There is a national movement underway to change the names of and topple markers and statues with a slave-holding past. A Michigan county, village and a beloved Detroit institution bear the name of Lewis Cass, bringing the issue to the forefront here.
Urban Affairs
In-depth reporting on Michigan’s largest city and surrounding communities, including deep dives into the big changes afoot in Detroit, its schools, neighborhoods, institutions and city hall.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Reaching out to black people to discuss race? There’s a good and bad way.
Black Americans are noticing a new trend: Their white peers are starting to reach out as allies against racism. Checking in on a friend will probably be appreciated, but asking black people for resources to learn about systemic racism demands an emotional toll from someone who likely still is processing trauma.
Posted inUrban Affairs
What police have learned, or not, about how to defuse mass protests
Heated demonstrations against police violence, and police reaction to them, have created tense moments and fatal encounters between police and protesters. Here are some proven tactics for police to turn down the temperature.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Coronavirus pandemic slams Detroit economy, protesters want change
Detroiters are experiencing the highest unemployment rates of the century. Millenials and Gen Z, hit hardest by massive unemployment, have looped economic relief into their demands against police brutality as protests in support of George Floyd continue.
Posted inUrban Affairs
How to be an ally in Michigan protests against injustice, police brutality
Organizers of Detroit protests and longtime activists give newcomers and well-meaning allies advice. Listen, participate in protests, and advocate for policy change, say local leaders.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Protests continue in Detroit more than a week after George Floyd’s death
The killing of George Floyd, a black man, by a white policeman in Minneapolis is the catalyst for nationwide protests in at least 150 cities, suburbs and small towns. Police brutality is only part of what draws Detroit protesters. Gen Z and Millennial organizers are advocating for something new.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Grand Rapids, this is us: A dispatch from unrest in a segregated city
A Michigan Radio reporter surveys the destruction of Grand Rapids during protests on Saturday. Despite what city leaders insist, he says outsiders didn’t cause all the damage. It came from within.
Posted inUrban Affairs
White cops in black communities underscore tension in Michigan protests
Police departments in several Michigan cities have a lower share of African-American officers than the communities they serve, leading to some scars that have yet to heal.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Pain, strength and agitation underlie Detroit protests against police brutality
What happened in Detroit and the streets of at least 35 other cities reflects the raw state of urban America. Months of dealing with a killer virus. Surging economic despair. Then another viral video emerged of a Black man killed while being arrested by a white policeman in Minneapolis.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Detroit population continues to decline, according to Census estimate
The upcoming count will offer a better understanding of Detroit’s demographic changes but the state’s largest city is grappling with a low response rate for Census 2020.