Metro Times 06/19/2024

EDITORIAL

NEWS & VIEWS

Feedback

We received feedback in response to Steve Neavling’s Summer Guide cover story about Bash Pickleball Club and how pickleball saved his life.

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Flint mayor walks back accusation against Mott Foundation

Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley is walking back his previous allegations that a powerful foundation in the city handpicked Gov. Rick Snyder’s first two emergency managers, who played a key role in Flint’s deadly water crisis.

Earlier this month, journalist and author Jordan Chariton broke news in Metro Times that Neeley claimed in a recorded interview that the Mott Foundation “pulled the strings” behind Snyder’s appointment of the city’s unelected emergency managers, who were later charged with misconduct in office.

In the interview with Chariton, which occurred when Neeley was running for mayor in April 2019, Neeley also invoked the 2015 book Demolition Means Progress: Flint, Michigan, and the Fate of the American Metropolis, which alleged that the foundation’s namesake, General Motors stockholder Charles Stewart Mott, enabled and supported racist policies.

In a Facebook post last Tuesday, Neeley reversed his position on the foundation, saying, “I would ask Flint residents to disregard any mistaken assumptions I made in 2019.”

Neeley contends he was “mistaken in the assumptions I expressed.”

“Though I stated then that I believed the Mott Foundation selected two of Flint’s emergency managers, I

know now that only former Governor Rick Snyder had the ability to assign emergency managers to Flint and other Michigan cities,” Neeley’s Facebook post states.

Neeley then praised the powerful foundation, saying it is one of the city’s “strongest allies.”

“In the aftermath of the Flint Water Crisis, they made important contributions that increased access to robust early childhood education for Flint children, as the first line of defense in mitigating the impacts of lead,” the post reads. “They provided both emergency and long-term strategic response at a dire moment for the City of Flint.”

Flint resident Jay Nino Ewell responded, “I ain’t seen nobody back pedal this fast since Deion Sanders was on the field.”

Neeley also sought to besmirch Chariton, whose reporting is featured in the upcoming book We the Poisoned: Exposing the Flint Water Crisis Cover-Up and the Poisoning of 100,000 Americans for recording the interview without his knowledge.

“Five years ago, a conversation was inappropriately recorded without my knowledge by an unscrupulous journalist who continues to attempt to profit from the pain of the Flint Water Crisis,” Neeley wrote. “This is unethical behavior, and I hope it is clear that my 2019 comments have been presented

conveyed Neeley’s comments and took nothing out of context.

“His words speak for themselves,” Chariton says. “They were recorded. There is nothing out of context.”

In addition, Chariton scoffs at the idea that he’s reporting on the Flint water crisis to profit from a humancaused catastrophe that caused immeasurable harm. As an out-of-state reporter, Chariton spends a lot of his own money reporting on what happened in Flint.

“I have lost a lot of money covering this,” Chariton says. “You don’t make money covering Flint. I’m sorry to say that.”

Chariton says his motive is to reveal the scope of the crisis and how politicians and others caused the disaster.

Unfortunately, he points out, Flint journalists have failed to adequately cover the crisis and still refuse to hold public officials and others accountable.

In fact, as of last week, Metro Times was the only publication to report on Chariton’s interview with Neeley.

out of context.”

In an interview with Metro Times, Chariton defended his decision to surreptitiously record Neeley, saying he wanted to accurately quote Neeley and that the mayor should know that a conversation with a reporter is on the record unless both parties agree otherwise.

Michigan is a one-party consent state, which means a participant in a conversation can legally record it without informing or obtaining consent from the other participants.

To be sure, reporters often record interviews to ensure accuracy, and the person on the other end of the recording is not always notified. The point isn’t to be deceptive, but to safeguard against misquotes and future libel lawsuits.

And political candidates, politicians, and public officials should not reasonably expect that a conversation with a reporter is off the record. Both parties must agree to an interview being off the record.

“He is a politician, so he would know what ‘off the record’ means,” Chariton says. “He has to stipulate it, and we both have to agree. I think he can call me whatever he wants, but at the end of the day, I’m a journalist, and a politician sat down next to me and talked to me.”

Chariton also said he faithfully

“How is it that the mayor of one of the largest cities in Michigan is on tape accusing one of the largest foundations in Michigan of basically pulling the strings that caused the Flint water crisis?” Chariton asks. “No other media outlet has covered it. It seems like an obvious story, so one has to wonder, is the local media worried about reporting critically on the Mott Foundation?”

