Have you ever wondered which communities in Metro Detroit are part of the Downriver area, and how it got that name?

Listener Scott Troia of Ann Arbor wonders.

“I was curious about where the term ‘Downriver’ originated from: Who, when, why they started using it. Is it a geographic boundary, or is it cultural? Who identifies as being from Downriver?”

WDET’s Pat Batcheller does. He was born and raised in Trenton and has lived in Southgate with his wife Amy since 1999. Pat’s happy to answer Scott’s question.

What does “Downriver” mean?

As the name suggests, Downriver refers to those communities on the Detroit River as it flows down into Lake Erie. Humans have lived in the area for thousands of years. The term Downriver is more recent. It appears as two words in a 1917 magazine published by the city of Wyandotte. In 1963, Thomas J. Anderson wrote a book called “The History of Southgate and Downriver”—one word. Today, the term covers a lot more territory than just the riverfront.

Which communities make up Downriver?

That depends on who you ask. Lisa Wayne is the CEO of the Downriver Community Conference. The nonprofit helps people find jobs through the Michigan Works program. It also coordinates grants for its 20 member communities. 

“We serve Allen Park, Brownstown, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Ecorse, Flat Rock, Gibraltar, Grosse Ile, Huron Township, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, River Rouge, Riverview, Rockwood, Romulus, Southgate, Taylor, Trenton, Woodhaven and Wyandotte,” Wayne says.

The DCC started with 11 communities and includes Dearborn and Dearborn Heights. Many consider those cities to be outside of the traditional definition of Downriver. Ron Hinrichs grew up in Dearborn but didn’t consider himself a Downriver resident. 

“I remember someone asking me once, ‘where are you from?'” Hinrichs recalls. “And I said, ‘I’m from Dearborn.’ And they said, ‘oh, so you’re—you’re from Downriver.’ And I said, ‘I’m not from Downriver, I’m from Dearborn.'”

Hinrichs leads the Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber, which promotes the Downriver area. He says if you ask ten people where Downriver is, you’ll get ten different answers.

Where does Downriver end?

Downriver does not have defined borders, but most descriptions stop at the Huron River separating Wayne and Monroe counties. That would make Rockwood part of Downriver, but not its next-door neighbor, South Rockwood, a village in Monroe County’s Berlin Township. Stephanie Hawkins is the president of the Berlin Charter Township Historical Society. She says if you ask South Rockwood residents, they’ll say they feel closer to Downriver than Monroe.

“They mentioned that when they want to do something like go shopping, they go north because it is closer than driving all the way down to Monroe,” Hawkins says. “So, I think that’s why you’ll find that the folks who live in the village itself do identify with being Downriver.”

So do people in Taylor, which is not on the Detroit River. Karl Ziomek is Taylor’s communications director and a former journalist at the area’s paper of record, the News-Herald. He recalls newsroom arguments about how far west Downriver reaches.

“And there are a lot of people I think to this day who would believe that Taylor is even stretching it,” Ziomek says. “Certainly, Romulus does. It goes on the other side of Metro Airport, then people start going, ‘well wait a minute, is this really Downriver?”

Pearl Varner laughs at the suggestion that Romulus is part of Downriver because of its distance from the Detroit River. Her family has lived in Romulus for over a century. She runs the city’s historical museum. But Varner says if it brings more visitors to the museum and the downtown area, she’s fine with being considered Downriver.

“You want people to come and see what you’re doing, what your museum is like, what your city is like, what your people are like,” Varner says.

What are people like Downriver?

Each community is unique, but they all share common roots. Many are descendants of European immigrants who worked in factories or started their own businesses. Some settled in Wyandotte, where Ted Butkin has lived his whole life.

“We had a German festival, a Polish festival, a Mexican festival and there was one other that were just huge because everyone was represented in this melting pot of Wyandotte,” Butkin says.

Wyandotte is the second oldest incorporated city in Wayne County, after Detroit. Joe Gruber is the city’s economic development director. He says its vibrant downtown attracts people from Downriver and beyond.

“All of the small business owners and entrepreneurs in our community are really, really engaged and hard working,” Gruber says. “We try to offer a lot of fun quality-of-life events and opportunities for families to come, especially those events that are free.”

Anthony Beitel moved to Wyandotte a couple of years ago. Before that, he had lived in Detroit and the northern suburbs. Beitel says he didn’t know much about Downriver before relocating with his partner, who is from the area. He says he loves how people support the local economy.

“They have this whole ‘Shop The Dotte’ initiative, which is all about promoting small businesses,” Beitel says. “And it’s just really great to see that sense of community and everybody kind of supporting each other and lifting each other up.” 

Industry drove Downriver for decades, for better or worse

Small businesses have always been a vital part of the Downriver economy, but through much of the 20th century, heavy industry was the main source of jobs and tax revenue. It was also a major source of pollution, such as coal dust. Lisa Donovan lives in Brownstown Township but grew up in Wyandotte. She says sometimes when the wind blew, it turned houses black with ash.

“And they would have piles of coal next to the park in Wyandotte that’s on the waterfront, and you’d come home with ash on you.”

More: New book explains how working class shaped Downriver

Because of that, Donovan says some people—mainly outsiders—saw Downriver as a dirty place to live. That reputation lingered long after downturns in the automotive and steel industries forced many factories to close. Business and civic leaders suggested dumping Downriver in favor of something they thought sounded more attractive—Metro Shores. But, unlike coal dust, that name didn’t stick.

People have pride in Downriver, even those who are new to the area

Michael Echols moved from Detroit to Ecorse a couple of years ago. Ecorse started as one of Wayne County’s original townships in 1827. Today, the cities of Ecorse, Allen Park, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, River Rouge, Southgate, and Wyandotte comprise what used to be Ecorse Township.

Echols says Ecorse is a peaceful place.

“It’s a different variety of people down here, but it’s everybody getting on, and that’s the most beautiful part,” he says.

The river itself defines the region

Just a few hundred feet offshore from Ecorse is Mud Island, part of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. John Hartig once managed the refuge, which includes Grosse Ile and the entire Michigan shore of Lake Erie. He says it took decades to repair the industrial damage to the environment and restore the river’s natural habitat.

“We’ve seen some dramatic improvements in water quality,” he says. “Bald eagles are back, and peregrine falcons, osprey, lake whitefish, lake sturgeon, river otter and beaver are back.”

Downriver has its own culture

Hartig says the river’s revival is changing perceptions of Downriver, its people, and its culture. Linda Francetich is trying to do the same. 15 years ago, she started a website called Discover Downriver to promote the area’s cultural activities, such as festivals and concerts. Francetich says the area might not have the vibe of Royal Oak or Birmingham, but that’s OK.

“Everyone has their own regional culture,” she says. “But I think Downriver has a very unique culture because of how close everybody is and how supportive everybody is.”

Francetich says Downriver has a lot of musical talent, including bands such as 50 Amp Fuse and the Transit Brothers. Chris French plays trumpet for the Transit Brothers and the Downriver Community Band. He also owns a family law firm and organizes yearly concerts to benefit Downriver veterans. French says the region has a lot to offer, including a variety of real estate.

