Bridge Detroit (https://www.bridgedetroit.com/author/olivia-lewis/)
Olivia Lewis is a reporter for BridgeDetroit. She was formerly a reporter for the Battle Creek Enquirer and the Indianapolis Star. She has also worked in philanthropy for the Kresge Foundation, the Council of Michigan Foundations and Direct Relief International.
City councilman James Tate and Mayor Mike Duggan introduce an amendment to city code that will allow recreational marijuana sales. If approved, longtime Detroiters with previous cannabis convictions will be favored. Half of the licenses will be reserved for residents.
Detroit Future City released a shared vision for an economically equitable Detroit on Tuesday. The nonprofit think tank is using the shared vision as a call to action to get local organizations and institutions to work with residents to increase access and opportunity.
Detroit Public Schools Community District and Superintendent Nikolai Vitti put out a call to action on Oct. 2 asking Detroiters to leave friendly phone messages and to knock on household doors of the thousands of students who have been disengaged since the first day of school. The campaign helped the district reach more than 3,000 students before the biannual Count Day.
Brittni Kellom was one of two Detroiters randomly selected to sit on Michigan’s first Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. She’s also the commission’s vice-chair. This lifelong Detroiter shares her personal story and why community voices are crucial to redrawing the state’s district lines.
Michigan’s largest school district, serving predominantly Black and Brown students, has its own police department. Under emergency management, the state beefed up policing by building a $5.6 million command center and adding military equipment to its arsenal. Now, Detroiters and school leadership take a new approach.
Residents, charities, local and state government have scrambled to meet the immediate food needs of Detroiters since the onset of coronavirus. However, food insecurity has been a longstanding issue for Detroiters whose lack of other basic needs have created a barrier to nutritious food. Advocates say now is the time for everyone to consider systemic change.
Application deadlines for the city’s Pay As You Stay program, or PAYS and the Homeowners Property Tax Assistance Program, or HPTAP, have been extended to Sept. 14 and Dec. 14. Both programs can significantly reduce or eliminate delinquent and current property taxes in Detroit.
Paraprofessionals, office employees and food service workers are the latest groups to denounce Detroit Public Schools’ reopening plans. Amid negotiations, support staff say they demand the same health and safety protocols given to teachers.
As summer comes to a close and the coronavirus pandemic wears on, Detoiters are taking full advantage of outdoor space. D. Cipher, a local artists’ collective, has gathered Detroit musicians and creatives to share their craft in the Dequindre Cut Greenway.
The third edition of a longstanding report shows Detroiters are more likely to die from chronic health conditions than other Michiganders. While Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has declared racism as a public health issue in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, experts say it will take a collective effort from every sector to see change.