Chariton points out that nonprofits funded by the Mott Foundation spend a lot of money advertising in local media.

He says he has pitched other revealing stories about the water crisis, only to be turned down by other major media outlets.

“The hardest part about journalism should be building sources, getting the documents, and writing the stories, not getting the media to publish the work,” Chariton says.

In 2017, the Mott Foundation issued a lengthy statement about claims that Mott was racist.

The Flint water crisis began when the city, while under state emergency management, switched its drinking water supply to the Flint River to save money in 2014. The decision created one of the nation’s worst public health disasters in decades, contaminating drinking water with dangerous levels of lead.

State officials ignored signs of serious health hazards in the predominantly Black city and failed to implement corrosion-control treatments, causing lead, iron, and rust to leach from aging pipes into the water supply.

—Steve Neavling

Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley.

MICHAEL A. NADDEO/CITY OF FLINT

Actor Hill Harper brings empathy, advocacy, and progressive values to U.S. Senate race

You’ve probably seen Hill Harper on television.

Known for his roles in The Good Doctor, Limitless, and CSI:NY, Harper is a talented, versatile actor who brings depth and nuance to his characters. He has earned a loyal fan base because of his ability to authentically convey complex character traits.

That experience, he says, has taught him a lot about how other people live, and that compassion is what prompted him to run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Debbie Stabenow, who is retiring.

He has emerged as the progressive challenger to frontrunner U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin.

“Being a performer, an artist, and an actor, you spend your life in other people’s shoes,” Harper tells Metro Times. “You don’t judge your characters. You try to learn from them.”

Off of television, Harper has shown the same compassion for less fortunate people. The 58-year-old has been a philanthropist and an advocate for higher living wages, universal health care, education, small businesses, criminal justice reform, labor unions, and civil rights. He has served as a spokesperson for the Innocence Project and One Fair Wage and served on former President Barack Obama’s Cancer Panel.

Hill says so much is at stake in the Aug. 6 primary election. While he and Slotkin are both Democrats, their platforms and experiences are far different.

“There is a massive difference between her and me,” Hill says.

Slotkin is a former CIA analyst and Department of Defense official and has established herself as a centrist whose support of Israel has turned off many voters. She voted against a 2020 amendment that would have provided $10,000 in relief on private student loans, opposed removing tax breaks for oil companies tapping into their reserves in 2023, and rejected a bill to prevent Department of Defense contracts with employers found engaging in unfair labor practices. She’s also been accused of not advocating enough for communities of color.

Slotkin failed to join fellow Democrats in cosponsoring progressive bills such as Medicare for All, the

Green New Deal, and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021.

Slotkin has received more than $500,000 from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other pro-Israel groups, according to AIPAC tracker. She joined House Republicans last week in sanctioning the International Criminal Court (ICC) after its prosecutors called for the arrest of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister for crimes against humanity.

“It’s a sad day when our elected representatives are putting special interest dollars in support of their campaign over the truth,” Harper says. “It’s outrageous that 40,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed, most of whom are women and children. Who sits in these seats is a matter of life and death. It’s not hyperbole. It’s not an exaggeration. It’s real. Michigan voters have to decide: Do you want someone to be your next senator who didn’t do the right thing when it mattered? The answer consistently with my opponent is no.”

While Hill has no experience as an elected official, his resume is undeniably impressive. He attended the U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidates School and has degrees from Brown University and Harvard Law, where Obama was also a student. He and Obama even played basketball together in a prison to interact with inmates.

“I looked up to Obama, not because he was taller than me, but because he was almost 30 years old coming back to school to contribute to the goals he had,” Harper says.

A cancer survivor, Harper served on Obama’s Cancer Panel, which is tasked with combating the disease.

But Harper has an uphill battle to become the state’s first Black U.S. senator. Polls from last month show Slotkin winning by wide margins, and she is trouncing Harper in fundraising.

But Harper is not one to give up, and he believes the momentum is beginning to shift in his favor. He says many Democrats who are worried about a low turnout in the presidential election in November are beginning to realize that his name on the general election ballot would

bring out voters who otherwise would stay home.

“The seeds are getting planted, and now the momentum is shifting toward us because people are realizing there is a stark difference between my opponent and me,” Harper says. “I’m interested in making solutions for people and leading with empathy and compassion and trying to understand why people feel how they feel. That, to me, is where we have to get to in politics. And I think that’s why my campaign is resonating with people.”

Harper was hoping to face Slotkin in debates and candidate forums, but he says she has ducked out of them all.