“You want a farm, we have farms,” he says. “We’ve got water everywhere, so you can buy a house on the water.”

Some of the most impressive homes on the water are on Grosse Ile, which sits in the middle of the Detroit River. Tony Krukowski is the vice president of the Grosse Ile Historical Museum. He says the island’s scenery is a big draw.

“People just love to drive around the island, especially around East River Road and West River Road to take in the natural scene,” he says.

Two bridges connect Grosse Ile to the rest of Downriver.   Listener Scott Troia, who asked the question, says he understands the area better now that we’ve connected the dots for him.

“What are the boundaries of it and do people from different communities actually self-identify with being part of Downriver that might be on some of those fringe cities? You very much covered those topics, really.”

Thanks, Scott. It’s why we’re here. 

WDET’s CuriosiD series answers your questions about everything Detroit. Subscribe to CuriosiD on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

We want to hear from you!

Have a question about Southeast Michigan’s history or culture? Send it our way at wdet.org/curious or fill out the form below. You ask, we answer.

The United Auto Workers has endorsed Jocelyn Benson for governor and Abdul El-Sayed for U.S. Senate in Michigan’s 2026 elections.

In a statement, the UAW said it supports El-Sayed because it wants “a fighter” in Washington, D.C. During an interview with ABC News Live this week, El-Sayed discussed the importance of unions like the UAW.

“The best way to protect people’s wages is to allow them to form unions. I want to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the PRO Act to make sure you have the voting rights and that you can form a union anywhere and in any sector in American life.”
The UAW also said the 2026 gubernatorial race is critical and that Benson has demonstrated she would stand with working-class Michiganders.

The endorsements come after former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan entered the governor’s race as an independent candidate and following last week’s Mackinac Policy Conference, where El-Sayed and fellow Democratic Senate candidates Mallory McMorrow and Haley Stevens participated in a debate.

Additional headlines for June 5, 2026

Dearborn opens third PEACE Park in Southend

Dearborn has opened its third PEACE Park in the city’s Southend neighborhood.

PEACE stands for Park Equity and Access for Civic Engagement. The parks are part of the PEACE Project, a nearly $30 million grant-funded effort to invest in the city’s green infrastructure.

PEACE Park South includes a community basketball court, two pickleball courts, a garden walk and other amenities. During a town hall meeting in April, Mayor Abdullah Hammoud discussed additional efforts to expand green space throughout the city.

“Every year, we choose six to nine schools where we’re planting rain gardens and trees in various schools.”

The new park is now open for residents to enjoy.

Tigers host Mariners in weekend series

The Detroit Tigers host the Seattle Mariners this weekend for a three-game series at Comerica Park.

Detroit enters the series looking to gain ground in the American League Central amid trade speculation ahead of the deadline.
First pitch for Friday’s game is scheduled for 6:40 p.m.

Detroit City FC takes on Lexington SC in USL Jägermeister Cup

Detroit City FC will face Lexington SC in Group D action of the USL Jägermeister Cup on Saturday.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck.

Michigan State researcher helps prepare World Cup playing surfaces

Michigan State University professor Trey Rogers is helping prepare playing surfaces for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Rogers helped pioneer indoor natural grass systems for the 1994 World Cup. For next year’s tournament, he and his team are developing methods to ensure the safe transportation and installation of turf at host stadiums.

According to Bridge Michigan, Michigan State and the University of Tennessee are also supplying turfgrass through a FIFA-funded project.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins June 11 and concludes July 19.

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

WDET is examining Highland Park as part of our Crossing the Lines series. 

Hidden within the history of the Detroit enclave are the remnants of a secret society based on racism and murder. 

It was exposed during a trial about a century ago that became a national sensation.  

And then it seemingly vanished. 

This is the story of the Black Legion.  

More vicious than the Klan 

 Across a driveway from the Highland Park Fire Department stands a boarded-up, multi-story office building. 

Author Tom Stanton gazes at the structure, one he says is filled with the echoes of powerful officials and mass killings. 

“The old city hall is gone, but this is an administrative building,” he said. “Over time, the fire department was here, the police department was here. It was also home to a court. All of those organizations would have had members in the Black Legion.” 

The Black Legion

It’s a vigilante group built on bigotry, crime and murder. 

And Stanton knows it well. 

His book, “Terror in the City of Champions,” follows the hate group’s movements during a time when Detroit sports teams were all winning titles. 

He notes the Black Legion was born in Lima, Ohio, from the fading ashes of a Ku Klux Klan the Legion’s founder felt was too tame. 

“There was a little bit of animosity because the guy who started the Black Legion had left the Klan. He didn’t view it as aggressive enough, the Klan, and he felt there needed to be an organization that was willing to do more,” Stanton said.  

It was the 1920s and 30s. Jobs were scarce. 

University of California Santa Cruz Professor Emerita Dana Frank examined those years. 

She says the era was ripe to create a ready market for Legion recruits. 

“Working class white men were looking for an answer and they’re looking for a scapegoat. And they turn to the Black Legion, an overtly fascist, white supremacist, anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic, anti-African American secret organization.” 

A haven for hate  

The white supremacist group spread across Ohio and Michigan. 

And Stanton says Highland Park became a hotbed of Black Legion activity. 

The enclave’s police chief, fire and police commissioners and a city councilman were all members. 

Even, Stanton says, Highland Park’s mayor at the time, Ray Markland. 

“The publisher of the “Highland Parker,” Art Kingsley, was targeted by the Black Legion because he kept ripping into Mayor Markland. One of the gunmen for the Black Legion moved into Highland Park with the idea of assassinating him. In the end, he didn’t. The gunman had infiltrated the American Legion and came to actually like what Kingsley stood for.” 

Others were not as fortunate. 

Legion members dressed in black robes emblazoned with skull-and crossbones symbols, their hoods topped by pirate hats bearing the Jolly Roger. 

Death was their motif. 

The Legion committed an estimated 50 murders in Michigan. 

Historian Dana Frank says the group lured new recruits to parties or barbeques, then suddenly forced them to join the Legion at gunpoint. 

“It was even more secret than the Klan had been,” Frank said. “A lot of these Legion people had been in the Klan. They would be wearing black outfits with gold trim and pirate hats. And it’s quite chilling. Who sewed that robe? Somebody’s wife or daughter or mother.” 

Author Tom Stanton adds that “recruits” joining to save their lives, while planning to avoid the hate group afterwards, were in for a shock. 

“Many of those 50 murders were actually killings of Legion members,” he said. “They had violated the code or didn’t come to meetings or in some ways were an affront to what the Black Legion supposedly stood for.” 

The Black Legion unravels 

Yet Stanton says what eventually exposed the Black Legion’s crimes was the killing of federal organizer Charles Poole. 

And his death stemmed from an age-old motive for murder, jealousy. 

“A local official of the Black Legion was upset that Poole was married to a woman that he had a crush on years before down south. He hatched this plan to spread the word at meetings that Poole had abused his wife. ‘What are we going to do about this?’” 

The answer was to pronounce a death sentence. 

