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What does it mean to defund the police in Detroit, one of the most violent cities in the U.S.?
George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Eric Garner. Tamir Rice. Rayshard Brooks. Their names are etched in America’s psyche and chanted during protests across the country. They’ve become symbols of police brutality in a country where Black people are disproportionately arrested, beaten, and shot by police. Their deaths have set off a massive movement to “defund the…
No, Whitmer isn’t re-closing dine-in restaurants in Lansing and Grand Rapids due to the coronavirus… yet
The office of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer refuted a Fox 2 story that erroneously reported the state was dialing back the reopening of economies in Lansing and Grand Rapids due to the coronavirus. “The Lansing region has been moved back to Phase 2 of Michigan’s COVID-19 reopening plan while the Grand Rapids region is back to…
Black Detroiters hit disproportionately hard by coronavirus-related job losses
A disproportionate number of Black Detroiters say they have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new University of Michigan study. Nearly half of Detroit’s Black residents and a third of the city’s Latinos lost their jobs, compared to 22% of white Detroiters, as a result of shutdowns to curtail the…
Budget cuts and coronavirus force vital American Indian Services resource center to close after 49 years
After nearly 50 years of serving metro Detroit’s Indigenous community, American Indian Services is closing its doors on July 10, citing financial instability amid budget cuts and the coronavirus pandemic. Comprised of Indigenous staff and board of directors, the Lincoln Park-located nonprofit provided culturally appropriate health and wellness services, as well as counseling, case management,…
Whitmer’s plan to reform police includes duty to intervene, ban on chokeholds, and more accountability
Gov. Gretchen Whimter unveiled a widespread plan to reform police, from proposing a ban on chokeholds to requiring independent investigations of officer-involved deaths. The plan is intended to improve accountability and address racial bias in policing in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police. “All Michiganders, no matter their community…
Cloud Cannabis marijuana dispensary is open in Muskegon
Cloud Cannabis in Muskegon Township opened for business earlier this month for medical and recreational customers. The company plans to donate 5% of all profits to local charities and will hire 80% of their employees from the area. “Our main focus is to bring jobs and give back to Muskegon,” Cloud Cannabis’s John McLeod tells…
Why Gov. Whitmer renamed Lansing’s Lewis Cass Building the ‘Elliott-Larsen Building’
Downtown Lansing’s Lewis Cass Building is no more. On Tuesday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order renaming it the Elliott-Larsen Building. The move comes after weeks of Black Lives Matter protests have toppled Confederate statues and other racist monuments. Detroit, of course, doesn’t have any monuments to the Confederacy, but as University of Michigan…
God’s Greenery aims to connect Christians with CBD
Michael Klein, CEO of CBD company God’s Greenery, isn’t sure if marijuana was used was actually used in biblical times, as some have suggested. But he thinks there’s no reason why Christianity and cannabis can’t commingle. “Obviously, hemp has been part of mankind from the beginning, when you talk about the ropes in the Bible…
First Time CBD Buyers Guide: What Blue Ribbon Hemp Product Is Right For You?
This article was originally published on Blue Ribbon Hemp. To view the original article, click here. First Time CBD Buyers Guide: What Blue Ribbon Hemp Product Is Right For You? See our guide below: Blue Ribbon Hemp Products are designed to help you maintain: • Healthy sleeping patterns* • Recovery from inflammation* • A sense…
Women could be more sensitive to THC than men, according to study
A new study from Canadian researchers found that women experienced the same effects of cannabis as men with a lower dose of THC. To conduct the study, researchers at the University of Toronto asked 91 cannabis users between 19 and 25 years old to smoke a joint, which was either 12.5% THC or a placebo.…
Detroit police release videos of squad car driving through crowd of protesters
Detroit police released videos from inside two squad cars that drove through a crowd of protesters on Sunday. Police Chief James Craig defended his officers’ actions on Monday, saying they were surrounded by potentially violent protesters. Detroit police released this video from inside the squad car that drove through a group of protesters Sunday night.…
Michigan lawmakers denounce police violence against reporters during protests in Detroit
Lawmakers introduced resolutions in the state House and Senate criticizing police attacks against journalists in Detroit, saying reporters should be able to report on law enforcement without intimidation or violence. “Throughout the course of American history, the free press has been under assault by individuals at the highest levels of American government,” the resolution states.…
Nothing weird about Detroit’s largely white Black Lives Matter protests, according to cellphone data
Much has been made about Detroit’s Black Lives Matter marches being made up of largely white protesters, with Mayor Mike Duggan and Police Chief James Craig accusing “outside agitators,” not Detroiters, of leading them. Detroit’s population is nearly 80% Black. But Detroit’s white Black Lives Matter protests are no anomaly, or at least that’s what…