To demonstrate that his candidacy is about the people, Harper began airing an ad last week that showed a diverse array of people signing a Senate seat.

“This seat represents the diversity of our people, communities, and businesses,” Harper says in the ad. “And that’s why I’m here — to fight for you. This is your seat.”

If elected, Harper tells Metro Times he will use that chair to represent Michigan in Washington, D.C.

“I’m going to be a microphone for all of us,” Harper says. “It’s our seat. It’s Michigan’s seat in this 100-person body that decides how $7.2 trillion is allocated.”

—Steve Neavling

Actor and activist Hill Harper is running for a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan. COURTESY PHOTO

Study: Detroit is U.S. metro with biggest inflation problem

It’s not just you — inflation is a big problem these days, and Detroiters especially are feeling the economic pinch.

That’s according to a new study by personal finance website WalletHub, which analyzed how inflation is impacting different metropolitan areas. The study ranked the “DetroitWarren-Dearborn” area as facing the biggest problem with inflation.

Metro Detroit is followed by Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas; Urban Honolulu, Hawaii; San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, California; and Seattle-TacomaBellevue, Washington.

To make this determination, Wallethub used U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to compare 23 Metropolitan Statistical Areas across two key metrics: Consumer Price Index Change (latest month vs. two months before) and Consumer Price Index Change (latest month vs. 1 year ago).

The U.S. inflation rate hit a 40year high due to factors involving the COVID-19 pandemic, which the Federal Reserve has tried to tame by raising interest rates in an attempt

to cool the market. While inflation has cooled since then, the year-overyear inflation rate sits at 3.3% as of May 2024, which is still above the target rate of 2%.

“The Fed’s theory is that high interest rates will lower prices by dampening demand for goods and services as consumers reign in spending due to the high cost of credit,” said David Skidmore, professor at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, one of the study’s authors. “Businesses will respond by lowering prices to lure shoppers back. However, instead of slowing spending, consumers have, over the past couple of years, drawn down savings accumulated during the pandemic and, most recently, gone into greater credit card debt. This bullish consumer demand is, however, unsustainable and could, if interest rates remain high for too long, lead to a recession once rising debt reaches a tipping point and consumers pull back or bankruptcies rise.”

The full study is available at wallethub.com.

—Lee DeVito

Graffiti artist BVIS caught

BVIS is busted.

The graffiti artist known in recent months for allegedly spray-painting characters from the TV show Beavis and Butt-Head around Detroit and its suburbs was caught redhanded, so to speak.

According to Fox 2, the artist has been identified as Bryan Herrin of Hazel Park, who faces felony charges including six counts of malicious destruction of property.

He was released on a $50,000 personal bond.

“It was multiple situations where [we] had to have people from the city go out and clean this area up,” Detroit Police Capt. Marcus Thirlkill told Fox 2. “There’s a cost associated with having to go out and clean

up each time this character is painted on structures.”

Metro Times spoke to the artist, who goes by the nickname BVIS, in April. He told us he liked to draw characters from his favorite TV show, particularly Beavis.

Despite Mayor Mike Duggan’s crackdown on graffiti, BVIS told Metro Times that he wasn’t afraid of getting caught.

“I love just getting away with shit,” BVIS told us. “But part of me is like, I know people like it. It feels good to make people smile. But it is mostly the adrenaline rush.”

He added, “I feel like Detroit’s got bigger fish to fry.”

He did not respond to a request for comment sent Friday. —Lee DeVito

Free movies at Detroit’s New Center Park

New Center Park is bringing back its Friday Night Film Series this summer. Detroiters can once again enjoy a mix of old and new movies every other Friday for free in the open-air outdoor green space, owned and operated by Midtown Detroit Inc. The “Movies in the Park” series, sponsored by The Kresge Foundation, will run through August and is just the first of many summer events planned for the park.

The program kicks off on June 21 with the R-rated late-’90s queer comedy But

I’m A Cheerleader. Other screenings will feature family-friendly favorites including Guardians of the Galaxy on July 19, King Richard on Aug. 2, Barbie on Aug. 16, and 2023’s The Color Purple on Aug. 30 to end the summer.

Gates open at 7 p.m. for each event, with the film starting at sundown. Concession snacks will also be available for purchase. In case of inclement weather, any cancellations will be communicated via New Center Park’s Facebook and Instagram pages. —Layla McMurtrie

Despite interest rate hikes inflation is still stubbornly high, especially in the Detroit area.