“They got a couple of carloads of guys. Poole was taken out to Gulley Road, not too far from the Rouge auto plant, and assassinated.” 

Investigators initially didn’t realize the murder was connected to the Legion, so no law enforcement officials working with the group could squash the probe. 

They eventually traced the killing back to a hitman for the hate group. 

Stanton says the self-described “executioner” Dayton Dean, then committed the Legion’s cardinal sin. 

He confessed to the crime. And to the existence of the secret society he was part of. 

Stanton said, “Dayton Dean wasn’t the brightest guy and he was easily manipulated by investigators. They promised him cigars and special treatment in his prison cell. He loved the attention and he was willing to talk. He just couldn’t resist it.” 

Dean also unveiled the bloody secrets of the Black Legion in court. 

Historian Dana Frank says evidence later showed the Wayne County prosecutor in the case, Duncan McCrea, had been part of the Legion himself, though he vehemently denied it. 

“(McCrea) chose to prosecute in 1936. And that’s what really broke the story. The membership basically crawled back into the woodwork. That doesn’t mean that they changed their ideas. But the risk of being part of the Black Legion had become much greater.” 

Court cases capture a national audience 

There was a second trial involving the hate group months later, this time for the murder of Silas Coleman, who had been killed prior to Poole’s death. 

Coleman was shot by a Legion member who wanted to know “how it felt to kill a Black man.” 

The cases resulted in multiple convictions and national headlines. 

Within a year Hollywood had already made two movies based on the events. 

One featured a young Humphrey Bogart as a fictional version of the group’s hitman. 

In a desperate, terrified voice, Bogie said, “They’ll kill me for telling you. Them Black Legion guys don’t fool. I can’t get out. Nobody ever lived to get out of the Legion.” 

But author Tom Stanton says the trials raised concerns about who actually was in the hate group. 

“Wives and children were discovering that their fathers were members of the Black Legion. It was a secret society, even from your spouse. People were wondering, ‘Is my neighbor a member? Public officials?’ It was this great mystery, like the stuff of a radio serial at the time.”  

In fact, a popular radio show created an episode loosely based on the trials, where the renamed “White Legion” was brought down by the hero of the series. 

“I am the one they call The Shadow,” boomed a voice over the airwaves. “The White Legion is about to be exposed!”   

The secret society disappears 

But in real life, historian Dana Frank says FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover knew all about the Black Legion and its ties to the Klan. 

Yet no other members were ever charged. 

Frank says some researchers believe they know why. 

 “J. Edgar Hoover didn’t go after the Black Legion because Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was president at the time, didn’t want him to. There were Ku Klux Klan members and racists in Congress, particularly in the Senate, and the New Deal coalition was dependent on the votes of those Southern Democrats. And they would not want him to touch the Black Legion.”  

Frank says the FBI director argued the hate group had not violated federal law, despite Michigan officials’ assertion that the Legion’s activities had crossed state lines. 

“Hoover immediately shut down any investigation. He told all his agents not to do any further investigation of the Legion without his explicit permission,” Frank said. 

The U.S. was then hurtling towards World War II. 

And the Black Legion seemingly vanished from the national consciousness.  

Author Tom Stanton says those associated with the group had a stake in erasing it from history. 

“Most people didn’t want to tout their involvement. They wanted to bury it,” he said. “The black gowns were discovered in swamps. Some were burning them. It wasn’t something to be proud of.” 

Stanton says scrubbing the memory of the Legion extended through generations. 

“Decades on, you don’t want to be bragging about your great grandfather who was a member of a hate organization. And great grandpa probably didn’t want anybody to know about it either, other than the guys who were at the meeting.” 

After almost a century, historians agree few people recall the Black Legion’s atrocities or its role in Michigan and especially Highland Park. 

Ironically, the hate group that secretly inspired terror has regained one of its most cherished goals. 

Anonymity. 

Sherry Miller is a mental health clinician with the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network. She has a dual role in Highland Park as part of the co-response team and the mobile clinic.

“We go out into the community, to schools, to churches, events, wherever we are invited to bring mental health awareness to kind of decrease the stigma. We can do brief therapy right there on the spot, assess individuals’ mood… and get them connected with services,” she says.

In her role with co-response, she works with the police department as a mental health counselor who aids in mental health emergencies.

“So if there’s a mental health call… they’ll dispatch me through the radio. Either I’ll meet them there, [or] I’ll follow them there and kind of assess the situation and what’s going on with that individual,” she explains.

She says Highland Park residents were instrumental in getting a partnership going between DWIHN and crisis intervention. 

Miller says since her start in late December, there have been about 70 mental health phone calls. In her role, Miller assesses the situation and tries to de-escalate. 

She says there are several police officers within the Highland Park Police Department who are also trained to respond to mental health calls. 

“It may go a different route, versus somebody being talked to by somebody that’s trained to de-escalate, to calm them down… I think that makes a difference,” she shares.

Miller says she attends city meetings to connect with community members to understand their needs, bring them resources and show them how to sign up for services.

Autism Awareness comes to Highland Park

Last month, Sherry Miller organized the city’s first Autism Awareness & Acceptance event.

Miller says she speaks with parents who are concerned about getting help for their kids. They struggle with things like behavioral issues, receiving special education services at school and understanding autism.

Miller says more needs to be done to support parents. Having more advocacy events could help parents get access to testing and find new ways to improve the lives of their children, she says.

The event featured an advocacy walk, resource vendors, and presentations. There were also giveaways, music and workshops. Miller noted the importance of the event for connecting with parents and “talking to the educators that kind of know what to do, what to look for.”

Miller has also created a resource book for residents.

The Becharas Brothers Coffee Co. is celebrating 112 years of business this year. It was founded in 1914 by to Greek immigrant brothers in Chicago. They invited their nephew move the states as well to come work with them in the 1920s. It was him, Dean D. Becharas, who opened a branch in Detroit and then later Highland Park.

Today the Highland Park roasting plant is the last remaining location of the company, and the last institutional roaster in the metro Detroit area.

Nick S. Becharas is the CEO and president of the company. He is the third-generation owner along with his brother, Dean, and is two sisters, Demi and Stephanie. The family business spans across four generations, as Nick’s son, who is also named Nick, and his nephew Paul are also on site daily.   

“It’s a real sense of pride for us to have this kind of longevity and sometimes we take a little bit for granted, until people bring it to our attention,” Nick said.

Photos by Isaiah Lopez/WDET.

The families most prized long-standing tradition in the business is the cupping table. It’s a large, wooden table that spins—kind of like a lazy susan. It’s where they taste and test every bean that is shipped into the factory before it hits the roasting floor. 

Hanging over the table is a picture of Nick’s great uncles cupping coffee. 

“Yeah, that’s my same table. My two great uncles doing the same thing that we’re still doing almost 100 years later,” Nick said.

This story was originally made for the ear. We encourage you to listen to the full piece using the media player above.

The schools Cheryl Sanford attended growing up in Highland Park are closed now—as are all of the schools children in the city attended at that time.

