Cover Story
30 years of the Concert of Colors
In the 1980s, a group of community leaders from around metro Detroit began gathering regularly to talk about building community coalitions. At the invitation of New Detroit, they formed a racial justice organization in response to the 1967 Detroit Rebellion. Leaders gathered to broaden the participation of communities of color and act together in difficult…
Macomb County Starbucks workers go on strike, say company won’t cooperate with union
Workers at a Starbucks location in Macomb County went on strike on Tuesday after they say the company did not negotiate with their union in good faith, resulting in the store closing several hours early. Employees at the Starbucks at 17140 Hall Rd. at the Partridge Creek Mall in Clinton Township voted 8-3 in June…
Midtown Detroit’s Harmony Garden Cafe to permanently close after 30 years
Detroit is losing yet another longstanding vegan dining option this month. Harmony Garden Cafe will be closing permanently after 30 years in business. The cafe announced on social media its last day in business will be Monday, July 25. “Due to lack of labor and rising expenses, we will be permanently closing,” a post on…
Washed Out joins Detroit’s Mo Pop fest after Kaytranada cancels
With a little more than a week before it starts, Detroit’s Mo Pop music festival lineup is going through a bit of a shakeup. Festival organizers announced Tuesday that Haitian-Canadian producer and DJ Kaytranada has canceled his appearance, and will now be replaced with Atlanta-based performer Washed Out. “We’re excited to announce Washed Out to…
You can meet the Squad at Detroit’s Cass Tech this weekend
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib and her fellow “Squad” members will speak at Cass Tech High School in Detroit on Sunday as part of a fundraiser for the progressive superstars. Tickets start at $5 and are available through ActBlue. The Squad includes Reps. Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Ilhan Omar…
Detroit photographer Bre’Ann White honors late mother in ‘Pray for Us’ group exhibition
Curated by Detroit photographer Bre’Ann White, Pray for Us explores prayer as an ancestral technology connecting our world to the world unseen. White curated the show as part of a six-month residency of Womxnhouse Detroit, an incubator for BIPOC women and non-binary artists that will culminate in a group show this fall. (White also curated…
Ann Arbor Art Fair to debut international exhibit of prisoners isolated during COVID-19
Downtown Ann Arbor becomes an outdoor gallery every July when the Ann Arbor Art Fair rolls around. The massive gathering spanning nearly 30 blocks draws nearly half a million visitors and is slated for July 21-23. This year, the event will include artwork from prisoners isolated during COVID-19 in an exhibit called We Bear. We…
Tudor Dixon PAC accepted ‘illegal donation’ from nonexistent group, complaint alleges
A super PAC backing Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon accepted a $5,000 donation from a non-existent entity in violation of state law, according to a campaign finance complaint filed Monday. Michigan Strong received a $5,000 from Tudor PAC on Dec. 31, per campaign finance records. But no such group exists, according to the complaint from…
In Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis,’ the King brings style but no conviction
There are plenty of questions to ask about Elvis Presley as an outsized figure, artist, and enduring cultural presence. But the setup of Baz Luhrmann’s vigorously staged new biopic of the King invites one most of all: is it possible for a star to get as big as he was without selling their soul? The…
‘Weird’ pizza shop Pizza Cat Max opens in Detroit’s Greektown
New pizza spot Pizza Cat Max officially opened Monday, in the former Ready Player One arcade owned by Bedrock in Greektown. According to the Pizza Cat website, they serve up a “deliciously weird menu” that includes pizza, chicken, and more. Some of the toppings include Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, pickles, Carolina brisket, and other offbeat offerings.…
A wide-ranging self-portrait, ‘Beba’ traces its director’s cross-national family history
Diary films can embody a range of impulses, but few seem more essential to the form than the compulsion to reveal. Working from at least eight years of footage (accounts seem to vary) dating back to her late teens, Rebeca Huntt has offered up in Beba an abstracted portrait of herself as a young Afro-Latinx…
Whitmer for president? She ranked among top Democratic 2024 hopefuls in WaPo
President Gretchen Whitmer has a ring to it. The first-term Michigan governor debuted on The Washington Post’s top 10 ranking of potential presidential hopefuls. Whitmer took the No. 8 slot of possible contenders in the 2024 election. President Joe Biden was listed first, most likely to the chagrin of many voters. A recent poll showed…
My friend Billy Manes would hate how dark and chaotic everything has become in the last five years
Five years ago this week, I stood in a small, crowded hospital room in Orlando, Florida, and watched my best friend die. I lived a few states away, so from my perspective, Billy Manes’ decline was sudden: tests on Monday turned into an urgent message that I needed to fly down on Wednesday turned into…
Detroit begins accepting applications for recreational marijuana businesses, despite lawsuits
The city of Detroit announced Friday that it will soon begin accepting online applications for recreational marijuana businesses, the first major step in entering the legal market. The city is moving forward despite two lawsuits that allege Detroit’s recreational marijuana ordinance violates state law. Both lawsuits are attempting to stop the city from issuing recreational…
New Detroit restaurants and a lot of weed: The top 10 Metro Times headlines of the week
It seems very appropriate and on brand for us that the stories our readers clicked on the most this week involved food or marijuana. Our readers were interested in the new restaurants that opened around the city, and one local staple that will close for good later this month. Small cannabis businesses are having a…
Detroit’s Source Booksellers to take part in world record book signing attempt Saturday
Independent bookstores across the world are participating in an effort to break the world record for the most authors to sign a book in one day on Saturday, July 16. Detroit’s own Source Booksellers is joining the cause organized by contributors to The Carbon Almanac, a new book that breaks down climate change and sustainability…