Detroit City Council investigates cop who plowed through a crowd of protesters with a police SUV
Detroit City Council launched an investigation into a police officer’s decision to plow his squad car through a crowd of protesters on Sunday night. “What happened last night was not OK, and it needs to be addressed,” Councilwoman Raquel Castañeda-López said Monday. “I was very disturbed by the video I saw. It was a protest…
Detroit’s Motown Museum will lift photo and video restrictions when it reopens in July
Let the dancing in the street commence! The Motown Museum announced it will reopen on Wednesday, July 15 after being closed since March 13 due to coronavirus. When it reopens, everyone will receive the “VIP tour experience,” according to the museum’s site. Those looking to visit hitmaker Berry Gordy’s legendary Motown headquarters-turned-time capsule at 2648…
Nature is healing: Woodward Dream Cruise is canceled
For the first time in a quarter-century, tens of thousands of auto aficionados and their souped-up rides will not descend upon Woodward Avenue in Oakland County in August. At least not officially. The organizers of the annual Woodward Dream Cruise, originally scheduled for Aug. 15, have officially called this year’s event off due to the…
Instagram SEO: How to make more people find you on Instagram
Don’t you find it ridiculous that despite the fact that there are over 1 billion active monthly users on Instagram, your profile has less than a few thousand followers? Some people even have less than a thousand! Not sure how that makes you feel, but if I were you, I wouldn’t sleep or rest until…
Jennifer Hudson is a goddamn vision as Aretha Franklin in the new ‘Respect’ teaser trailer
During Sunday night’s virtual BET Awards, performer Jennifer Hudson gave us a taste — or two — of what we can expect when her long-awaited Aretha Franklin biopic, Respect, drops later this year. Following her performance of Franklin’s 1972 gospel-infused rendition of “Young, Gifted, and Black,” Hudson dazzled as Detroit’s Queen of Soul in a…
The Ultimate Guide to CBD And Seniors for Pain Pill Replacement
This article was originally published on CBD Seniors. To view the original article, click here. The Ultimate Guide to CBD And Seniors for Pain Pill Replacement By Dr. Igor Bussel As we age, we naturally develop joint pain, arthritis, and other age-related illnesses. While these disorders may be natural by-products of the aging process, they…
From Cape Town to Motortown
It is just past 10 o’clock on a Thursday night. The afternoon drizzle has fizzled, but a vicious hailstorm is closing in on Corktown. Like the clouds in the Clara Ward song, the approaching storm is ominous — so dark and sable. But Reverend Jesse Jackson is praying the rain away. Surely he is able.…
Coronavirus cases rise for 6th straight day in Michigan, prompting fears of a resurgence
The number of new coronavirus cases rose for the sixth straight day in Michigan, reaching a one-day high for the month. The state reported 389 new confirmed cases on Friday, the highest mark since May 30. The new cases are spread across the state, prompting fears that the highly contagious virus is making a comeback…
Democratic lawmakers introduce ban on facial recognition technology, citing mistake made by Detroit police
Democratic lawmakers on Thursday introduced legislation that would ban facial recognition technology on the federal level and withhold money from state and local police departments that continue to use it. The bills in the U.S. House and Senate come on the same week that the ACLU filed a complaint against Detroit police for arresting a…
Detroit writer’s memoir ‘The World According to Fannie Davis’ to be adapted for feature film
A true-life Detroit story about race, family, defiance, and an underground numbers racket will be heading to the big screen. The film rights to Bridgett M. Davis’ celebrated 2019 memoir, The World According to Fannie Davis: My Mother’s Life in the Detroit Numbers, have been acquired by Searchlight Pictures, the Disney-owned arthouse studio, and Brad…
Daughters of conservative Michigan candidate turn daddy issues into viral political power, beg voters not to vote for him
Good morning to Stephanie and Natalie Regan and Stephanie and Natalie Regan only. The daughters of Robert Regan — a 52-year-old conservative Michigan House hopeful, Trump ally, and Obamagate wacko — are putting their daddy issues to work, honey. The 2020 election marks Robert’s third effort to clinch the seat to represent Kent County’s 73rd…
Republicans resist meaningful police reforms in aftermath of George Floyd’s death
Republicans on the state and federal levels are obstructing meaningful police reforms in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved the Democrats’ sweeping police reform bill, which would impose a ban on chokeholds and no-knock warrants in drug cases and curb “qualified immunity” for cops, making them personally…
Coronavirus makes an unwelcome comeback in Michigan after two months of significant progress
The number of new coronavirus cases in Michigan rose for the fifth straight day on Thursday, reaching the highest single-day level since late May. The state reported 353 new confirmed cases, bringing the total to nearly 69,000. On Wednesday, the number of new cases rose above 300 for the first time since June 3. The…
Staff members charged in death of Black teen who screamed ‘I can’t breathe’ at Michigan youth center
Three staff members of a for-profit youth center in Kalamazoo were charged Wednesday in the death of a Black teenager who was improperly restrained for throwing a sandwich. Cornelius Fredericks, 16, died at a hospital on May 1, 30 hours after he was restrained and went into cardiac arrest at Lakeside Academy. Witnesses said he…