Shrinking population left schools empty and in disrepair. Now, the Highland Park School District authorizes one of the two charter schools in the city. Barber Preparatory Academy teaches kindergarten through eighth grade. There is no option for Highland Park students to attend high school in the city.

Sandford is the current president of the school board. She spoke with WDET’s Sascha Raiyn as part of our Crossing the Lines—Highland Park series. She says her vision for the kind of education the city can offer in the future comes from her experiences of what used to be.

For over two decades the vacant Roselawn Apartments sat in disarray serving as a reminder of what Highland Park used to be.

The multi-unit building completed in 1927 served residents of the city seeking opulence and the finer things in life. Slogans such as “Roselawn Apartments – A Delightful Place To Live” reinforced the notion of luxury. Catering to nurses, doctors, and teachers Roselawn Apartments established itself as the place to live.

However, the 1980s brought on a series of challenges for the building. The city saw Ford sell off its Historic Highland Park plant in 1981.. Six years later Chrysler would start preparing to leave. A rapidly changing Industrial landscape mixed with the city’s demographics changing created the perfect storm for The Roselawn Apartments to ultimately become vacant by the close of the 90’s. With many units’ having asbestos issues, the only option was to bring the building down. 

The week of April 20, local residents gathered to watch as demolition crews from Adamo Group brought down the structure. As the scene unfolded spectators expressed mixed feelings.

“It’s so sad. Highland Park used to be such a wonderful place,” longtime Highland Park resident Uline Smith said.

Though overall feelings were generally positive, residents expressed concerns about a nonprofit financing the project, citing Highland Park’s lack of funds to support it.

Ronald Thomas Reed, another longtime resident, pointed out the need for more housing but also stated the city needs to do more to bring in employers so that those residents have a place to work.

“If you want people to move into the city, create employment opportunities,” Reed said.

The Roselawn Apartment building is the latest notable structure in Highland Park to be demolished joining the Highland Towers and others as the city makes way for a renewal.

We reached out to the mayor’s office and the Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency, but received no comment.

The process of the demolition shown through photographs.  Click photos to enlarge. Credit: Isaiah Lopez, WDET

Highland Parkers have been telling WDET what they want people to know about their city as part of our Crossing the Lines series. Reporters have been listening to residents as well as people who no longer live there but still have deep connections to the city.

That includes Marsha Battle Philpot. She’s a writer, musician, and historian. And she was a Kresge Artist Fellow in Literary Arts in 2012. Her father, Joe Von Battle, owned Joe’s Records on Hastings Street in Detroit’s Paradise Valley before the thriving Black neighborhood was demolished.

Battle recorded all of Reverend C. L. Franklin’s sermons and was the first person to record Aretha Franklin’s voice. Battle bought a home in Highland Park when his daughter was about 2 years old.

“Marsha Music,” as many call her, tells WDET’s Pat Batcheller what growing up in that house was like.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Marsha Battle Philpot: It was a home with oak walls in some of the rooms, and pocket doors, and beveled glass, and a huge mantle that ran the length of the room. And it was a magnificent home, one amongst many magnificent homes in the city that were on akin to the homes of [Detroit’s] Boston Edison, but on a smaller footprint, making them, many of them more achievable for working class people. But it was a very, very affluent place to live.

Schools were jewels

MBP: “People were desperate to try to get their children into Highland Park schools. During those days of the 1950s and 60s, they were some of the best schools in the United States. I remember the schools that I went to were voted or deemed to be the best schools in state of Michigan. It was really an extraordinary place to live. Even our elementary schools had swimming pools. All Highland Park kids could swim. All of us who deigned to do so went to musical classes and band and all kind of extracurricular activities. There were two or three bands in Highland Park. It was just an extraordinarily prosperous place.

The City of Trees

MBP: And if you put that prosperousness on top of the physical lushness of the city, it was such a lush, verdant green atmosphere in Highland Park. The trees would create archways over the streets. So, I would come home from school, and if it was raining, I wouldn’t get wet, because the trees oftentimes bowed over the over the skyline, and they would protect you from some of the rain. It was just an extraordinary place to grow up.

Pat Batcheller: Where we’re talking right now is in your dining room, which is technically in Detroit. It’s just on the south edge of Palmer Park. Where were you before?

MBP: I had been married and lived in a couple of other areas of the city, and so I was very glad to be able to come back to Highland Park when my mom decided that she was not going to be able to keep the house.

PB: The house that your dad bought her?

MBP: “Yes, our family home. Because she was ill, and she went to live with her sister, who was helping care for her. And she finally made a decision, “would you like to take the house?” And so, I did. But in about 2007 is when I had an electrical fire, and it was caused—I learned later from the fire investigators— by a dehumidifier. It was in August of 2007 it was probably 90 degrees. It was hot, and air conditioning those big houses is very challenging. And our basement was always soaking wet, and I ended up with a dehumidifier there that apparently had been running. And the fire people later told me that that that scenario is the cause of many fires.  It’s still standing, but it destroyed the house.

The home of her heart

PB: You said you were happy to come back to Highland Park. What made you happy?

MBP: Because it’s my home. And even though it had experienced so many challenges over the years since I had been gone, it was the home of my heart. And I always loved Highland Park because of its separation, even from Detroit. We’re in our own world in Highland Park.

And there were so many of the elders that were still there since I was a child and had done their best to try to hold on to this city. It’s the essence of the Black experience of perseverance in Highland Park. These people had been holding on despite all manner of reversals and in their big homes, these big, beautiful homes that they’re trying to take care of as best they can. Even in a situation in which the actual light poles were repossessed. Come on, now! You take the light poles out? Oh, my goodness!

PB: You’re only about a block away from Highland Park, so you’re not far away. Do you go into Highland Park?

MBP: Every time I go anywhere, I have to basically go through Highland Park. And I call Highland Park my happy place. You know, I love Highland Park. Even when I’m up on Woodward Avenue and I’m just up there shopping, because I’m not going to get in my car and go to the suburbs and shop. I’m going to shop where I live.

And when I’m up there on Woodward, I literally can feel my mother. And she’s been gone for many years. But I think of her walking up to the stores in Highland Park or driving to the stores and shopping in the days in which we had Sears and Winkelman’s and the various national chains. I think of my people in Highland Park, because we’re very much embedded there.

More Crossing the Lines: Highland Park

While the city of Highland Park may be known as the birthplace of the automotive assembly line, it’s also home to one of the first mosques built from the ground up in the U.S.

Imams Hussein Karoub and Khalil Bazzi led the construction of Highland Park’s Moslem Mosque. They selected a location near the Ford assembly line plant in Highland Park and opened the mosque in 1921.

The mechanical contractor John E Green Company now owns the building.

Sally Howell is a professor of history at the University of Michigan – Dearborn. She says Syrian immigrants, “mostly from what is today, Lebanon,” built the mosque.

She says immigrants were attracted to the Ford plant’s wages of $5 per day, which was around twice the average industrial wage at the time. 

She says Arab Americans had organizations and political associations leading up to mosque opening. Howell says people from the Middle East, South Asia, and Eastern Europe worshipped there. It only stayed open for about a year.