Three environmental companies barred from doing work with city of Detroit over abatement work
Three companies that performed demolition site abatements in Detroit have been barred from doing work for the city for 20 years. The Detroit Office of Inspector General says it found criminal wrongdoing, improper business practices, compliance issues, and conflicts of interest. The office debarred BBEK Environmental LLC and its owner Kevin Woods, HC Consultants and…
Ojibwa artist Bonnie Devine tackles colonial expansion across Great Lakes in ‘Watershed’ exhibit
Ojibwa artist Bonnie Devine breathes life onto the walls as she paints a mural of the five lakes at the University of Michigan Museum of Art. Her paintbrush tells the story of Anishinaabe land that was violently stolen, with spiritual connections and a harmonious life with nature disrupted by colonization. The Anishinaabe are the original…
Lawsuit filed to prevent suspected insurrectionist Ryan Kelley from appearing on general election ballot in Michigan
A progressive advocacy group filed a lawsuit Thursday in an attempt to keep suspected insurrectionist Ryan Kelley off of the general election ballot if he wins the primary next month, calling him a “clear and present danger to democracy.” Progress Michigan filed the lawsuit with the Michigan Court of Appeals on behalf of registered voter…
Detroit’s Hotter than July returns for Black LGBT celebration this weekend, for the first time since 2019
It’s about to get Hotter Than July this weekend with the return of Detroit’s oldest Black LGBT Pride event. Hotter Than July will see its first in-person gathering since 2019 on Friday, July 15-Sunday, July 17. This year’s celebration will include a concert by Da Brat on Saturday, July 16 at Motor City Casino Soundboard.…
Detroit awards $7.5 million to man who says police framed him for murder he didn’t commit
A wrongfully imprisoned man who claims Detroit police framed him for a murder he didn’t commit will receive $7.5 million as part of a lawsuit settlement with the city. The Detroit City Council on Tuesday agreed to the payout. Desmond Ricks spent 25 years in prison before his conviction was overturned in 2017, based on…
A Michigan college instructor was inspired by his students to launch a dorm décor company
Kyle Leighton spent his entire career working in engineering and lighting, writing case studies and scientific research. Eventually, his research led him to be invited to teach at Jackson College to help develop curriculum for students that were interested in the same career path. While Leighton was teaching, he noticed students using tapestries to decorate.…
Whitmer executive order blocks extradition for out-of-staters getting an abortion in Michigan
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday issued an executive order preventing the extradition of people who travel to Michigan for an abortion. The order also protects abortion providers from being extradited to states where abortion is illegal. In effect, it makes Michigan a refuge for abortion services travel. “After the overturn of Roe v .Wade and…
The Barbie pop-up truck will bring a bit of Malibu to metro Detroit this weekend
Like TikToker Savannah Hannah once said, not everybody fits in the bad bitch genre. But one icon who will always dominate the category is the OG material girl Barbie. This weekend, Barbie fans can snag retro-inspired merchandise when the Malibu Barbie Pop-Up Truck parks its wheels at Twelve Oaks mall. On Saturday, July 16, shoppers…
‘Hip-Hop Architect’ Michael Ford brings youth camp to Highland Park
Michael Ford is a Highland Park-born architect, designer, and educator. He’s made an international name for himself as the “Hip-Hop Architect.” and is the founder of The Hip-Hop Architecture Camp, an award-winning youth camp centered on using hip-hop culture to expose youth to architecture and open their minds up to the various concepts of design.…
The inaugural Grand Blvd. Art Stroll to highlight galleries along historic Detroit street
Three Detroit galleries are teaming up to showcase art and local businesses along Grand Boulevard with a new annual event. The Grand Blvd. Art Stroll will feature the work of more than 75 visual artists with an all-day reception of live painting, music, cocktails, and, of course, artwork for sale. The inaugural event takes place…
What red wave? Top Democrats in Michigan are trouncing GOP candidates in latest polls
Michigan’s top three elected Democrats have comfortable leads over their Republican opponents for governor, secretary of state, and attorney general, according to a new poll. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s lead varies from 9% over suspected insurrectionist and real estate broker Ryan Kelley to 15% against Pastor Ralph Rebandt, who believes the Bible should be “the chief…
Kura Sushi opens second conveyor belt sushi spot in Michigan on Saturday
International sushi chain Kura Sushi is opening another conveyor sushi spot in Michigan, where plates of sushi are delivered via conveyor belts. The company’s second location in Michigan and 38th in the U.S. will open at noon on Saturday, July 16 at 26425 Novi Rd., Suite C, Novi. Kura Sushi opened its first Michigan location…
The Oddities and Curiosities Expo heads to Novi on Saturday
Freaks and lovers of the macabre, this one’s for you. The Oddities and Curiosities Expo is heading to Novi on Saturday. The traveling show is essentially a cross between a horror movie convention, Halloween party, and taxidermy expo. We aren’t sure how much actual partying there will be, but the convention is boasting more than…
It’s not hyperbole to say this Supreme Court constitutes a democratic crisis
In the early Trump years, I worried about being hyperbolic — that sounding the alarm about his corruption and authoritarianism would look silly when he made it through his term without breaking the world. By the end of the Trump presidency, I worried that I wasn’t being hyperbolic enough — that I and other political…
Is Detroit’s Breadless sandwich shop the greatest thing since sliced bread?
“Time to Turn Over a New Leaf” read the staff T-shirts at Breadless. Turn it, then wrap a “leafy super-green” around an array of gluten-free deliciosities. Breadless came about because of co-founder Marc Howland’s own bad experiences with fast food growing up, including bread. His then-fiancée, now co-founder L.C. Howland, reacted with fire emojis to…