Dearborn’s Ford-Wyoming Drive-in destroyed box office expectations over the weekend
Because nothing makes any sense anymore and it feels like we’re living somewhere between The Twilight Zone, a Black Mirror episode, and this Indian dude who erected a shrine to President Trump, which includes a flower-adorned effigy, this weekend a ’90s movie about dino DNA topped the box office and a Detroit-area drive-in was the…
As Michigan’s restaurants reopen, some hospitality workers think customers should stay home
After being forced to close due to the coronavirus, Michigan’s restaurants and bars were allowed to reopen earlier this month, with some caveats, including lower capacities to allow for social distancing and mandatory masks, which guests can take off once they’re seated. In Ann Arbor, the city has allowed restaurants to annex the streets in…
Detroit Institute of Arts among these cultural institutions to reopen next month
The last three months have felt a lot like Henry Fuseli’s “The Nightmare,” but Thursday’s announcement that Detroit’s cultural institutions will be reopening next month, including the Detroit Institute of Arts, has strong “The Wedding Dance” vibes (minus the erect codpieces). After months of being closed to the public due to the COVID-19 crisis, several…
Appeals court prevents gyms from reopening in Michigan, but some fitness centers open anyway
A federal appeals court made a last-minute decision Wednesday night to prevent gyms and fitness centers from reopening Thursday morning in Michigan. A three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously delayed a lower court’s ruling that allowed indoor fitness centers to reopen Thursday in defiance of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s order. The panel…
Rock band Sponge is playing controversial ‘Herd Immunity’ festival in Wisconsin next month
A Wisconsin music festival originally billed as a “Herd Immunity Festival” set for next month changed its name after backlash due to coronavirus safety concerns, with a number of bands dropping out. Michigan alt-rock veterans Sponge are not one of them. The band posted the flyer for the festival to its Facebook page Thursday morning.…
DOJ whistleblower says Barr went after cannabis companies because he doesn’t like them
A Department of Justice whistleblower alleges that antitrust investigations into cannabis company mergers were motivated by Attorney General Bill Barr’s personal distaste for pot. John Elias, a department employee, testified in documents released on Tuesday that Barr targeted a merger between cannabis companies MedMen and PharmaCann. In a meeting, staff advised Barr that they believed…
New Detroit Lions ownership would ‘completely support’ signing Kaepernick, though it’s unlikely
Nearly four years after San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first took a knee during the national anthem in protest of police brutality, and three years after he played his final game, the 32-year-old free-agent has earned outspoken support from the new owner of the Detroit Lions. Sheila Ford Hamp held a Zoom press conference…
Cocktails-to-go bills headed to Whitmer’s desk
The bar and restaurant industry, hit hard by the coronavirus crisis, could get a boost thanks to a package of bills that would allow them to sell cocktails-to-go in sealed containers that could be consumed at home or in designated outdoor areas. The bills passed the House on Wednesday and are now headed to Gov.…
Dress codes can often be racist, the Waterford bar just said the quiet part out loud
A Waterford bar got in hot water last week after a guest posted a photo of its dress code, which banned “ghetto gear,” among other items, like “wife beaters,” sideways baseball hats, and baggy clothes. “It felt like a modern-day no colored sign to me,” Morgaen Jazziette, who took the photo and shared it to…
Detroit police arrest wrong Black man based on facial recognition technology error, ACLU says
A 42-year-old Black man said Detroit police unjustly arrested him after facial-recognition technology incorrectly flagged him as a shoplifting suspect. Robert Williams was arrested in January at his home in Farmington Hills in front of his wife and two young daughters and locked up for 30 hours. He was accused of stealing watches from Shinola.…
Savage Love: Blowing up
I’m committed to my male partner, and he’s committed to me. (I’m a woman.) But we both understand we need to flirt and that we will both want to sleep with someone else at some point. We live together, we have a dog, and neither of us believes in marriage. We plan to purchase a…
Free Will Astrology (June 24-30)
Related ARIES | March 21 – April 19: In addition to being a magnificent storyteller, Aries author Barbara Kingsolver raises chickens at her home. “There are days when I am envious of my hens,” she writes, “when I hunger for a purpose as perfect and sure as a single daily egg.” Do you ever experience…
Trump vs. Bolton was a fight no one deserved to win
In the end, they both lost — which was, all things considered, the best possible outcome. There were no good guys here, only villains of different types, two brands of poison both toxic in their own way, two egos desperate for succor. This week, former National Security Adviser John Bolton, an unreconstructed neocon who’s rarely…
Spike Lee’s ‘Da 5 Bloods’ offers a tour de force of Black and cinematic history
Few filmmakers are as adept at weaving the past and present as Spike Lee. His most recent project, Da 5 Bloods, is exemplary of this, as well as his occasional nods to and riffs on cinematic history. With the introduction of the four African American vets who meet and prepare to return to Vietnam, ostensibly…