NEWS & VIEWS

Lapointe

Impeach Supreme Justices Thomas and Alito?

By Joe Lapointe

When she entered the United States House of Representatives, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Detroit famously vowed to remove then-President Donald Trump.

“We’re going to impeach the motherfucker,” Tlaib promised in 2019.

Indeed, Democrats in the House did so twice, but failed both times to win enough Republican Senate votes to convict Trump and ban him for life from the office he is now trying to re-capture.

Representing parts of Detroit’s west side and some western suburbs, Tlaib is running this year for her fourth term. In a speech on the House floor late last week, she eschewed the salty language used on Trump but sent the same message to Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.

“Thomas and Alito need to be impeached and removed from the bench now,” Tlaib said. “Our country deserves a Supreme Court that’s acting in the best interest of the American people, not a court that is accepting bribes and doing the bidding of right-wing extremists.”

Thomas has been cited for accepting more than $4 million in gifts during his 33 years on the Court, Tlaib said. Alito has led the Court’s radical right wing into Christian fundamentalism, including the revocation of a woman’s constitutional right to choose abortion.

Both men’s wives publicly supported Trump’s “Stop the Steal” lie of 2020 that triggered an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Both have refused to recuse themselves from continuing cases involving either Trump or the imprisoned lynch-mob rioters he calls “patriots” and “hostages.”

“We need direct action to hold these unhinged extremists accountable,” Tlaib said, referring to Thomas and Alito, adding, “It’s time to expand the Supreme Court. It’s time for reforms.”

In recent weeks, the conservativepacked Court has issued three decisions on important issues that show which way the wind would blow during a second Trump administration.

Although the Republican candidate is a

convicted felon in New York, that does not bar him from campaigning for the White House again against President Joe Biden.

During his four years, Trump appointed three reactionary Justices — Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett — who joined Thomas, Alito, and Chief Justice John Roberts in overturning Roe v. Wade

Unless the Court is expanded, the stranglehold of these ideological zealots might last decades.

Their recent decisions include:

Reversal of a prohibition on bump stocks that turn semi-automatic assault weapons into de facto machine guns; it is the sort of addition to a firearm that makes it much more efficient during a gun massacre because you can kill more people faster; who could oppose that?

A false “victory” for abortion rights in keeping legal, for now, the medicine abortion pill called mifepristone; they based their decision on narrow grounds of legal “standing” of the plaintiffs, leaving open a dozen doors for more sophisticated attacks under another Trump regime.

A ruling against labor unions that makes it harder for the National Labor Relations Board to take court action against companies that fire union organizers. In other words, union organizers, if you get fired for organizing, the Court will not have your back (unless you give Justice Thomas a free ride on your private jet).

Tlaib’s chances of advancing a bill of impeachment and removal of two Justices would remain a mere wish unless Democrats were to take back the White House in November along with both branches of Congress. That’s far-fetched but not out of the question.

It might depend on the strength of the backlash in the electorate against the Court and its abortion decision in 2022. The issue is not tracking in the polls, but it didn’t either in the 2022 midterms until Democrats and liberals won some stunning victories, including abortion rights in Michigan.

Impeachment attempts at the high court are not unprecedented; the John Birch Society tried removing Chief Justice Earl Warren in the 1950s and the 1960s when he sided with the Civil Rights movement. In some ways, the right-wing Birchers were like the red-hatted MAGAts of today: ornery and menacing.

Besides, Tlaib’s threat of removal through impeachment is basically a shot across the bow against a Court that sails in its own sea like a pirate ship, blown by its own winds, charting its own map. Its public approval is plummeting.

At a fund-raiser in Los Angeles on Saturday night, Biden was asked about the possibility of Trump winning the election and naming even more Court justices.

“It’s one of the scariest parts,” Biden said. “The Supreme Court has never been as out of kilter as it is today. I mean never.”

The haughty Thomas might be the clubhouse leader in grift and graft. There is something insolent about him. As a Court nominee, he turned viscerally creepy to play the race card (“high-tech lynching”) as a disingenuous defense against accusations by a Black woman of sexual harassment.

His declaration of victimhood had nothing to do with the allegations. She said he bragged about his love of pornography and he joked of pubic hair on his Coke can. But his racial blubbering saved

his nomination thanks in part to Joe Biden of Delaware, then the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Alito, with his supercilious and overbearing Catholicism, has seemingly mistaken the Constitution for the New Testament and has consequently declared himself to be America’s self-appointed Pope and the enforcer of the Court’s Opus Dei faction. Or, think of him simply as a Christian Ayatollah.

