Dan Gilbert has spent well over $3 billion on buildings in the Motor City the past several years, with bigger plans ahead. That from Matt Cullen principal of Gilbert’s Rock Ventures who appeared with Carol Cain, senior producer and host of CBS Channel 62’s “Michigan Matters,” who talked about the game plan. Matt Cullen, principal […]
Clyde Walker had the credentials, but he didn’t have the experience. A graduate of the former Detroit Engineering Institute in the mid-1980’s, he sought jobs, but found rejection. “They said, ‘You sound like you know what you’re talking about, but you’re not quite ready,’” recalls Walker. Still, with determination, he not only found work, he […]
About four years ago the Hardest Hit Fund Demolition program was announced in the Fitzgerald neighborhood on Turner Street next to Maggie Lee’s Community Center. I was asked to speak in front of the press to welcome everyone to the neighborhood and talk about how the program would create change the community needed to make […]
Fifty leaders – ranging from corporate to grass roots residents, foundations to community development professionals, academics to bankers – converged on Baker’s Keyboard Lounge on Thursday, July 27 to mull this question over, all the while feasting on Baker’s trademark “catfish nuggets” and peach cobbler. In a wide-ranging conversation co-moderated by Donna Murray Brown of […]
My community development path started, unbeknownst to me, at age 8 or 9. I spent a lot of time with my grandma who led a block club and sat on many organizational boards throughout Brooklyn. Because of all the time I spent with her, I also spent a significant amount of time in government officials’ offices […]
Krystal Spears had paid her rent diligently but still received an eviction notice because, unbeknownst to her, the landlord had failed to pay the property taxes on the home in southwest Detroit. The notice came nearly four years ago. It began a very stressful time for Krystal, worrying about where she and her two children […]
Born and raised Detroiter Albert Williams says he’s a fan of Mayor Mike Duggan because he thinks “he’s sticking up for the neighborhoods.” His mother Tommie Williams lives next door to her son in the Greenview neighborhood. She is more skeptical of Duggan. “We’ll see,” is all she will say. Albert and Tommie Williams are […]
Over the last week, some have taken to the airwaves and social media attacking my character, my intelligence and most importantly my ability to represent the interests of District 5 residents. Most days, Monday through Sunday, I dedicate a minimum of 12 hours to studying materials, meeting with residents and business owners, assisting constituents and […]
Little Caesars Arena stands as a glowing symbol of Detroit’s economic resurgence. Admittedly, the Detroit tax-payer supported arena is fueling job creation and spin-off developments, but not for us in Detroit. Something’s clearly amiss when 90 percent of the hard hats in the arena and other publicly-funded construction sites are worn by Caucasians. It seems […]
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size But when I start to tell them, They think I’m telling lies. I say, It’s in the reach of my arms The span of my hips, The stride of my step, The curl of my lips. I’m […]