Hey, Detroiters! Welcome back to Culture Canvas!
I hope you all enjoyed the holiday season. I am recharged and ready to get back to work after our two-week break. I was sick before Christmas but recovered in time to spend the holiday at my aunt and uncle’s house and eat Christmas dinner staples like turkey, macaroni and cheese and greens. The rest of my break was spent sleeping in, reading the second book in the “Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery” series and rewatching “Gilmore Girls.” I also visited the Wild Lights at the Detroit Zoo, Rust Belt Market in Ferndale and a New Year’s Eve party at Spotlite.
My first interview of the new year was with Detroit Blight Busters Founder John George. The nonprofit has been revitalizing the Old Redford neighborhood and surrounding area for 37 years, tearing down blighted properties, constructing new properties and renovating existing ones and fostering local businesses.
George and thousands of volunteers have demolished more than 300 blighted homes, built more than 100 new homes for Detroiters and created Artist Village Detroit, a community hub that features a coffee shop, music venue and event space. The group is also in the progress of opening a community center called the Sunflower Arts Center.
The organization recently received a $1 million grant from the state during a ceremony for Detroit’s Arts Alley project, which highlights beautification and creativity in alleys in nine Detroit neighborhoods. The Old Redford alley was the first completed.
George said the grant will be used primarily for blight removal and neighborhood restoration. He believes Blight Busters will receive the funds from the state this month or in February.
“I’m thankful and grateful that the state and our representatives have blessed us with this blight removal money,” he said.
George said the organization is always looking for volunteers for its Saturday cleanups. Those interested can give him a call at 313-255-4355 or send an email to jgeorge@mcbbdetroit.com.
I talked to George on how he started Blight Busters, what this grant means for the organization and future projects.
Editor’s note: This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
BridgeDetroit: Where will be the blight removal take place?
George: The blight removal funding will most definitely be in northwest Detroit, and it will be in large part, in and around the Grand River/Lahser neighborhood district. Those state dollars will allow us to purchase new equipment, trucks and trailers, chain saws, weed whackers and lawn mowers. It’ll help us pay for gloves and dumpsters and Kool-Aid and hot dogs to feed the volunteers.
BridgeDetroit: What made you want to start Detroit Blight Busters and invest in the community?
George: I’m a lifelong Detroiter. I was actually born in Brightmoor, but grew up in Grandmont-Rosedale with my family. Forty years ago, I bought a home in northwest Detroit, five blocks north of the Redford Theatre. When my son was two and my wife was pregnant with our daughter, there was a vacant home behind our home that turned into a crack house. I didn’t want to move, but I didn’t want my kids growing up in and around that negative energy. So, that Saturday in June of 1988, I went to the hardware store and I bought nails and plywood and paint. I raced back to the house, I started boarding it up and grabbed my lawn mower and started cutting the grass.
I was out there about four hours by myself when a car pulls up and these two big guys jump out and they say, ‘What are you doing?’ And I said, ‘Well, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my kids growing up in and around this garbage. You can help me or get the hell out of my way.’ And they looked at me and said, ‘We want to help.’ I said, ‘Thank God,’ they were too big to fight.
One fellow was Albert. He was a single father with a couple kids who lived down the street, and his best friend and next door neighbor was a fellow named Felix. Felix was married with a young son, Raphael. We all had the same problem; we had kids, we had wives, we had property values that all needed to be protected, and that’s what we did. We worked another four hours that day and we boarded up the crack house and swept up the glass and cut the grass and panted the boards and picked up the trash.
When the drug dealers came back that evening, they couldn’t get in. We were in my backyard eating burgers and chicken and drinking beer. I said, ‘Hey, that was pretty simple. What are you doing next Saturday?’ And we’ve met almost every Saturday for 37 years.
BridgeDetoit: What other projects is Detroit Blight Busters working on this year?
