Detroit

I can't be the only one.

The man's fingerprints are all over American jazz…and then some! One of jazz's only euphonium soloists, Kiane Zawadi has played with the likes of Sonny Stitt, Art Blakey, Yusef Lateef, Artie Shepp, McCoy Tyner…man, I'm tired just listing these cats! The list just goes on and on!

So, Mr Zawadi, we wish you a most happy 91^st^ birthday!

Kinyon, co-owner of Detroit Outpost outfitters at Grayhaven State Harbor, was diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma, an extremely aggressive and rare form of cancer that ravaged her body and took her from the world in just five weeks, her husband, John Roberts-Kinyon, 44, told the Detroit Free Press. The mother of two died at home surrounded by family.

"Missy has left an indelible wake for everyone," said Jason McGuire, 47, CEO and operator of Riverside Marina in Detroit. "Kayaks don’t leave wakes. Wakes are what happen when you go through the water pretty fast and it leaves a ripple. Kayaks don’t do that ― but Missy, her life, did that."

"Missy opened her arms to everyone and made you feel as if you were the only one. She would say yes and do whatever needed to be done, especially for the underdog, said Lila Lazarus, a longtime friend and Detroit TV personality from Orchard Lake. "She had an open door, open heart policy. She saw the magic in everyone."

~Photo~ ~courtesy~ ~of~ ~Barbara~ ~Johns~

Developer MHT Housing Inc. sought to dedicate most of the 200 units as affordable housing, but Brush Park residents were not on board due to a recent uptick in vehicle vandalism in the area, and asked for market-rate options. The resolution approved by City Council on Tuesday calls for the four residential developments to contain a mix of affordable and market-rate housing, one of which will provide housing for those who have aged out of foster care, along with a renovated indoor recreation facility.

Tuesday's meeting stretched through the evening, primarily due to a long line of public commenters who urged officials to call for a cease-fire in Gaza after violence broke out on Oct. 7 between Israel and Hamas. City Council weighed a resolution for weeks, calling for various changes in language, and passed it in a 7-2 vote.

See this earlier link regarding the City Council vote.

Advocates of reforming the city's property tax ordinance say changes are expected to provide residents with greater transparency in the assessment process. City Council would hire an independent evaluator to create an annual study of assessments for council's review, in which they could take no action or request an appeal to the Board of Review.

Residents usually seek more help around the holidays because of food-centered celebrations, but this is a surge unlike any other year, [Gleaners' Kristin] Sokul said.

Gleaners has seen a 30% increase in requests for support over the past year, Sokul said.…Forgotten Harvest also saw that 30% jump in demand in 2023 alone, said Chris Ivey, a marketing and communications director at the nonprofit.

An estimated 17 million American households reported problems finding food last year, according to a USDA report released in October. That was up from 13.5 million households in 2021.

If you're reading this, it's not a given but I'd guess you're not missing many meals…voluntarily, anyway. You know the drill: make like it's Christmas every day (regardless of denomination) and give. You pick the organization. Time and/or financial support is always welcome.

…however, as it has been vacant for years and likely needs significant repair.

"Fixer-upper" my patoot! It was built only 37 years ago and hasn't been vacant all that long. What did Ms Baker do, leave the tub running? Maybe she left the windows open? Forgot to empty the fridge? Look at that view! I'm taking up a collection to buy. All donors are invited to the housewarming for a beer.

The actual listing.

The nine-member council voted 7-2 near the end of Tuesday's formal session after weeks of contentious debate. Council Pro Tem James Tate and at-large member Coleman A. Young II voted against the resolution.

Coleman A. Young II said he voted against the resolution because it did not condemn Hamas' actions, recognize Israel's right to exist as a state or recommend a two-state solution.