Should Tlaib wish to examine a Michigan connection as to how Thomas and Alito operate, she should look to Michigan’s Hillsdale College, a Christian nationalist fortress of the right-wing culture wars and a farm system for Supreme Court clerks.

These clerks do more than file papers. They research cases, steer Justices toward opinions, and find rationales for their decisions. On the Hillsdale College website, under the headline “Supreme Assignment,” the school brags about its Court influence.

Hillsdale had already sent six graduates to the Court as clerks in two decades, the page says, before adding the three new names of Eliot Gaiser, Garrett West, and Manuel Valle, who recently completed their terms.

“Gaiser and West clerked for associate Justice Samuel Alito,” the Hillsdale website says, “while Valle clerked for associate Justice Clarence Thomas.”

All three worked there during the debates for the Dobbs decision. No doubt the clerks know well how that gristly sausage got made. Perhaps they might even know who leaked the decision early.

Wouldn’t it be interesting for an aggressive legislator like Tlaib to question people like these guys under oath?

Detroit’s Rashida Tlaib might have the right idea. SHUTTERSTOCK

EMPLOYMENT

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Project Engineer, Brose North America, Auburn Hills, MI. Engineer, design, dvlp, release, & continuously improve Brose mechatronic side door, liftgate & dropgate closure syss (incl. e-latches, Bowden cables, rods, mini-modules, complex functional chains, & safety closing cmpts incl. crash brackets) for psgr, cargo, & comml vehicles, using CATIA V5, Teamcenter, & SAP Production Planning & Control & Qlty Mgmt tools. Act as single point of contact & exercise design, engrg, & technical responsibility for closure sys dvlpmt projects between OEM customer w/ commn & coordination of customer & internal vehicle/product specs & reqmts w/ Customer Team, Design & Central Functions. Engr & improve closure syss security & comfort incl. low effort when opening, silent closing, improved anti-theft device features & technology dvlpmt for crash safety & protection. Use Eventive & Excel tools to perform automot cmpt & subsys statistical tolerance stack-up anlys of dimensions & static forces incl. kinematics, & highlighting critical parts, tolerances, & dimensions, & evaluating contribution to general functions. Bachelor, Mechanical Engrg, Mechatronics Engrg, Industrial Design, or related. 24 mos’ exp as Engineer, Design Engineer, or related, using Eventive & Excel tools to perform automot cmpt & subsys statistical tolerance stack-up anlys of dimensions & static forces incl. kinematics, & highlighting critical parts, tolerances, & dimensions, or related. E-mail resume to Jobs@brose.com (Ref#766-105).

By Kahn Santori Davison

It’s a Friday night and a half-dozen volunteers and employees from New Era Detroit are gathered inside their headquarters on Schoolcraft Road in the Brightmoor neighborhood. They’re armed, dressed in black boots, black cargo pants, and black varsity jackets with the phrase “Our Community Our Responsibility” stitched on the back. The facility is equipped with the essentials you would expect for a nonprofit organization: a banquet table, podium, wooden bench, and a dry-erase board. A large TV framed inside a wall shows various video clips of New Era Detroit’s organized protests and community engagement events. The vibe is mundane. Half the group is engaged in conversation while the other half is preparing to head out on a “Streets is Watching” patrol, a daily program that places visible volunteers driving the streets to deter violence against women and children in high-crime areas during critical times of the day.

New Era Detroit is a nonprofit organization with the goals of averting violent crimes and increasing overall wellness in Detroit. It launched the Streets is Watching program in 2016 in the neighborhood surrounding Noble Elementary-Middle School. “There was a lot going on in that area at the time,” says New Era Detroit founder and president Isaiah “Zeek” Williams. “We would go to that school in the morning time to make sure the kids were safe walking to school and at night we would do patrols in the neighborhood.”

Williams takes a seat in his office located in a separate room of the facility. Painted portraits of Fred Hampton, Marcus Garvey, Huey Newton, and Nipsey Hussle hang from the walls, while awards and plaques sit on an upper shelf near the ceiling. Last fall, New Era received a $700,000 federally funded grant via the city of Detroit’s Community Violence Intervention (CVI) program to help establish a nongovernment way to reduce shootings in the city. The grant helped Williams

secure a permanent home for New Era for the first time in its 10 year-history.

