Chinatown in Detroit was the destination for many Chinese immigrants who traveled to the city. Urban renewal and the construction of the Lodge freeway was then built through the neighborhood and Chinatown residents moved from Jefferson Avenue to the Cass Corridor. That’s where it existed up until Chung’s Cantonese Cuisine – a staple eatery in Chinatown for decades  — shuttered in 2000.

Now, new investments are being made into the area to revitalize what was once a cultural staple in the city. And to celebrate and continue those efforts, Michigan Humanities is hosting a fundraising event on Friday, July 18. And later this month, the Detroit Chinatown Vision Committee is hosting its first annual Block party.

Detroiter Curtis Chin is the co-founder of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop in New York City and the author of “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese restaurant” — an appropriate title given his family owned the historic Chung’s restaurant in Detroit’s Chinatown neighborhood. He joined The Metro on Thursday to discuss the history of the neighborhood and it’s revitalization.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

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Wilderness Inquiry is a Minnesota-based company that brings the program to schools around the country. The Canoemobile spent five days in the metro Detroit Area, with students from six different schools participating.

“It provides a space for people to feel included in the outdoors and provides the knowledge and the message that everyone belongs, deserves and should have a space in the outdoors — no matter your age, ability, background or identity.”

 

– Scout Trom, Wilderness Inquiry captain

In Detroit, the fallout from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s doubling down on aggressive tactics has shaken local communities.

Just last month, a Detroit teen less than four credits from graduation was deported after getting stopped by ICE for a traffic violation.

These are some of the tactics that led over 300 faith leaders and community members to march this week from Corktown to Detroit’s ICE field office. The goal of the demonstration — organized by the advocacy group Strangers No Longer — was to deliver a pastoral letter demanding humane enforcement.

Immigrant rights and environmental justice advocate Odalis Perales is working with Strangers No Longer to break down barriers between faith communities, in schools, and among police about the challenges and tension of this moment.

She joined The Metro on Thursday to talk about her progress and respond to ICE’s refusal to engage with the group’s pastoral letter and demands. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

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