"My heart breaks for the children of Palestine," Young said. "I'm not a fan of how (Prime Minister of Israel) Benjamin Netanyahu or what he is doing. I think it's anti-democratic and I don't agree with the settlements in the West Bank. We didn't even mention what Hamas did. It's an important and monumental event in the Middle East. We need to get it right and be accurate about it. Palestine is not Hamas and we didn't do a good job in communicating that. There's a difference between war and war crimes."

cross-posted from: https://midwest.social/post/5714115

~Gov.~ ~Gretchen~ ~Whitmer~ ~signs~ ~the~ ~Reproductive~ ~Health~ ~Act~ ~at~ ~Schoolcraft~ ~College,~ ~Nov.~ ~21,~ ~2022~ ~|~ ~Photo:~ ~Jon~ ~KIng~

“Across the nation, the American people are standing up for abortion rights,” said [Michigan Governor Gretchen] Whitmer. “We’ve seen it again and again. They’ve looked to Michigan because we showed the world. When you speak truth to power, when you fight for the issue and fight for the people, you can win on this issue.”

What was not included were provisions that included eliminating the mandatory 24-hour waiting period before getting an abortion and allowing Medicaid to cover the cost of an abortion.

Those two measures, which were key priorities for several advocacy groups for abortion access, were cut from the original legislation, after Rep. Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit) stated she wouldn’t vote for measures that she said allow Medicaid resources to be used for those seeking elective abortions rather than senior citizens living in poverty.

As for the missing elements, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has already said it would continue to advocate for their passage.

Does this woman never sleep?

Actress, author, feminist, activist, philanthropist.

Ann Marie(That Girl), Rachel's mom (Friends), Judge Mary Conway Clark (Law & Order: SVU).

St. Jude's Childrens' Research Hospital.

Free To Be…

Emmy(s), Golden Globe, Grammy, Peabody, Women In Film Lucy Award, AWMF Gracie Award, not to mention a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Be it television, stage, audio or the written page, there almost isn't territory in which Marlo Thomas hasn't made her mark. Hers is a familiar presence to four generations. Today we celebrate this amazing, multi-faceted lady on her birthday.

Happy Birthday, Ms Thomas!

~Photo~ ~courtesy~ ~Bill~ ~Goodman~

“Bill was a legal legend and a true People’s Lawyer,” Michael J. Steinberg, director of the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative at the University of Michigan Law School and former legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, wrote on Facebook, saying Goodman “litigated some of the most important civil rights cases in the country.”

Goodman spent his career as a tenacious advocate of racial justice and a zealous defender of human rights. He was involved in landmark cases and represented prisoners charged in the Attica Prison riots of 1971. He fought for women’s rights to access health services in the 1980s and 1990s, and more recently, represented victims of the Flint water crisis.

On Monday, a memorial service for Goodman will be held from 4-8 p.m., with religious services at 6 p.m. More information about the service is available at the Ira Kaufman Chapel website.

Rest in peace, Mr Goodman.

~Photo~ ~courtesy~ ~of~ ~Detroit~ ~Free~ ~Press~ ~archives~

The parade runs three miles down Woodward Avenue from Kirby Street to Congress Street. Beginning at 8:45 a.m. on Thursday, the parade will run for about an hour and a half. The parade will feature three new floats this year...with an additional seven floats in 2024.

A long-standing parade staple, the Big Head Corps features large papier-mache heads in the parade...including some marking local celebrities like Aretha Franklin. This year's parade will feature a new addition with a Big Head of Pistons point guard Isaiah Thomas.

The grand marshals for this year's parade will be former Detroit Lions offensive tackle Lomas Brown and broadcast journalist Huel Perkins.

cross-posted from: https://midwest.social/post/5641117

While Lambert, 42, had little to no experience in election-related cases before 2020, according to a Detroit News review of her Wayne County personnel file, Trump supporters picked her in December 2020 to work on a lawsuit to try to overturn Democrat Joe Biden's 154,000-vote victory in Michigan.

The push by Lambert and others to access voting equipment has played out as they staked their reputations on unproven assertions that something improper happened in November 2020. Within 33 days of the presidential election, Lambert claimed in a court filing there had been "massive" fraud. Three years later, she and others have provided no evidence that supports the claim.

Attorney David Fink represented the city of Detroit in the Powell-backed suit to reverse Michigan’s 2020 election. Fink said he was shocked by Lambert’s willingness to sign court filings that included blatantly false information.

