Community leaders on Detroit’s east side are calling for an all-hands-on-deck response to gun violence and wrapping their arms around victims of a deadly shootout that erupted when gunmen targeted a large party attended by teens and young adults.
City Council President Mary Sheffield organized a call to action Wednesday night at Marbud Park, located a few blocks away from where two people were killed and 19 others were injured early Sunday morning. The incident, which follows a rash of violence at what Mayor Mike Duggan characterized as illegal summer block parties, is the worst Michigan shooting recorded in the last decade.
Attendees said the event sent shockwaves through a tight-knit community that has long persisted through high levels of crime but never experienced anything like this. Speakers aimed their appeals to put down weapons and embrace love toward young people, but a majority of attendees were noticeably over 30.
“We deserve better,” Sheffield said. “I say to our young people: Let’s reject the notion that guns and violence are an acceptable part of our culture. Let us demand that we value life more than a reputation and let us remove ourselves from situations and events where people feel that weapons are necessary.”
Darryl Woods, a newly appointed chair of the Board of Police Commissioners, said he’s related to a young woman who was shot through the neck. She survived, but Woods said his family is distraught. It’s a situation many families find themselves in, he said, as they search for answers. Police have not arrested any suspects as of Wednesday night.
“What I hear from the community is a cry of grief, pain and suffering,” Woods said. “This is traumatic to the whole city.”
Eight victims are in stable condition and remain hospitalized. Eleven others have been released from the hospital.
Two people, a 20-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man, were killed. A man who identified himself as the uncle of the young woman who was fatally shot struggled to find the words to describe his loss.
“She was a little girl,” said the man, who asked to be referred to as Q.
He said neighbors had called to report disturbances at the party hours before shots were fired. Q argued that police are prioritizing safety downtown at the expense of neighborhoods far from the city’s center.
“If you’re going to act like you’re going to protect these kids, protect them,” he said. “Stop faking man.”
Woods also wants to know why DPD didn’t respond faster to 911 calls reported by numerous residents before the shooting occurred. Woods said he’ll be seeking answers from DPD officials in the days ahead.
Police Chief James White said officers were responding to another party several blocks away when shots were reported in the 1300 block of Rossini St. White announced on Monday that police will prioritize responding to 911 calls for parties that spill out onto front lawns, sidewalks or public streets.
“We cannot underestimate these calls ever again,” Woods said. “The change in recognition of the (response) on these calls makes it evident that they’re going to take this more seriously.”
DPD is also deploying 80 officers for a new neighborhood response unit, dedicating a police patrol vehicle in each precinct aimed at detecting illegal parties. White pledged to heighten enforcement of unlicensed block parties advertised on social media that attract young people from across the region.
The emphasis on block parties drew a mixed response from residents. Bishop Daryl Harris said some Detroiters want to see police present in their neighborhoods to address noise complaints and dangerous situations, but others are worried that it will result in police overreach.
“There’s a difference between a reaction and a response,” Harris said. “I believe that what the Detroit Police Department is doing is reacting. Residents hope there may be a response, something preventative happening.”
Yusef Shakur, a Detroit organizer and former gang member, said he sees the crackdown on unsanctioned block parties as “anti-Black.” Shakur said the problem lies in a culture of violence, not Black residents’ ability to gather safely.
“Violence in Detroit represents violence in America; what’s not talked about is poverty and economic violence,” Shakur said. “Dilapidated buildings, grass that’s taller than our children, scars that are being put on our bodies, a new building being built on top of where your school was but you know it’s not meant for you – these are psychological dynamics.”
Harris said he grew up in the area where Sunday’s shooting occurred and was at the scene later that morning. He said victims include those who weren’t at the party but experienced trauma in its aftermath.
Community organizations are working to provide support to residents affected by the shooting. DPD’s victims assistance unit is providing counseling services alongside violence intervention groups like Detroit Friends and Family.
William Nicholson is a youth mentor who leverages his experience with gun violence to serve as a “credible messenger” convincing Detroiters to turn away from dangerous lifestyles.
“I’ve served 10 years in prison, been shot, lost friends to gun violence, but never in a million years have I seen a situation where you have 20-plus people shot,” Nicholson said. “What’s going through these young guys’ heads? I don’t know what altercation started it, but I know damn well it wasn’t serious enough to where multiple people pull weapons and just start firing recklessly.”
Nicholson also grew up near to where the shooting occurred. He can’t understand why police didn’t appear at the large gathering until it was too late.
“In my honest opinion, if there was a squad car there, the situation wouldn’t have escalated the way it did,” he said.
George Preston organizes citizen radio patrols in the Mohican Regent neighborhood, where he’s lived for nearly 40 years. He said the patrol turned in at 10 p.m. that night. He’s recruiting more young people to help keep watch over their neighbors.
Preston described the area as a quiet, safe community where people have good relationships with neighborhood police officers.
“I’m comfortable in this neighborhood but I’m not naive, I know there are problems too,” Preston said. “(Police) are always there, they listen to concerns and help us with problems. We call them and they’re there.”
Terry Kennedy is wheelchair-bound after he was shot by a 19-year-old when he was 27. Kennedy’s son was also killed in a shooting. He mentors youth in the neighborhoodand called Marbud Park his office.
Kennedy said a major part of the problem lies with easy access to guns. He said young Detroiters are carrying weapons, ostensibly for self-defense, which can make situations escalate quickly.
“When I’ve talked to the young men, the first thing I ask them is to do you got a gun,” Kennedy said. “If they hesitate, I know they do. All of them have guns.”