I noticed parallels between RenCen’s debut and conversations we’ve documented about the state of downtown today.
Malachi Barrett
Malachi Barrett is a mission-oriented journalist trying to do good and stir up some trouble.
Barrett previously worked at MLive in a variety of roles in Muskegon, Kalamazoo, Lansing and Detroit. Most recently, he led MLive’s statewide coverage of the 2020 presidential election, tracked political extremism and covered social movements. His coverage of Michigan’s connection to the January 6 riot was cited by Congress and federal investigators.
Barrett has won Associated Press awards for his reporting on housing and environmental pollution. He was named Michigan’s 2019 Newspaper Rising Star by the Associated Press. He was also included on The Washington Post’s 2020 list of “outstanding politics reporters to follow” on social media (@PolarBarrett). Barrett graduated from Central Michigan University in 2016, where he proudly served as editor-in-chief of the student-operated newspaper.
Barrett lives in the Jefferson Corridor. He grew up in Southwest Michigan but has also spent his childhood years in California, Wisconsin, Virginia, South Carolina and Japan. His inbox is always open for news tips and pictures of Spider-Man.
Lawsuit claims Detroit police board ‘sabotaged’ citizen complaint reviews
White alleges that former Board Chair Bryan Ferguson and a “clique” of male employees discriminated against women coworkers and undermined a process developed at the direction of Mayor Mike Duggan to clear the complaint backlog.
Duggan: America is not ignoring Detroit anymore
Targeting abandoned vehicles, violence reduction progress, honoring a community hero and other highlights from Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan’s 11th State of the City speech.
Riverfront hotel wins $142M in tax breaks
Malachi Barrett has the City Council roundup: Waterfront hotel tax breaks, growth in housing wealth and seniors demand better rental conditions.
Duggan speech to focus on plan to remove abandoned vehicles
Mike Duggan’s State of the City will center revitalization and quality of life issues, including a crackdown on abandoned vehicles and next steps for community solar.
Here’s what Detroit council members got added to the city budget
This week, City Council approved a $2.8 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year starting in July, a process that took a month of hearings.
Detroit City Council approves budget before stroke of midnight
The council voted unanimously to authorize the budget after roughly a month of departmental hearings and a week of deliberation.
Detroit Budget approval incoming
BridgeDetroit reporter Malachi Barrett has a recap and what’s next for the Detroit budget process, plus some things we learned this year.
Reparations: A movement made in Detroit
The modern reparations movement in America owes much to John Conyers, Ray Jenkins, JoAnn Watson and others who fought for federal recognition.
How cities are taking on reparations after decades of federal gridlock
Inspired by Evanston, Illinois’s fund, advocates in Detroit are working to shape reparations here, but finding the money will be tough.