Growing up in poverty as a child on Detroit’s west side, sometimes wondering when and how he would get his next meal, the Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. says he can remember having “nothing,” including running water. The family would have to fill buckets at a neighbor’s house to use for drinking and taking a bath.
It was that hardscrabble upbringing that fueled him, Kinloch said, to later serve his community — as a pastor. And if his prayers are answered on election night, Nov. 4 — as mayor.
Struggling through that “nothing,” has been the impetus for Kinloch’s proposed policies related to addressing poverty and more to boost Detroiters’ quality of life, a message he poignantly expressed during his massive campaign kickoff announcement at the Fox Theatre in February. Kinloch and his family relied on the church community for meals, which empowered him to serve others in similar ways — including his mayoral run — and later establishing his religious community, and growing the Triumph Church empire.
“If it were not for the community stakeholders, the churches, the nonprofits in (my) community, there would be days we would not have eaten. There would be days that we would have went without just the basic essentials of life,” Kinloch said. “Throughout my entire life, that’s what has fueled me; in order to use every ounce of influence and platform that I’ve received; in order to make sure that I’m using that to help as many people as I can.”
“…That fueled me as a leader, and it fuels my candidacy right now.”
Kinloch began ministering at the age of 14 under the guidance of the Rev. Robert Smith, Jr., the pastor at New Bethel Baptist Church, after his brother told the pastor that Kinloch admired his work. Smith later invited Kinloch to give a sermon — learned under Smith’s tutelage — and served as a minister of the same church. At that time, still in his early 20s, Kinloch also worked at an automotive plant before making ministry his full-time calling.
Then, Triumph Church came calling in 1998, offering him the lead pastor position.
The church, which at the time had less than 100 members, later grew at a rate of roughly 400 new members a month. It quickly outgrew the rented hall spaces where services were held and expanded to multiple campuses to make room for its burgeoning flock.
The church is more than a physical space, Kinloch said, it’s a community. And he makes sure to treat it that way. Throughout his leadership, Kinloch has provided: laptops to students during the COVID-19 pandemic to help bridge the digital divide, taking kids on holiday shopping sprees, buying thousands of dollars in groceries to feed hungry families and more — all in an attempt to fill any gaps he sees among those in need. Although he offers support to anyone in need, Detroiters have primarily gravitated toward his church, he said.
Kinloch’s responsibilities would revolve around church. And he says he still maintains that priority when he can. He begins every week preparing to preach by drawing inspiration from passages or books he comes across, or making mental notes about anything going on in the world that could become the subject of his sermons. After church, he says, he typically grabs a bite to eat with those closest to him.
However, his life has changed since launching his campaign. Kinloch says he now wakes up to meditate, then makes calls to voters and canvasses neighborhoods in an effort to secure voter support for the November election.
His wife, Robin Kinloch, said his decision to run for mayor involved a lot of prayer and discussion.
“I said, ‘Lord, help me to enjoy the experience.’ I don’t want to be that spouse (that says) ‘Oh, I hate it, I hate that we ever did this.’ And He (God) honored that prayer. I don’t have any regrets. This has been a connection outside of ministry that puts me back in a different space and I’ve enjoyed it,” she said.
“I feel like he’s the best advocate for the people in the city of Detroit, because he can relate to so many of the issues that the average citizens are challenged with, or celebrated for, because it’s not all about those who can’t advocate for themselves in a space of poverty. We’re even finding people who are middle class who are having a hard time navigating the system, and need someone who can relate and advocate for them.”
Questions loom about whether Kinloch, who lives by his Christian faith, will be able to handle the responsibilities of the mayor’s office on top of his ministerial duties, and whether he can refrain from merging religion into politics. The pastor says he fully expects to prioritize being a full-time mayor while continuing to preach on the side, if the opportunity presents itself. And when mayoral duties take over, church services will continue with another pastor.
“I’m not looking to pastor the city. I’m looking to make sure that we lead in such a way that we give people the delivery on what we put on paper when the architects of this country established it,” Kinloch said. “Ministry is about people. Politics and government is supposed to be about people. Somewhere along the way, that has gotten mixed and marred.
“… what we got to make sure that we’re doing is putting people back in these seats of power who are going to handle that power with integrity and with character, in such a way to make sure it’s working good for people so that they can measure it, so that they can see it. People don’t feel seen.”
Accomplishments
While Kinloch has never served as an elected official, he speaks proudly of serving, like creating youth programs involving mentorship, STEM, scholarships and recreation under his leadership at the church.