“Part of the congregation, by 1921 had already started moving to Dearborn, because Henry Ford was already building and starting to open the Ford Rouge assembly,” she says.

However, Highland Park had a growing African American Muslim population.

Imam Hamidullah Daniel Mujahid was born in Highland Park in 1953.

He says many Muslims practiced their faith in private during the 1950s and 1960s. About 50 Muslim families—people from the Middle Eastern, followers of the Ahmadiyya movement from South Asia, and people from the Nation of Islam—lived in the city.

“At this given point in time, the only outward practicing group was the group that was called the Nation of Islam, that was the Black African American community,” he says.

Mujahid says people wanted to fit in with the majority of the Christian population. They also didn’t want to get targeted.

Researcher Akil Fahd says another predominantly African American mosque, Masjid As-Salaam, opened around 1971. It was an incubator for other mosques.

“A lot of the other communities that were Sunni Muslim, that did not come out of the Nation of Islam, they kind of spread out from Masjid As-Salam,” he shares.

A lasting community

Masjidun-Nur opened in 1977 on Pilgrim Street. It has an extension building, the Markaz Al-Tabligh, on Hamilton Avenue for larger gatherings and special occasions such as Eid prayers.

Fahd says it’s part of the Tablighi community, a global Islamic missionary movement focused on spiritual renewal, prayer and following the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Fatimah Rashad is a labor and delivery nurse and mom of four. Her parents moved from New Jersey to Highland Park in 1991.

“My father actually wanted to move here because it’s a bigger Muslim community, and they heard about the Islamic schools,” she says.

Rashad says the community was warm and welcoming. About 20 families lived there.

Khalil MuMinun is an assistant imam at Masjid Wali Muhammad. He says the Muslim community in Highland Park offered an alternative lifestyle.

“They played a significant role in you know keeping the drug epidemic from taking over the entire neighborhood by creating a space where the standard was virtue and having good manners with your neighbors,” he explains.

While today just a few Muslim families remain in Highland Park, Muslim communities played a vital role in developing the city since the early 1900s.  

At its peak, the city of Highland Park was described as a model city with more than 60,000 residents and the housing stock to hold it. Today, the population is less than 9,000 and neighborhoods are plagued with blighted and abandoned properties.

But city officials see an opportunity to rebuild the housing stock and population. Carlton Clyburn is the Director of Community and Economic Development in Highland Park. He spoke with WDET’s Bre’Anna Tinsley as part of our Crossing the Lines – Highland Park series.  Clyburn says the city’s rebirth will start with building what he calls “the missing middle.”

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Carlton Clyburn: So, the missing middle are your duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes. What that does… it brings more families in, right? But also, it helps with development costs. So, if you got a 2, 000 square foot home single family, it’s going to cost you the same as a 2,000 square foot duplex. The difference is you can get double rent or double the cost for your return on sale if it’s a duplex.  And it fits, it matches some of the people that’s living out of wanting to get out of like apartment living, or looking to start a family those kind of things. So we’re really looking to fill in that missing middle gap.

Bre’Anna Tinsley: Okay, and so you said you just updated the master plan—

CC:  No, we just created our economic development strategy. We’re in process. We were going to do some updates to our master plan, because we need to do some things with our zoning. And the new requirement from the state is to do a housing assessment.

I mean, you could kind of look and as we’re planning out the city, we got a couple areas where  we’re looking at all market, single family, right? But we have a lot of areas where we can build out, and that’s what we’ll be looking at that missing middle.

BT:  I want to talk about the water bill situation that has been like a big thing in Highland Park—and correct me if I’m wrong, if I get any of these numbers and figures wrong. But it started with a $54 million debt correct?

CC: Made up. Made up debt.

BT:  And then the state, and then the state came in and provided, I think, about $30 million to help rebuild the infrastructure, which brought some of that debt down. Is that correct?

CC:  So we have been overcharged by GLWA for years, since they started. They didn’t want to abide by us. So, they said, “no, we want to charge you more.” Part of that agreement was us putting meters in the ground. Okay? We have put meters in the ground, and we’ve already found a $1.5 million reduction. So, they’re still overcharging us.

The rate that Highland Park pays is comparable to what Wayne County pays, and that’s 43 communities, you see. So we’re being greatly overcharged, but by us putting these meters down, by us providing the data, somethings got to give now. I mean, we told y’all we was being overcharged. Y’all owe us some money. We need relief.

Because you’re right. That’s another thing that will keep the developers away. So you know, the timing is everything, because that gives you know, that gave us opportunity to start working on our plan, our economic development strategy, updates to the master plan, and while the water folks are battling that water deal, then we can put these plans into action.

BT:  What about what residents are doing to rehab their own homes? Are there any resources available to them? Is the city looking to provide any resources to them?

CC:  So right now we do have ongoing grants, like through the HOME program and some of the other programs, but… they’re more so for [ages] 60 and over. So, I’m looking for more monies for not 60 and over, right? Because we do have families in need for home repair.

And, you know, the developers I talked to about moving forward, or, “Hey, we built this block out, and it’s a few homes we got to find money for, you know, rehab for them as well.”  Maybe not so much interior, but at least exterior, because the last thing we want is somebody you know to come in and build this neighborhood up and leave three or four houses looking like they look when we could pull money like a community benefits. I mean, if you’re pulling money out, give them, give them four houses, $5,000 a piece. Or, send your contractors over there to see, you know, what could be done within a scope to bring them up as well. So, I’m conscious of it. 

BT: You might have mentioned it earlier, at the beginning of the conversation, but knocking down homes, there’s a lot of blighted properties. Where’s the city at with demoing more of the dilapidated buildings?

CC:  We have $5 million worth of demolition happening, right? And that’s pretty much going to take our inventory out the state. Most of their properties are demoed. The county, most of them are demoed. They’re finishing up some more demo. The issue are the privately owned blighted properties that we do have nuisance abatement orders on. We are looking to, you know, hold negligent property owners accountable. It’s just a little bit longer process.

BT:  Highland Towers is coming down soon. Is there any plans to put, like, more housing there? Or what do you know, what the city is looking at?

CC: I would look so that’s something I’m talking to the county about, because we did have to transfer ownership. Oh, and Highland Towers was a privately owned property that we took through our nuisance abatement ordinance, and the county has money, so we transferred it to the county to knock down. So they’ll be knocking it down, and we’ll work with them on [a request for proposal] ​or what kind of development we want to see. But we probably want to see, you know, residential, retail, mixed use, something similar, just something creative like this, going up and down Woodward, and what’s in Brush Park.

You know, Brush Park is what I’m really a fan of, because it has a lot of the old bones. But you got this new stuff, you got the old stuff. That’s a good mix. And, when I saw what was going on in Brush Park years ago, I’m like, this is, this is what we can do in Highland Park.

BT: You mentioned the housing shortage, homelessness, do you think is that enough to drive people to Highland Park when the homes are available?

CC: I believe so. Yes. Because, like I say, with the Greenway, us being on Woodward, Davidson, 75, the Lodge, logistically, it makes sense. You got everything, what, three, four miles. You got all the field, all the sports teams right up the street. It is, logistically speaking, good luck.