“It was clear that she did not understand the basics of election law,” Fink said.

An article by Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist ML Elrick, who co-authored (with Jim Schaefer) the Detroit Free Press exposé on Kilpatrick and his administration in 2008.

But it's tough to get 600,000 people to agree on anything. And memories of Kilpatrick's mendacity and misappropriations are fading, even among the 32,000 retired city workers whose pensions were slashed as a result of Hizzoner's crooked deals and the mismanagement that contributed to Detroit's dubious distinction as the largest city in American history to declare bankruptcy.

When it comes to predicting what someone will do, actions speak louder than words. So, before we take a refresher course on the laws Kilpatrick absolutely did break and try to add up all the money he still owes Detroiters and every other taxpayer in the United States, I'm going to share a few stories you haven't heard that may provide insights into whether one of the most talented and charismatic cats I've ever met really is the rare leopard who has changed his spots.

Of the $1 million in restitution he agreed to pay the City of Detroit as part of his plea deal to resolve perjury and obstruction charges brought against him for lying during a whistle-blower trial, he still owes more than $854,000.

The action taken by General Motors came a day after the Free Press first reported the allegations, which date back as far as 2011, against the private security force, Renaissance Center Management Co., and its white officers. Multiple federal lawsuits describe a pattern of white officers assaulting, targeting, harassing and unlawfully detaining Black people in a basement cell of the Renaissance Center that has gone unchecked for years.

Dear readers: to avoid overload damage, please deactivate your Bullshit Detectors™ before continuing.

"Allied Universal has zero tolerance for discrimination and use of force of any kind," the security company said in a Friday statement.

...alleged examples of untolerated "discrimination and use of force" such as...

• [a] Black woman who...says officers illegally held her in a cell...so long that she urinated on herself
• ...passed around a photo of the decapitated head of a Black man, laughing and making racist jokes
• ...a white officer struck her in the face and beat her after an argument over whether she could bring her bicycle inside the building
• ...he was maced, handcuffed, beaten and dragged...to a small room where water was poured over his nose and mouth, choking him
• ...pushed through the doors with such force that glass shattered

“It’s probably the best kept secret in Detroit,” said Elana Rugh, president and CEO of the Detroit Historical Society.

~Photo:~ ~Eric~ ~Seals,~ ~Detroit~ ~Free~ ~Press~

With 50 vehicles in the warehouse, each stored for protection inside large inflatable plastic bubbles, there is so much history inside each one. Like a 1905 Cadillac, the first closed-body Cadillac ever built, that was the personal car of Henry Leland, the founder of Cadillac and Lincoln. Or a 1934 Stout Scarab, one of six remaining in existence, that was made at Scott Street and Telegraph in Dearborn.

Learn more at the Automotive Showplace exhibit at The Detroit Historical Museum.

~Image~ ~provided~ ~by~ ~the~ ~city~ ~of~ ~Detroit~

It’s the second redistricting effort since voters passed a referendum in 2009 to elect the council by districts. The first district maps were drawn in 2012. The changes for 2025 elections won’t affect two “at-large” seats on the nine-member council. Candidates run for the at-large seats separately, and the top two vote-earners serve on the council.

“We need to be clear with residents that the City Council boundaries are changing and not neighborhood boundaries,” said Renard Monczunski, a transit advocate who lives in District 6. “The fact that you failed to provide maps to the public so we could properly deliberate about this, the city is late on this process.”

“Despite the expressed concerns with the census numbers and challenges the city put forward, it is undeniable the city has lost population,” [Planning Department Director Marcell] Todd said. “With any change in population, redistricting will be necessary to ensure there is fair proper representation across those districts.”

Ooh and aah your way into the holiday season! Like yesterday's reminder, tonight's the 20^th^ Anniversary Detroit Tree Lighting at Campus Martius, plus the Cadillac Square street market and nearby Light Up Beacon Park.

For those who can't get to Campus Martius to see the festivities, the linked article offers up other Metro-Detroit fun things to do this weekend, holiday-related and not.

The security company [Renaissance Center Management Company] was created by General Motors Corp. to patrol the property and is majority-owned by G4S Secure Solutions, an international security company based in Florida, according to court documents filed last year.