“People don’t normally back and support this kind of work,” Williams says. “It’s not the popular thing to do. It’s only been the last couple of years we’ve been getting more donors, but that’s just recent. Before then we was just getting it how we live.”

Williams, 39, has a mountainous presence. Standing over 6’5”, he looks like he could give the struggling Pistons a double-double on any given night. He grew up on the west side of Detroit and describes himself as mature for his age and a people person. One of the main attributes that has stuck with him is that he hates bullies. He always made it a point to bully the bullies, he says.

“Even in high school I got along with everybody,” he says. “I took up for the people who were maybe getting picked on or bullied. I’ve always been vocal in that aspect.”

After high school Willmans attended Eastern Michigan University for a short time, moved to Atlanta briefly, worked at Jenkins Construction, and refurbished houses. He didn’t want to settle for a factory job and exchange “time for money,” as he calls it. He leaned into ways he could earn a living without being too stationary, but as the years went by he grew malcontent with his life.

“It all got old quick!” he says. “You start looking around and wondering what your purpose is. I feel like we all have a purpose moment.”

Williams’s came when 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. His killing was one of several cases of police brutality against Black people that garnered national interest.

“All these young Black kings were getting killed at that time,” Williams says. “The perfect storm of reality and a wake up call for me.”

But it wasn’t just police brutality that triggered Williams. It was also the violence in his own community that

forced him to take an about-face.

“I’ll never forget when I first started there was a serial rapist,” he adds. “I was somewhere looking at the news, and like damn, it’s somebody out here raping women. I remember looking to the left and right of me and niggas could have cared less. So now I’m thinking about my role as a Black man in this situation.”

In 2014 Detroit saw its violent crime statistics take a dip with a 15.48% decrease from 2013. However, Detroit still ranked No. 6 in violent crime totals for cities with 100,00 or more people.

The Detroit Police Department also had 614 “use of force” complaints from

civilians between 2016-2021, with 3% that ruled in favor of the civilians.

Both elements represented a culture that Williams wanted to counter. He reached out to family and friends with his vision of what he wanted New Era Detroit to be. He began hosting meetings and studying Black movements and leaders from yesteryear such as Malcom X, the Black Panthers, and Marcus Garvey. He wasn’t looking to recreate a movement but to educate himself and look for ways to establish what an activist strategy needed to be in today’s climate.

“We had to redefine how we look at organizations in Black communi-

at doing stuff for our community in an event mindset like backpacks [for students], turkeys for Thanksgiving. It’s good to have a heart about wanting to do something, but when you talk about growing and elevating the community and growing and elevating the culture, it has to be more than an event. It has to be a lifestyle.”

In March of 2015, New Era started its first program, called “Hood 2 Hood.” Volunteers went door-to-door introducing themselves and passing out flyers with information about the organization. The grassroots-style initiative was not only an introduc-

fellow residents who wanted to make a difference, and also built a new unity within neighborhoods. Williams started bringing U-Haul trucks with a DJ playing music inside while volunteers passed out toys. The goal was simply to get residents outside and talking to each other. By the end of the summer New Era had covered 18 neighborhoods, and it’s a program that continues till this day.

“It really has a positive effect on the environment because now I know this person, I know that person, I’m outside in my hood and it feels good to do that,” Williams boasts.

tance and silence between neighbors is valid. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Detroit’s population dropped from 679,562 in 2015 to 620,376 in 2022. If you add that to the 200 school closures that have occurred since 2000, along with constant home foreclosures and rising eviction rates, you end up with high-turnover neighborhoods where no one takes the time to build connections with their neighbors. And because of blight removal, you have streets that have empty lots between homes.

“There used to be a time where you knew your neighbors by their family

the Williams. It’s not like that anymore.”

New Era’s first organized protest came on November 20, 2015 after an attendant at a Mobil gas station on Eight Mile near Southfield brandished a gun toward four minors.

“The parents came in crying, their son went into this gas station, bought some chips, and the attendant thought he stole some chips, and put a gun to the kid,” Williams says. “The parents went to the police and they didn’t give them no motion, they went to the press and they didn’t give them no

motion, so they stopped in one of our meetings.”

Several volunteers and members of New Era Detroit stormed the gas station, blocking off the entrances and yelling chants demanding respect and accountability. The scene caused the Detroit police officers and the owners of the gas station to show up. The attendant claimed the gun was just a toy, and the ordeal concluded with the parents getting a public apology from the owners and a promise to terminate the attendant.

“The person that did it, I think he got arrested,” Williams says. “[The parents] got what they wanted at that time. It was really raw and we stood on our ground.”