In the early 20^th Century Ford and Chrysler operated extensive facilities in Highland Park, helping its population grow to more than 50,000 people by the 1930s.

But both car companies moved away from Highland Park decades ago. Now its population hovers between 8,000 and 9,000.

Automotive historian Robert Tate writes for the website MotorCities and worked with the Chrysler museum.

Tate says Ford mass-produced its Model T in Highland Park, creating the moving assembly line that forever changed manufacturing.

Tate says even the Highland Park plant’s architecture was inspiring.

The following interview edited for length and clarity.

Robert Tate: The building was designed by Albert Kahn. He and Henry Ford had a great relationship. The doors opened January 1, 1910, on Woodward Ave. It became one of the largest factories in the world because they manufactured the Model T. The factory was about 865 feet and ran parallel to Woodward Ave. This was one of the most historic sites in the United States and the world, to be honest with you. And it also attracted a lot of people from European countries and other cultures to finally get a job and become an American citizen. So, the factory itself created a lot of things for a lot of people, not just the Model T, but for people to live a good life.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: Why did it attract people from Europe and elsewhere?

RT: Henry Ford began using the moving assembly line. And in 1914, the average wage was $2.30. But he raised it to $5 a day. That attracted a lot of people from all over the world to come here, including my ancestors. My family came here from the South to get jobs like that. The only problem was that the hours were long, 10 hours a day and then five hours on Saturday for the workers. And that created a lot of health issues for a lot of individuals because they were so regimented in putting together parts at the assembly plant.

QK: How much did the Ford factory actually mean to the city of Highland Park?

RT: It meant a lot because you’re talking about taxes and people coming in. The Highland Park Hotel was there, they had a racetrack as well at the time. That generated a lot of income.

QK: Why did Ford move it out eventually? Why did it leave Highland Park?

RT: My belief is that things began to change when the 1927 Ford came out and the company had the model assembled at the River Rouge plant. The Model T was produced from 1908 to 1926. And then Ford introduced the 1927 Model A, which was very, very popular. Ford sold millions of those cars. Also, and people don’t like to talk about this, unfortunately there were a lot of workers who got killed at the Highland Park plant. Because at that time they didn’t have things enclosed for safety. So, a lot of men, unfortunately, lost their lives. But I think that Ford wanted to get out of Highland Park and move it closer to River Rouge because you had more goods coming into that particular facility for models to be assembled.

QK: In regards to Chrysler, how did they get into Highland Park?

RT: It was their major headquarters until they moved to a larger facility in Auburn Hills. I used to hear a lot of Chrysler employees say that the Chrysler Highland Park site was just too archaic.

QK: I’ve heard some experts say that when Chrysler in particular moved out, it truly devastated Highland Park’s economy. And that the enclave has struggled to really replace that revenue since. Do you agree?

RT: Yes, I do. The same thing happened with American Motors when they moved out. Unfortunately, the neighborhoods and the communities suffered when both of those companies moved to Auburn Hills. The neighborhoods were devastated.

QK: There must have been a lot of tax revenue and other money coming into Highland Park that suddenly vanished. But you say that from what you heard people who were working for Chrysler were happy to vacate and to go to a newer facility.

RT: My God, yes. I would hear that all the time because it was a new facility. It created a new way of thinking, using the new things that they were not accustomed to having at Highland Park. I remember walking through the hallways at the Chrysler facility in Auburn Hills and it was a showcase. It was a very beautiful building.

QK: After all that has happened since Ford opened the Model T assembly line, when you look at Highland Park now, what do you think is the legacy that automakers have left there?

RT: As a historian, I look at the 1950’s in Highland Park. Virgil Exner, who was the chief designer in charge, came out with the 1957 Chrysler line. And I’m a big fan of the 1957 Chrysler line. So, whenever I think of Highland Park, I think of the good days that launched a lot of cars that were popular, the 1964 Dodge, the 1957 Chrysler. Those cars changed America.

Read more Crossing the Lines: Highland Park

Highland Park is an odd shape—a trapezoid to be exact. Its borders include West McNichols Road on the north side, railroad tracks along the eastern edge, alleys behind Tennyson and Tuxedo streets to the south, and the Lodge freeway forming part of its western boundary.

These have been Highland Park’s city limits since officials incorporated it 1918.

That’s how it managed to avoid becoming part of Detroit, which had already annexed most of the surrounding land.

Leaders and residents wanted autonomy

Jeff Horner is a professor at Wayne State University‘s Department of Urban Studies and Planning. He says Detroit wanted to absorb Highland Park even before the latter became a city.

“Highland Park was not open to the idea of being absorbed,” Horner says. “They wanted to have some local autonomy.”

Michigan’s Home Rule law in 1909 made it difficult for one city to annex another. That same year, Henry Ford finished building his Model T factory in Highland Park. It was the first Ford plant to use an assembly line. Horner says the city’s population exploded.

“From the 1910 U.S. census to the 1920 census, the population of the city grew by over 1,000% from about 4,500 to about 45,000,” Horner says. “That is remarkable growth.”

Auto industry drove growth

Highland Park kept growing until 1930, peaking at almost 53,000 people. Marsha Battle Philpot grew up in the city and has written about its history. She says Henry Ford’s offer of $5 a day to work on his assembly line drew thousands of people from across the country.

“This was an astronomical sum in those days,” she says. “Maybe an average person might make $5 a month”.

The city’s population steadily declined through the 1930s and 1940s. But it was still relatively prosperous. Philpot says the schools were among Michigan’s best in the 1950s and 1960s.

“Even our elementary schools had swimming pools,” Philpot says. “It was really an extraordinary place to live.”

But good schools were not enough to keep people from leaving the city decade after decade. Ford eventually closed its Highland Park factory, which is now a Michigan historical landmark. Chrysler moved its headquarters, established in 1925, from Highland Park to Auburn Hills. The city’s tax base evaporated. It had so much trouble paying its bills its streetlights were repossessed. State-appointed emergency managers ran the city and the school district for much of the early 2000s, closing the McGregor Library and the high school. Glenda McDonald, Highland Park’s mayor since 2022, says those decisions hit young people especially hard.

“Children need a place to go, and literacy is a very important part of our children’s learning,” the mayor says. “It kind of put a very bad taste in people’s mouths.”

Lansing takes over

McDonald says emergency management didn’t solve Highland Park’s long-term financial problems. One was literally bubbling under the surface: leaky water pipes, some more than 100 years old. The city incurred tens of millions of dollars in debt to the Great Lakes Water Authority. Each side sued the other with the city accusing GLWA of overcharging residents who were too poor to pay for water. The legal dispute pushed Highland Park to the brink of financial ruin.

In 2023, the state intervened again, this time giving the city $100 million to pay its debt and fix its water infrastructure. McDonald says workers are now replacing every lead water line in town.

“We’re working with the state, we’re working with GLWA, and hopefully we’ll continue moving forward that way,” McDonald says.

Had the state not thrown Highland Park that lifeline, the city likely would have filed for bankruptcy. The financial crisis raised a question: would Highland Park be better off becoming part of Detroit? The mayor demurred.