George: We meet every Saturday to do volunteer work in and around that Grand River/Lahser business district. We also have a summer youth employment program where we hire you from the community. We have a mural program, we have a community garden, we have a food and clothing distribution program, so there’s always something going on. Not to mention the live jazz, the open mic poetry, the spoken word, the different events that are had.
BridgeDetroit: What does it mean to you for Blight Busters to receive this recognition on a state-wide level?
George: When we started this effort back in the summer of 1988, this neighborhood was in pretty bad shape. A lot of vacant, abandoned houses. The commercial district was in ruins, buildings were blighted. We’ve helped to raise and spend about $50 million on blight removal, but we’ve also helped to attract over $100 million of investment. It’s because of our work and others that Meijer and other corporations are building and investing in this community. To get this kind of support from the state, from our representatives, it’s deserved and it’s appreciated.
As always, have a great week!
Cheers,
Micah
313 Scene
- In case you missed it over the holidays, BridgeDetroit reporter Malachi Barrett wrote about the fall restoration of The Spirit of Detroit by Detroit artist Robert Zahorsky. Zahorsky undertook a laborious process of carefully stripping layers of chemicals off the bronze statue and reapplying them, all by hand, over roughly seven weeks.
- BridgeDetroit Managing Editor Christine Ferretti writes about the new speakeasy Miss Eva’s Detroit in northwest Detroit. The club began hosting a new generation of community gatherings in November with Detroit entertainers like Brandon Williams, Thornetta Davis and jessica Care moore along with food trucks, craft cocktails and mocktails.
- Nicki Minaj has been sued for allegedly slapping her manager and threatening to derail his career during a concert in Detroit at Little Caesars Arena. According to TMZ, the Detroit police have requested a warrant from the Wayne County Prosecutor’s office, which could issue criminal charges against Minaj in Detroit. (Detroit Free Press)
- Former Detroit Free Press and Detroit News reporter Frank DeCaro recently released the book, “Disco: Music, Movies, and Mania under the Mirror Ball,” which looks at disco’s history and social and cultural impact. (Detroit Free Press)
What’s Going on in the D?
- The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy’s Fire and Ice Festival returns Friday through Sunday at Robert C. Valade Park. Attendees can check out an ice carving contest, axe throwing, the lighting of a 7-foot ice tower and a meet-and-greet with Elsa from “Frozen.”
- Midtown gallery Galerie Camille is hosting an opening reception 5 p.m. Friday for its latest exhibit, “Essence Unveiled.” Detroit artist Donita Simpson is showcasing 70 photographs of the Detroit artist community, spanning from 1989 until 2021. In addition, an artist talk is scheduled for 5 p.m. Jan. 17 and a closing reception Jan. 25.
- The Redford Theatre is hosting screenings of the horror classic, “Psycho” at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Janet Leigh stops on a rainy night at the Bates Motel and gets more than she bargained for in the Alfred Hitchcock film. Tickets are $7.
- El Club is kicking off its early 2000s music series Saturday with R&B group Day26. Formed in 2007 by Sean “Diddy” Combs on his MTV reality show, “Making the Band,” Day26 is known for songs such as “Since You’ve Been Gone,” and “Got Me Going.” The concert starts at 9 p.m. and tickets are $34.
- Detroit History Tours is hosting its latest event 1 p.m. Sunday titled, “Art, History and Oddities of the Detroit People Mover.” On the hour and a half tour, guests will learn why the train originally ran clockwise and why Detroit has its very own Times Square. The tour will start promptly at the Greektown People Mover Station and can be accessed through the Hollywood Casino at Greektown. Tickets are $33. A second outing will be held 11:30 a.m. Jan. 26.
- Cinema Detroit is screening a collection of short films titled, “From Ground Zero: Stories from Gaza” 5:30 p.m. Sunday at Planet Ant in Hamtramck. Spearheaded by Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi, each film, ranging from three to six minutes, presents perspectives from 22 Palestinian filmmakers capturing their lives in Gaza amidst the Israel-Hamas War. Tickets are $12 or $17 when including a $5 donation to Cinema Detroit.
The street name is LAHSER, not LASHER.