“We’ve had as many as 30 and 40 different classes: dance, robotics, videography, photography, art, things that young people were interested in — anything we thought they were interested in, they could have their parents sign them up and do breakfast at 8 o’clock in the morning, lunch and even dinner. And we expose them to incentives for those programs,” Kinloch said. “Seeing young people sign up year-after-year to participate in those programs has been a highlight of what we’ve done.”
During the pandemic, his church distributed thousands of boxes of groceries to families on a weekly basis, and purchased thousands of laptops and tablets for those in need, he added. And, he says, he is willing to do more.
“We are being aggressive about direct contact. I’m not a politician. I’m a person that believes the only vote you get is the one you ask for. So, if I have to spend — which I will — the next several … days looking for every vote in order to become the next mayor of this city, that’s what I’m going to do,” Kinloch said.
Besides mailing flyers, promoting the campaign digitally and hosting phone banks with a room full of callers urging residents to vote for Kinloch, the pastor regularly knocks doors with at least a dozen canvassers, lining up their cars along residential streets and honking their horns to get the neighbors to come outside to meet their potential future mayor.
“This race is going to boil down to reminding citizens of Detroit that they are entitled to, and deserve to have a say in the future of this city,” Kinloch said, emphasizing the need to boost turnout outside of the most reliable voter base, like seniors.
While canvassing on a warm September afternoon, Kinloch ran into several voters who said they either will not vote, or did not plan to vote for him — though he successfully swayed at least one who said they planned on voting for his opponent, Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield. The resident wished to remain anonymous, but she said Kinloch convinced her to support him because he went to her home and he aligns with her religious values.
Kinloch used that moment to say he does not agree with “rubber-stamping” as a form of leadership, taking aim at his opponent.
“What we’ve got to make sure we’re doing is talking to people who they call ‘low propensity voters’ … they’re still people, and we should not write them out of the script,” Kinloch said. “They don’t see how government changes their life. They have been promised so many things and because of failed leadership, so many times, people have not delivered on those promises.”
So, how does one choose whom to elect?
Decide based on what leaders have done, how they measure it and how they have used their sphere of influence, Kinloch said.
“Making sure that you have authentic and genuine checks and balances while you’re sitting at the table is real accountability and real leadership,” Kinloch said.
His chief of staff at the church, Ralph Godbee, a former Detroit Police chief — who worked for past mayors, such as Coleman Young, Dennis Archer, Kwame Kilpatrick and Dave Bing — has known Kinloch for 15 years and said that Detroiters would find it refreshing to have an elected official who is not an institutionalized figure; that can advocate for up-and-coming neighborhoods where residents may have scenic streetscapes on one block, but see blight on another.
“He’s a CEO, people fail to realize that. I’m a former chief of police and I’ve served under him. People asked me, ‘What’s more difficult, being chief of police or chief of staff for pastor Kinloch?’ Ironically, being chief of staff,” Godbee said, adding that he had 3,000-4,000 employees who had to do what he said when he was police chief. “But to lead the church of seven different campuses, 40,000 families and — on his leadership acumen — to move mountains to help people, that’s an amazing feat. If you can do that with volunteers, what more can you do with a workforce?”
Kinloch says his biggest motivator is the people around him.
“I met a mother of two small children who were living next to a house that is abandoned by the owner. And she was just talking about not just the cosmetic of that home, but also the safety concerns that she has because of that home; because of the individuals that come in and out that house and the mental challenges that some have faced when they were removed from the home, adding that a resident threw a brick through her window,” he said. “It just reminded us that people are dealing with the repercussions and results, on a daily basis, of leadership that they perceive has failed them.”
Rocky road
Shortly before the August primary, Kinloch faced a bump in the road on his campaign as reports emerged that he pleaded guilty in 1993 to assaulting his first wife after she accused him of beating her in the head with the handle of a butcher knife and throwing it at her.
His then-wife called the police to their home after she said he tried preventing her from leaving during an argument, in which he responded by throwing a glass that struck her foot and pointing the knife at her. She told police she tried blocking the knife with her hand and in the process, her finger was cut. Attorneys said he hit her twice with the knife before throwing it at her and striking her head with the handle.
“I was 19 years of age, it happened one night, an argument developed that escalated to a point that it shouldn’t have reached and things happened that should have never happened, and I took responsibility for it,” Kinloch told the Free Press in an interview in July. “I went through the judicial process and a redemptive process. I received counseling, not only outside but inside the church. I accepted responsibility and I learned from the mistakes and I’ve tried to use it to help other men.”