Officers from the security company in 2017 made headlines with the alleged assault of another Black man in a high-profile incident. Detroit rapper Obie Trice III said he was maced, handcuffed, beaten and dragged through the Marriott inside the RenCen to a small room where water was poured over his nose and mouth, choking him.

Surveillance video viewed by the Free Press shows [plaintiff Demarko] Brown talking with the officers in the Marriott driveway before an officer jumps him, joined by several other officers who hold him down. During the incident, Brown’s head was slammed against the concrete. The video did not include audio of the incident.

David Ramsey, actor best known for TV's Arrowverse character John Diggle and accomplished Jeet Kune Do athlete, was born today in Detroit in 1971.

Lookin' good, David! 🎂🥳🎉 Happy Birthday, Mr Ramsey! 🎉🥳🎂

Although I must admit my first love for this kind of thing is Rockefeller Center, it wins only by a (red) nose. Ho ho ho! 🎅🦌

Further reading:

• While you're there at Cadillac Square, oohing and aahing, Downtown Detroit Markets & The Cadillac Lodge
• Only about a half a mile away...Light Up Beacon Park! Do the walk -- it's good for your heart and your soul!
• Get your Tonya on! Nov 18 -- Detroit's iconic ice skating rink at Campus Martius opens!

Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield is spearheading an effort to create new incentives for construction contractors that provide health insurance and retirement benefits or participate in registered apprenticeship programs. The ordinance would offer new “equalization credits” that give qualifying companies a better chance of winning bids for city contracts. Some Detroit small business owners are worried the changes will shift preference toward suburban contractors that work with unions.

“This ordinance is not a push to get contractors to become unionized,” the council president told BridgeDetroit in a Thursday interview. “I’m a huge supporter of union contractors and union work, but that’s not what this is about. It’s strictly about the employee and how they are treated.”

[Charity] Dean said she’s had frustrations with the council introducing proposals without consulting her organization [Metro Detroit Black Business Alliance], which represents 1,200 Black-owned businesses. She said the proposed ordinance is a chance to look at other reforms to procurement policies in Detroit, and small businesses should have a greater say in potential changes.

Harper's report showing no bank account or income came after his campaign reported the actor has self-funded his Senate bid this year by donating and loaning his campaign about $463,000 total through Sept. 30.

Jordan Libowitz, communications director at the nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, D.C., said it's "weird" that Harper, a prominent actor, doesn't appear to have much in assets based on his report.

"It’s not that unusual for a first-time candidate who is not from the political sphere to mess up on these. If he did — and you want to give him the benefit of the doubt — he needs to be correcting them."

Latest records from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show 237,099 Detroiters were employed in September, up by nearly 10,000 from September 2022, marking the first time employment among residents exceeded pre-pandemic levels. In October 2019, 236,128 Detroiters were employed, which was the most recent high. Duggan touted the growth of 30,000 new jobs since taking office in January 2014.

Detroit's unemployment rate dropped to 4.2% in April from 5.8% in March. [Mayor Mike] Duggan added that one of his early goals was to create programs that would give Detroiters preference for jobs.

"Most jobs in Detroit were actually held by suburbanites, and most Detroiters who went to work actually went to work in the suburbs. We said, 'This is wrong, we want to create jobs in Detroit,'" Duggan said.

Under the proposed plan, 97% of Detroit homeowners would get a permanent property tax cut starting in 2025, if the state and local officials approve the legislation. The plan would then go to Detroit voters for approval.

Taxes on vacant land, however, would more than double from 85 mills to 189 mills to punish property owners who have allowed it to fall into disrepair, creating eyesores in Detroit neighborhoods.

Born today in Detroit in 1978, three-time MSU letterman Renaldo Hill played professionally for four different NFL teams during his 10-year career before leaving his Defensive Back position for the Denver Broncos in 2011. Mr Hill is presently the Pass Game Coordinator and Defensive Backs Coach for the Miami Dolphins after coaching many NFL and college teams.

Happy 44th Birthday, Mr Hill!