“Blasphemy,” she says.

Legal hurdles, local pride make merging difficult

For one local government to absorb another, state law requires residents of both communities to vote in favor of it after weighing the pros and cons. Stephanie Leiser directs the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy. She says uniting Detroit and Highland Park could reduce bureaucracy.

“You can eliminate some layer of management there,” she says. “They don’t need to have an additional mayor and a clerk and all of those things.”

But Leiser says there’s not a ton of evidence that it would help Highland Park financially.

“They’re not going to save money necessarily on like plowing the roads, picking up trash, or maintaining the infrastructure,” she says.

Leiser says Highland Park’s finances are in better shape than they were when officials were considering bankruptcy in 2023. But it still has challenges, such as high property taxes.

Highland Park has some of Wayne County’s highest millage rates

In 2025, the city’s millage rate for principal residences was 63.221. That’s $63.22 for every $1,000 of a home’s taxable value. The non-homestead rate as over 79 mills. Rates for industrial and commercial personal property were over 57 mills and 67 mills respectively.

Former Highland Park Councilman Ken Bates says the city’s millage rates and pervasive poverty make it hard to attract new investment.

“We have to look into the future as to what will help Highland Park become sustainable,” he says. “What kind of industry should we count on?”

Bates says city leaders need a plan and the expertise to implement it.

“If not, it’s just you maintaining the status quo year after year,” he says. “You’re just one disaster away from financial calamity.”

More than just lines on a map

Bates says Highland Parkers are fiercely loyal to their community and that most want to remain a city within a city. Resident Michael Williams, Sr. admits he wouldn’t rule out becoming part of Detroit.

“We would get more popularity, probably more services,” Williams says.

But other residents, like Kim McDade, don’t see the benefit of giving up Highland Park’s identity.

“Highland Park needs to be given a chance to continue to build,” McDade says. “Our mayor is doing a great job in doing some things and making connections with the right people.”

Mayor Glenda McDonald says the city’s greatest strength is its people.

“They’re resilient, they’re loving, they’re kind, and we take care of each other,” she says. “I know a person on every single street.”

The mayor says that resilience defines Highland Park more than its shape on a map.

DTE Energy is requesting another large rate increase, just weeks after its last increase was approved.  The Detroit utility is asking for another $474 million to pay for infrastructure improvements.  The Michigan Public Service Commission approved a DTE rate increase of $242 million dollars in February.  

If granted, the new proposed hike would add roughly 10% to the average resident’s utility bills.   DTE filed the new request on Tuesday. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says she will intervene in the case. 

Additional headlines for Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Detroit Regional Chamber releases poll 

The Detroit Regional Chamber has released a new poll showing the current state of primary races in the state.  

The survey, conducted by the Glengariff Group, shows Congressman John James leading all other Republican candidates running for governor in Michigan.  Perry Johnson and Mike Cox are second and third, respectively.  In the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate, Congresswoman Haley Stevens leads the race, with Abdul El-Sayed and Mallory McMorrow following.  

And just a reminder: a poll shows a snapshot in time.  It does not indicate future events.  Michigan’s primary elections take place on August 4.  

Highland Park CSO charges examined  

The city of Highland Park says it’s calling for a closer examination of its combined sewage overflow costs.  The city says it’s joining with other suburbs and the Great Lakes Water Authority to form a task force.  The purpose will be to find out why overflow rates are 10 times more than expected.  Highland Park is requesting an adjustment of $1.5 million for this year’s combined sewage overflow charges.  The task force is scheduled to meet in Dearborn on May 8th. 

No word on Gordie opening  

Metro Detroiters are still waiting for the Gordie Howe International Bridge to open – and there’s no word on when that might happen.  

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra tells the Detroit News that there are still issues that need to be worked out in the agreement between the two countries before the new span can begin operations.  

President Trump threatened months ago to stall the opening of the bridge.  Canada paid the full cost of construction.  Michigan is set to get a share of revenue generated by the bridge, once Canada’s costs are covered.   

Gas prices jump (again) 

Gas prices in metro Detroit continue to rise quickly.  The average for a gallon of regular gas is now $4.25.  That’s up 6 cents from Tuesday.  

The price is 45 cents per gallon more than just a week ago.  Analysts say crude oil prices remain high because of the war in Iran, but refinery problems here in the Midwest are adding to the steep price increases.   

Pistons try to stave off playoff elimination 

The Detroit Pistons face playoff elimination if they don’t win tonight.  The team plays the Orlando Magic in game five of a best of seven series tonight.  Orlando leads the series three games to one.  

The Pistons finished the regular season with the best record in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, but they’ve failed to carry that dominance into the playoffs.  

Game five takes place tonight at 7 p.m. at Little Caesars Arena.  The game will not be televised.  You can watch it on Prime Video or listen to it on WWJ radio. 

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

The City of Highland Park is expanding its camera surveillance coverage of senior housing complexes. 

Police Chief James McMahon says seniors have complained about an increase in drug activity at the facilities. The city is looking to add more live cameras in five locations. 

McMahon says he anticipates new surveillance will be up and running within 60 days. 

-Reporting by Bre’Anna Tinsley

Additional headlines for Tuesday, Aprill 28, 2026

Highland Park adds to summer youth programming

Highland Park is also looking at how to serve its youngest residents better. Mayor Glenda McDonald announced extended programming for kids in the city this summer in an effort to keep them off the street. The city is partnering with local churches and the rec center to provide sports, mentorship and education programs. 

McDonald recalled a recent incident where a child was killed in Highland Park. She says she wants to keep kids safe. 

“I started out on a mission to try to put together a group of people with like mind, and wanted to save our children, give them something positive to do, make sure that they are engaged, encouraged and respected by the people in this city,” says McDonald.

Highland Park’s Ernest T Ford Recreational Center will provide sports, open gyms and meals all summer long. Local churches are offering mentorship and structured programming daily. All food and programing are free. 

-Reporting by Bre’Anna Tinsley

History of hats

Former hat designer and author Linda Hannah invites fashion and history buffs to explore the history of hats at the Detroit Public Library’s Main Branch Friday.

The event is open to all ages and starts at 4 p.m. 

Learn to cook with Konjo Me

Konjo Me serves Ethiopian food at the Detroit Shipping Company Tuesdays through Sunday. But this month it’s also offering a cooking class.

Attendees will learn to make one authentic vegan dish and a meat dish before sitting down to enjoy that meal.

The class is May 28, but registration is required. Find more info and purchase tickets at konjome.com.

Free Comic Book Day

Saturday is Free Comic Book Day and several shops in Southeast Michigan have in-store events. Vault of Midnight in Detroit will be offering 5 free comic books to each visitor from 11a.m. to 5 p.m. There are 40 comic books to choose from.

The store will also have sales tents outside with comics starting at $1 board games, manga and graphic novels. Vault of Midnight is located at 2857 East Grand Boulevard in Detroit.

Green Brain Comics in Dearborn will celebrate Free Comic Book Day with 3 free comics for visitors and an opportunity to earn more with non-perishable food donations to Gleaners Food Bank, donations to Friends for the Animals Metro Detroit or by wearing a costume.