But that initial protest was a spark that ignited several more against crime and discrimination. Williams even took New Era’s cause to Dearborn in efforts to seek justice for the deaths of Kevin Matthews and Janet Wilson, who were both killed by police in separate incidents weeks apart (Matthews on December 23, 2015 and Wilson on January 27, 2016). New Era staged a public protest at Fairlane Mall (where Wilson was killed), besieged a Dearborn city council meeting, and even conducted a surprise protest on Christmas Day around the Dearborn police station. In both cases the Wayne County Prosecutor’s office said the officers acted in self-defense, and the city of Dearborn agreed to pay the families of both victims $1.25 million dollars in separate civil suits. Although Williams hoped for at least a dismissal of the officers, he still sees the attention brought to the Dearborn police department as a win.

“We put national eyes on the Dearborn police department,” Williams adds. “And it was a win just to be a disruptor. We had 200 niggas on Christmas day all up and down Dearborn. They see a bunch of niggas walking up the street with their fist up. Now their community has a problem with them and wants to know what’s going on.”

New Era Detroit also used their protest muscle to combat predatory towing. In October of 2022, Williams and rapper Trick Trick videotaped and confronted a Goch and Sons tow truck driver preparing to illegally tow a woman’s car within the 15-minute grace period at Medical Court Apartments. Williams accused Goch and Sons of using a spotter to immediately send drivers to tow cars minutes after they parked. This prompted City Council President Mary Sheffield to reevaluate a pending $187,500 City towing contract with Goch and Sons. The contract never came to fruition.

“We not the police,” adds Williams. “If y’all in there mistreating kids, y’all fucking with women, fucking with elders, if y’all being a detriment to the block, to the Black community, then we have a problem.”

“Just so happened the stars aligned and they were up for this big dumbass city contract,” Williams says, frustrated. “They were just hoeing our people.”

In a separate interview, Trick Trick adds, “Never met another person who cares as much as me. I can take a breath because I have help. I can help this movement hands-on and financially.”

Detroit City Council did not respond to messages regarding their decision not to renew the towing

meetings and protests have since voluntarily left. Sometimes it’s other obligations, and other times the weight of the work starts to take its toll. Either way, the turnover of volunteers has been something that Williams has had to get adjusted to.

“It’s people that will give me their best of whatever they got; their best day, best month, best year,” Williams says with a shrug. “I used to take it personal at the beginning.”

Another obstacle has been garnering more support from the City of Detroit’s influencers: hip-hop artists, athletes, and other trendsetters. Williams believes that more progress can be made if more support for New Era came from Detroit’s most notable personalities.

“There are people that have people’s ears,” he says.

But the biggest hindrance during the New Era’s ascension, Williams says, was the police. Particularly in the early years, New Era faced constant pushback from the Detroit Police Department. According to Williams, his nightly patrol volunteers were unnecessarily pulled over, heated disputes between him and police officers were common, and he and his members have been arrested on at least a dozen occasions.

“It was so much back and forth with the police,” Williams says. “It was literally DPD vs. NED that entire year. It was just almost always smoke.”

Williams admits he was more of a hothead back then, more likely to escalate disputes rather than quietly resolve them. But Williams says he wanted New Era to be taken seriously, and he was trying to establish his cause.

“We had to fight and stand on our ground,” Williams adamantly says. “Police want police glory. They don’t want a group of people out hergetting praised by the community doing community patrols and what they consider police work.”

contract with Goch and Sons. Goch and Sons still has a contract with the State of Michigan, despite receiving numerous complaints to the Consumer Protection Division.

“They’re still out here doing hoe shit, but we snatched that from them,” Williams says.

New Era’s road to carving out their own niche in activism has come with its share of challenges. Many of the enlistees who were in those early

“It’s definitely nothing but love and respect,” adds New Era member Travis Stafford in a separate interview. “People trust us, people tell us what’s really going on in the streets. And they trust us to be able to help solve the problems in the community.”

By 2017, New Era’s presence had become more defined and confrontations with police occurred much less frequently. Williams felt he had earned his respect, and New Era and DPD have been able to coexist in peace ever since.

“I have a good understanding with [DPD] Chief White,” Williams adds. “We have a good understanding that we ‘do us’ and they ‘do them.’ But it

New Era Detroit leader Isaiah “Zeek” Williams. KAHN SANTORI DAVISON

took a lot. They tried to demonize us in the community.”

