Over the weekend in downtown Detroit, a 14-year-old boy was shot in the chest near Library Street and Grand River Avenue. Two groups of teenagers had converged outside a Gucci store. Police say there was an argument and one teen, in the chief’s words, “decided to settle it with a firearm.” The boy is expected to live.

For months, teenagers across the country have been mobilizing each other on social media and meeting up. In Detroit, it has been mostly just noise — kids hanging out, looking for something to do in a city that wasn’t built with them in mind.

Some nights, it has turned chaotic.

Last weekend alone, Detroit police detained 109 teenagers across two large gatherings downtown and at Palmer Park, almost all for breaking curfew.

The city’s answer is to give teenagers somewhere to go and enforce the rules more strictly. Mayor Mary Sheffield is working with organizers to move the gatherings into sanctioned spaces. Police are leaning into the existing curfew — 10 p.m. for kids under 16, 11 p.m. for 16 and 17-year-olds—and ticketing parents whose children break it.

One member of the Board of Police Commissioners says this isn’t enough. Darious Morris represents District 3 on the civilian board that oversees the Detroit Police Department. He joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to talk about what the city owes its teenagers, and what their parents owe them, too.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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The man accused of setting a fire inside Huntington Place has been charged. Deshawn Victor Harrison was arrested on Friday, May 8 and has been charged with two counts of arson. 

Harrison is accused of walking into Huntington Place on April 26 and using water bottles filled with gasoline to douse the carpet before setting it on fire. 

Huntington Place released a statement saying: “there was no impact to guests… staff or scheduled events.” 

Harrison is in the Wayne County Jail with a $100,000 bond and is due back in court on May 18.

-Reporting by Jonathan Roden 

Additional headlines for Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Michigan ranks low on disability employment

Michigan ranks 44th in the nation for disability-inclusive employment according to a ranking created by EVERWAY, a company that provides solutions for Neurodivergent and autistic individuals. 

The ranking measures employment rates across states using data from disability statistics dot org which found in 2024 only 42.4 % of the people in the State of Michigan with a disability were employed. 

-Reporting by Jonathan Roden 

Metroparks teach swimming, water safety for all

The Huron-Clinton Metroparks hopes to teach 5100 people to swim this year. Its Everyone in the Pool initiative has worked to increase water safety and swim skills for children and adults – especially in communities of color where people are less likely to learn to swim.

They point to data that suggests Black children between 5 and 19 are 5 times more likely to drown than white children the same age, and their own study which found 70% of children in Detroit have little or no swim experience. Huron Metroparks is offering free swim lessons in partnership with the YMCA.

To register for lessons, visit metroparks.com/everyone-in-the-pool.

Summer youth programs at The Yunion

The Yunion has opened registration for two summer youth programs. Level Up Workforce & Leadership Development Camp will allow rising 9^th and 10^th graders to focus on both academic and work skills during its free 6-week program.

And the Keys 2 Life Performing Arts Program will give kids between 11 and 13 a chance to focus on music, dance, theater or digital media with some academic re-enforcement thrown in.

Registration for both programs is open until June 5. For more information visit the theyunion.org/camps.

Vintage Fest this weekend

Camp Dearborn is hosting Vintage Fest this weekend with three events happening at the same time.

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Classic Car Show will showcase restored and preserve classic autos, The Friends of Camp Dearborn Flea Market will offer one-of-a-kind homemade arts and crafts. It runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The annual Tin Can Tourists’ Open House will give visitors a gander at more than 100 vintage trailers and coaches from as early as the 1930s between noon and 3 p.m.

Camp Dearborn is a 626 acre park located in Milford but owned by the City of Dearborn.

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Young people have stories to tell. The Detroit Teen Truth Film Festival is a place for them to share those stories. It started in 2019 and has been growing ever since.

Teens from Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties create films that are just fifteen seconds long.

Watch the 2025 grand prize film from the 2025 Detroit Teen Truth Festival, directed by Johan Calderon.

Fifteen seconds to share a perspective. Fifteen seconds to express what matters to them. Each year, the festival chooses a theme. The teens help pick it, so it reflects what they care about most. The films are creative, honest, and often really powerful. This year’s is “My Mental Health, Myself.”

Finalists can win cash prizes and scholarships. But even more important, they get a chance to be heard. These films help communities see the world through young people’s eyes. It gives teens a voice and empowers them to share it.

In this conversation, we were joined by Y Arts Executive Director Margret Edwartowski and Y Arts Board member Nicolas Cucinella. We learned more about the importance of giving teens space to express their ideas.

The 2026 festival is Saturday April 25 at 2:00 p.m. at the Marlene Boll Theatre at the Boll Family YMCA.

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

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