The woman divorced Kinloch 11 years later, though the pastor said her family members are members of his church, and he spoke with her before entering the mayor’s race, adding that she was supportive of him.
Kinloch was initially charged with felonious assault, but instead, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of misdemeanor assault and battery in April 1994. He was sentenced to 12 months of probation and court-ordered mental health treatment, including a program for spousal abuse.
Where are the pastors?
Kinloch has yet to release a list of support for his campaign from the religious community. While Sheffield’s campaign has received numerous endorsements from major religious leaders, including Bishop Marvin Winans of Perfecting Church, the Rev. Wendell Anthony of Fellowship Chapel and the Rev. Jim Holley of Historic Little Rock Baptist Church. Kinloch said he isn’t worried, though, emphasizing that being a leader does not mean all people will follow. He said he plans to soon release a list of those supporting him.
“This city has never been a monotown. Just like you have diverse opinions and perspectives in the city of Detroit, you have that even among the faith-based community,” Kinloch said. “People are looking right now for real, systematic and structural change.
“We have to remember when Dr. King came out and wanted to challenge the inequities, there were many pastors who were against him at the end of the day,” Kinloch said.
What to expect from a Kinloch administration
Because Kinloch has dedicated much of his life to serving people, he said, he and his wife Robin Kinloch want to make the Manoogian Mansion the “people’s house” and open its doors to the community — again, if elected.
“One of the things that my wife continues to say to me is, ‘Can you imagine Easter egg hunts at the house for children, or cooking classes for young people, or highlighting awardees for young people, celebrating the achievements of people in our community?’ We need to inspire, and whatever resident and whatever side of the spectrum we land, we’re going to continue to do that, wherever we live.” Kinloch said, adding that despite having property in other cities and facing questions about his residency, he plans to stay in Detroit.
He stressed that his policies are rooted in driving down Detroit’s growing poverty rate by providing affordable housing, reducing crime, supporting youth programming, education and connecting Detroiters with opportunities.
“When you look at the Census data that said, since 2017, poverty is the highest; at the end of the day, numbers don’t lie. When somebody says things are better, better for who?” Kinloch said.
Reducing crime will require practices that allow people to police their own community, he said; by creating sanctuary hubs for children to have alternative spaces than “being in the streets and turning to criminal ways;” to rebuild trust in the community to tackle crime among younger crowds.
And, Kinloch said, he expects to drive more jobs with competitive wages.
“People want to know that the renaissance and recovery in Detroit will come to their door. My administration will ensure no one is left out or left behind,” Kinloch said.
Although crime is on a downward trend in Detroit, Kinloch said he cannot promise retaining the current Detroit Police leadership, namely Chief Todd Bettison. Sheffield said she would keep him in the role.
“I believe that’s disingenuous for any leader to make promises as a candidate,” Kinloch said. “The entire leadership of the police department would have to submit to me a plan on how you will ensure not just safety, but also deliver justice to the people in Detroit. It’s not about how you feel, it’s about how the citizens feel … because what we’re doing now ain’t working.”
How Detroiters feel
Travez Daniel, 33, has owned Soul 2 Go on Detroit’s east side for eight years. He recently gathered the Kinloch campaign for an event at his restaurant, feeding canvassers — you guessed it —soul food, with enthusiastic supporters waving fans in the air with Kinloch’s name on it, chanting: “We’re rockin’ with Kinloch!” as if he were a celebrity walking into the room.
Daniel first met Kinloch at Triumph Church and frequently attends the 8 a.m. services before opening his restaurant. He said he’s always admired what Kinloch stands for, and how involved the pastor is in the community as “an everyday person.”
“We need that. Someone who comes and interacts with the business owner; comes and interacts with random people; comes and interacts with the people that are city of Detroit residents,” Daniel said, adding that he needs the next mayor to ensure Detroit is safe, fun and that neighborhoods receive equal attention to investments.
Donna R. Jones, 57, also a Triumph Church member, has lived in Detroit for 53 years and said blight and vacant lots are common along the blocks near her east side home — often noticing they invite thieves, stolen vehicles and vandalism, among other crimes. Kinloch’s platform aimed at tackling crime is what, Jones said, stood out to her.
“They said that the crime is going down. Not by my eyes,” Jones said. “We need to start policing ourselves. Neighborhood block clubs are trying to implement that.”
She added that Kinloch has a way of speaking on inclusiveness to ensure Detroiters outside of the denser areas — namely downtown and Midtown — have a voice, especially amid divisions between those who feel connected to downtown and those who do not.
“He speaks for the people. He speaks truth to power,” Jones said.