Dear reader,
Happy 313 Day, Detroit! As we celebrate our city, we are thinking about how we can connect even more meaningfully with Detroiters in 2024. Last year, BridgeDetroit reporters delivered printed copies of our stories door-to-door in cases where our stories had an immediate impact on life in a specific neighborhood, such as our story about generational displacement in the East Canfield neighborhood.
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Thank you! Read on for today’s news.
This week in the notebook:
- ‘ShotStoppers’ show early success
- Stellantis says odors aren’t harmful
- Does Detroit need more parking?
- NFL Draft permit delayed
- Gamers wanted at rec centers
Welcome back. I’m still Malachi Barrett.
Do you feel that in the air? It’s not just unseasonably warm weather – it’s budget season, baby.
The City Council has 46 budget hearings scheduled this month. We’re going to cover all of them.
Budget hearings provide insight into how city departments operate, their goals for the next year and whether leaders are meeting the expectations of council members.
It’s also a forum for council members to suggest changes to Mayor Mike Duggan’s budget blueprint.
It makes good sense to cover the dollars and cents, but these meetings often don’t get much ink in your local press. We’ve partnered with Detroit Documenters and Outlier Media so you can read all about it.
Our team of reporters will provide weekly digests giving you the essential information. This is a new effort from an alliance of nonprofit newsrooms.
All you have to do is keep checking your inbox for the news.
What page are we on?
Today’s notebook covers the March 12 formal session. Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway was absent.
Dig into the agenda, read Detroit Documenter notes or watch the recording for more details.
Find information about your City Council representative here.
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Two Detroit nonprofits hired by the city to reduce shootings in high-impact neighborhoods are showing early signs of success.
The city invested $10 million in federal pandemic relief funds to support small organizations that were pushing for community-oriented strategies. Deputy Mayor Todd Bettison said preliminary data shows the strategy is working.
“These groups are doing something police can’t do,” Bettison said.
FORCE Detroit received a $175,000 performance bonus and Detroit Friends and Family received $87,500 for recording larger decreases in the 4-square-mile areas they are responsible for.
Homicides and non-fatal shootings dropped 37% across the city from November 2023 to January.
Homicides and non-fatal shootings dropped 72% in a west side area where FORCE Detroit is active. Incidents dropped 48% in an east side area where Detroit Friends and Family is active.
Areas served by New Era Community Connection and Detroit Peoples Community saw incidents drop by 35% and 27%.
Bettison said he will ask the City Council to extend contracts with those four organizations for another year. Contracts with all six organizations expire this summer.
Two other organizations that did not keep pace with the citywide drop in shootings will be recommended for three-month contract extension.
Neighborhoods where Detroit 300 are active had a 9% reduction in shootings and homicides.
Another area served by a partnership between Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency, the Denby Neighborhood Alliance and Camp Restore experienced an increase in non-fatal shootings.
Organizers said they’ve interrupted violence by deescalating conflicts and providing resources to people involved in dangerous lifestyles.
FORCE Detroit Founder Founder Alia Harvey-Quinn said relocating families who are targets of violence has made a “radical difference” in preventing retaliation.
“I think love is working, caring for people who are at the center of violence,” Harvey-Quinn said. “What solves this problem is having empathy, recognizing that trauma is the reason behind acts of violence.”
Dujuan “Zoe” Kennedy, an organizer with FORCE Detroit, said it’s important to provide long-term funding.
“If we see something working, invest in it,” he said.
The initial grants provide funding for two years. Bettison said the program could keep running through state legislation that would distribute public safety funds to cities proportionally based on violent crime rates.
Bettison said Detroit could receive $8 million in annual funding to support the program if Michigan lawmakers pass the bill.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated which organizations will be recommended for contract extensions.
Stellantis: Odors aren’t dangerous
Stellantis officials assured the City Council that odors emanating from its eastside auto plants “never represented a health hazard” despite frequent concerns from residents.
Council Member Mary Waters said odors still “don’t pass the smell test” for residents who believe the Detroit Assembly Complex is hurting their quality of life. Residents also voiced concerns Tuesday about heavy truck traffic.
Council Member Coleman Young II said he doesn’t believe the auto plant can coexist with residents.
“I don’t think we can have an environment where we’re ignoring people who are, perceived or not, suffering environmentally from you doing business of building automobiles,” Young said. “I don’t think both these things can coincide in the same space.”
Ron Stallworth, senior manager of external affairs for Stellantis, said there are no plans to buy surrounding homes or “destroy the neighborhood.”
“There are people who experience a problem, there are a lot of people who don’t,” Stallworth said.
Al Johnston, manager of corporate environmental programs, said Stellantis first became aware of odor complaints in 2021 as it ramped up production. Stellantis installed air pollution control equipment at two locations to reduce emissions of volatile compounds.
The devices were required under an enforcement order from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). Johnston said the equipment was operational by June 2023, and state regulators have not found harmful emissions since last summer.
Council Member Latisha Johnson said east side residents continue to file complaints about poor air quality. Johnson said $200,000 in funding allocated last year to put air purification systems in homes near the plants has not been spent.
The city has not detected volatile carbon emissions using its own network of air quality monitors. Additional monitors are being installed in each council district. City officials said the data will be made public soon.
Michelle Jackson is a member of a neighborhood advisory committee that penned a community benefits agreement with Stellantis. She said the group was provided results from tests across 2023 that appeared to show low levels of chemical emissions.