Green Brain’s festivities begin at 10 a.m. with a special proclamation from Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and end at 6pm. The shop will host several guest creators throughout the day. 

Green Brain is located at 13936 Michigan Avenue in Dearborn.

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

As part of Crossing the Lines WDET is speaking to Highland Park residents about the city and upcoming state elections.

Highland Park has only two K-8 charter schools and has not had its own high school since 2015. The city also has many transient residents, which makes it hard for the schools to retain students.

Angela Fleming is a born and raised Highland Park resident. She says quality education for children is her top concern for the city.

Fleming spoke with WDET’s Bre’Anna Tinsley.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Angela Fleming: Well, I’m a long-time homeowner in Highland Park, and my main concerns are our school systems. You know, when I was raised and brought up in the school system, we had very beautiful school systems. Now that I see, you know, the children going to schools now they’re being very deprived of education. And I say that because we have one school. I’m a tax paying citizen. I would like to see more schools open in the city of Highland Park.

Bre’Anna Tinsley, WDET:  Do you feel that the current state administration is providing enough resources to the city?

AF:  I think they could do better, or even if they are providing the money, where is he going? Why don’t we as taxpayers see what they’re actually really doing in Highland Park? Rather than fixing the roads – which the roads need to be fixed also— but what about the kids education? Can our kids get educated on levels that will allow them to be competitive in the world we live in or the times we live in? So that’s what I would love to see change.

Let our kids get some education, let them have the opportunity of living healthy, normal lives, which I’m sure we all as parents would like to see our kids go to good school systems, our kids getting the education that we got when we came up. And then, not only that, being in healthy, normal environments.

BT: Do you have someone in mind for governor the governor’s races coming up this year?

AF:  I can’t really say, because there’s a lot of competition, and it also has some good people, but I’m not going to pass judgment on that. The voters will decide who they think the best contender is.

BT: You mentioned education, do you have any specific ideas or things that you will like the next governor to do towards education that might help the city of Highland Park?

AF:  Well, I think when it comes to education, that is one of the most areas that we need to focus on, as it relates to your you know, your crime level. Also, I think if kids get more education, get into the right areas as it relates to your recreation centers, after school programs that they have a better opportunity at being better citizens. In order to be a better citizen, you have to do things that require for you to be brought up in a way that would show a direction as to how you getting trained, or how you getting taught, or how you even getting educated. You know what I’m saying?

BT: Okay, well, I have one more question. Is there anything about Highland Park that you would like the next representative or the next governor to know.

AF:  I think the next governor should understand that Highland Park is just a small community, and we as homeowners or residents of the city of Highland Park should possibly have more meetings that will allow the government to be able to make making better decisions that would be more beneficial to the residents and the children, or even just the residents of that city.

This piece is also a part of WDET’s on-going series, Citizen Vox, where reporters ask residents about their priorities ahead of local elections.

Highland Park is a small city that once had a relatively large population for its size. At the height of Detroit’s automotive boom, more than 50,000 people lived within Highland Park’s 2.9 square miles. Today, the population is less than 9,000.

WDET’s Crossing the Lines series features conversations with and stories about Highland Park’s people, culture, and history.

Detroit Public Radio’s Citizen Vox project gives residents a chance to express how they feel about their communities and the issues that matter to them.

WDET’s Pat Batcheller spoke with Highland Park resident Ken Bates at a coffee shop on Woodward Ave. on April 10, 2026.

Bates was born in Detroit but moved to Highland Park with his wife more than 25 years ago. They bought a Craftsman-style bungalow in a historic district of the city. Voters elected Bates to the city council in 2018, where he served until 2022. He chairs the board of an energy nonprofit called Soulardarity. Its mission includes installing solar-powered streetlights in Highland Park’s neighborhoods.

Bates shares his thoughts on housing, poverty, community pride, and development.

Ken Bates: We know that there’s a housing crisis, a housing shortage nationally, affordable housing. Highland Park has an abundance of land that is underutilized, that really could be put forth in terms of development. So, we could look at land trusts. We could look at affordable housing, low-income housing, market rate housing, duplexes to grow the population because that’s what we have in abundance.

Manufacturing? I doubt that will ever come back to the extent that Henry Ford and Chrysler and some of the other manufacturers had here. That’s a bygone era.

And so, we have to look into the future as to what will help Highland Park become sustainable. What kind of industries should we count on?

You have to get education on board. You have to get private development. You have to get your government funding all in order, and you have to have a plan and a vision and the expertise in order to do it.

If not, you’re just maintaining the status quo. And year after year, you’re just one disaster away from some financial calamity, whether it be a natural disaster or something like the Great Lakes Water Authority suing us for $19 million and threatening to put it on our tax rolls.

Pat Batcheller: What do you like about being in Highland Park?

KB: Highland Park is centrally located. It’s convenient. There’s a sense of—like with my block, I never expected it to be so diverse. And yet you’ve got immigrants, you’ve got people of different faiths. You’ve got people who are ascribed to different lifestyles. I mean, it just it goes on and on, different political beliefs, and we all live together in the same community, and we’re able to communicate and talk and look out after each other.”

PB: From the conversations I’ve had with you and some of the other folks I’ve talked to, it isn’t really the borders that define Highland Park, it’s the people. Would you agree with that?

KB: Well, yeah, I would say the people do define Highland Park because, because again, they’ve been here. Most have been here quite a long time. And even if you travel outside of Highland Park and talk to people that formerly lived here, many people will tell you, ‘Yeah, my grandparents lived here.’ They remember it as a great city. They’ve had fond memories.

The historical district is obviously something that has gained attention. People are looking at those homes and, if they have the means to renovate them, are coming in and deciding, “well, let’s renovate this home.” Because you can’t rebuild those anywhere for anything that I would consider reasonable.

Highland Park has just had its own identity for a long, long time. And so, I can’t see that changing because it would be so difficult to incorporate us into the Detroit culture. We’re not Detroit. We’re not Hamtramck. We’re Highland Park.

PB: What’s the most pressing issue facing Highland Park right now?

KB: It’s poverty. You’ve got to figure out how to raise people’s incomes up, so to speak, their standard of living. So, whether it be through employment, homeownership, because poverty impacts everything around us. For example, ALDI is usually out of shopping carts because people abscond with them. If you’re running a business, that’s not helpful. We were fortunate in that Foot Locker moved into the old CVS building because CVS, Rite-Aid, and another drugstore left.

Convincing businesses to come here is a real challenge because the landscape has changed. Brick and mortar stores aren’t necessarily how people are going about retail experiences. You would think that we would have a thrift shop or something of that nature in a community like that. We don’t.

So, trying to look at trends that will allow people to be gainfully employed, increase home ownership, educate their children are things that should be made priority.

The appearance of the city has to change because we have a lot of blight. We had a press conference celebrating the announcement of Highland Towers on Woodward being torn down. We’ve got to have news that is uplifting, that is showing progress now. Yes, the building should be torn down because it’s caught on fire sixteen years ago. But we need to be announcing opportunities for growth projects that will bring about change.