“In the summer you don’t see anyone sitting on their porch, you don’t see windows open,” Jackson said.
East Canfield Village resident Robert Shobe has frequently pushed the council to take odor complaints seriously. He called Tuesday’s presentation a “public relations game” while his neighbors suffer from respiratory issues.
“The only way your children are not going to be suffering from this stuff is to move the plant or you move,” he said.
NFL Draft permit delayed
Council members delayed a permit for the 2024 NFL Draft next month amid frustrations with being kept out of the loop on how local businesses are involved.
The Downtown Detroit Partnership submitted a special events petition to host the draft from Hart Plaza to Campus Martius Park from April 25 to 27. It was held for one week by the council.
Tate said he didn’t receive information he requested last week from draft organizers on how neighborhood businesses are connected to the mostly downtown event. Tate said it’s “unsettling” that his questions weren’t answered with just over a month before the draft.
“It’s one thing to say this event, which I’m excited about, is not just for downtown, it’s another thing to show it,” Tate said. “We have not seen any proof that’s the case.”
Organizers said roughly 70 businesses are contracted, including 25 food vendors. More than 300,000 attendees are expected across the three days.
Jessica Parker, deputy chief operating officer for the city, said certification fairs were held to help businesses obtain contracts.
Last week, NFL Draft officials said 800 Detroiters were hired to help run the free event.
Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero said the council needs a full list of businesses outside of downtown that are being engaged.
“This is urgent, the NFL Draft is right around the corner,” she said. “We want to urge the administration and the NFL to do the outreach that is needed, because so far it is not there.”
Council Member Scott Benson wants more details on how nonprofit organizations can receive $5,000 grants provided by the Detroit Sports Commission and Visit Detroit.
Benson also advocated for “more substantive investment” of $15,000 to $25,000 grants.
Does Detroit need more parking?
Municipal Parking Director Keith Hutchings raised eyebrows after saying the city needs more on-street parking during a Monday budget hearing.
“Developers are seeking to create walkable neighborhoods where you have less parking; that is a great concept but in my opinion is not totally aligned with the reality of what the usage is,” Hutchings said.
Hutchings said he believes more parking availability is needed because the city does not have an expansive public transportation system.
Most commercial corridors don’t have enough foot traffic to support retail businesses, he said.
“We need to continually recalibrate our expectations about parking,” Hutchings said. “If you can’t drive into the area, then it’s hard to support commercial activity.”
Critics seized on the comments after I posted them on twitter.com.
State Rep. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, was among those who said Detroit should address the problem by improving public transit. She’s a member of a new transit caucus in the state Legislature.
Mayor Mike Duggan said last week that investment in the city’s bus system is important while the metro region lacks a “viable” transit plan.
Several folks pointed to a glut of parking options in downtown Detroit, where surface lots make up roughly 30% of the Central Business District.
Some vouched for more parking options, saying they don’t feel safe walking multiple blocks or leaving their vehicle unattended on the street.
Others noted that parking garages and surface lots can be pricey, especially during sporting events and concerts.
Hutchings wasn’t specifically talking about downtown, but said the department advocates for development policies that include more on-street parking.
“The less on-street parking, the higher parking (costs) become,” Hutchings said. “The more cost-prohibitive it is, we begin to remove access to sections of the city for people who are lower income.”
Harsher penalties for illegal dumping
The City Council voiced its support for a new law increasing penalties for illegal waste dumping.
State Rep. Helena Scott, D-Detroit, introduced House Bill 4325, which was signed into law in February. The council passed a resolution Tuesday after the law was authorized.
The new law creates civil fines ranging from $800 to $5,000 and criminal penalties between $2,500 and $5,000.
Penalties get stiffer based on the amount of litter dumped.
Someone who dumps more than 3 cubic feet can face a misdemeanor. Employers can also face penalties if they direct employees to dump illegally.
Cities can seek reimbursement for the cost of cleaning up litter, under the law. Funds can also be transferred to a community group or resident to clean up their property.
Detroiters often complain about the impact of illegal dumping during council meetings.
Residents sent 900 reports of illegal dumping to the city so far this year.
The city picked up 700 tons of illegally dumped waste every week in 2022. Council members expanded trash contracts earlier this year to provide weekly pickup of bulk waste and debris from vacant lots.
Detroiters can report illegal dumping through the Improve Detroit app or call the city ombudsman at (313) 224-6000.
Game on at recreation centers
The City Council approved a $331,442 contract to provide eSports gaming equipment at six recreation centers.
A contract with Canada-based FanFit Gaming, Inc. was paid for with federal pandemic relief funds. It aims to create a professional gaming environment for large groups to accommodate competitions or after-school programs.
Equipment includes smart televisions, desktop gaming computers, video game consoles and furniture.
Recreation centers provide a variety of activities but only 2% of Detroit residents have annual memberships, according to an Outlier report.
““The less on-street parking, the higher parking (costs) become,” Hutchings said. “The more cost-prohibitive it is, we begin to remove access to sections of the city for people who are lower income.”
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I hear a lot of people try to use lower income individuals as the reason we need to continue on with bad policy that arguably does more harm to lower income individuals than good. Putting a price on parking and limiting parking options is good as it ensures availability. Having parking mandates and unpriced street parking everywhere makes goods, services, and housing more expensive.
Plus, in a city where about 30% of families don’t have a car, pushing for more parking which makes life more expensive seems really braindead.