“We have a good working relationship,” says Sgt. Jordan Hall from DPD media relations in a separate interview. “There are no issues that we have with New Era.”

The city of Detroit ended 2023 with 252 homicides, the fewest recorded in 57 years. Carjackings and non-fatal shootings were also down significantly. Williams knows DPD and other agencies are taking credit for the reduction, but he believes New Era’s efforts also directly played a role in the contraction of those numbers as well.

“We not the police,” adds Williams. “If y’all in there mistreating kids, y’all fucking with women, fucking with elders, if y’all being a detriment to the block, to the Black community, then we have a problem.”

Williams says the biggest misconception is that New Era is “just for security.” But they offer multiple other programs including a Buy Black Tour, Political Education courses for youth and adults, self-defense classes, and Tangie’s Ride, a program that distributes groceries and hot meals to those in need. There are youth workshops, financial literacy classes, and a handful of other programs Williams started simply from listening to the citizens.

“Another thing people do wrong is they don’t listen to the people,” he says. “They think they got all the answers. Like how you want to work for Black people and you don’t talk to a soul. You don’t know what these people want, forreal.”

The most noteworthy project New

Era has coming is the Blkem, an app that will allow residents to request help if in danger, report shootings, and other kinds of violent situations. The app is for citizens residing within a four-mile radius where New Era is concentrating its CVI work.

“It’s still in beta,” Williams adds. “It will be in beta testing for a year. We gotta be innovative in the approach and in the way we do things.”

In a separate interview, Detroit’s deputy mayor Todd Bettison expresses support for New Era.

“It’s critical, it’s community violence intervention,” Bettison says. “New Era and other organizations like them have been doing it for years. I’ve personally witnessed them over the years on a shoestring budget doing things to get the community engaged and also change hearts and minds and work with people to get them to not engage violence.”

Even though New Era has expanded its reach across the country by opening 14 different chapters (including one in Nigeria), Detroit is still where the heart is. Williams wants to see Detroit become a world-class city for its residents and the impact New Era has made so far is minor compared to where he sees Detroit in the future.

“It’s a real thing for us, I can see it,” Williams says. “I can see the fruits of our labor. We’re about to turn the city up in the next decade. People are going to look at the city of Detroit as the structured way of living for Black excellence and Black communities worldwide. That’s our goal.”

More information on New Era Detroit is available at neweraworld.work

KAHN SANTORI DAVISON

WHAT’S GOING ON

Select events happening in metro Detroit this week. Be sure to check venue website before events for latest information. Add your event to our online calendar: metrotimes. com/AddEvent.

MUSIC

Wednesday, June 19

Live/Concert

3rd Annual Juneteenth Music Festival - Detroit 5:30-10 p.m.; Historic Boston-Edison Neighborhood, 2701 Chicago Blvd., Detroit; $35.

Spyro Gyra’s 50th Anniversary with Rick Braun & Richard Elliot 7:30 p.m.; The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, 2600 E. Atwater St., Detroit; $210-$810.

Jhené Aiko, Coi Leray, Tink, UMI, Kiana Ledé 7 p.m.; Little Caesars Arena, 2645 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $44.50-$244.50.

Matt Lorusso Trio & Special Guests 8-11 p.m.; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.

Whores, Venus Twins, Warhorses 7 p.m.; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $18.

Thursday, June 20

Live/Concert

The Strains, Absentees, The Bores, and Stiff 8 p.m.; Outer Limits Lounge, 5507 Caniff St., Detroit; $10. Rawayana 7 p.m.; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $30.

Autumn! – Roi De Tout Tour 7 p.m.; El Club, 4114 W. Vernor Hwy., Detroit; $40.79.

Scarboro 8 p.m.; Garden Bowl Lounge, 4120 Woodward Avenue, Detroit; no cover.

Zach Bryan, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Levi Turner 7 p.m.; Ford Field, 2000 Brush St., Detroit; $20$344.50.

Karaoke/Open Mic

DARE-U-OKE 9 p.m.; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.

Drag Queen Karaoke 8 p.m.; Woodward Avenue Brewers, 22646 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; no cover.

Friday Jun 21

Live/Concert

AJAYE 7:30 p.m.; 20 Front Street, 20

Front St., Lake Orion; $18. Driveways, Don’t Panic, Goalkeeper 7 p.m.; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $18.

Eyes Set To Kill 6 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $18.

Robert Glasper, Yebba, Nadim Azzam 8 p.m.; The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, 2600 E. Atwater St., Detroit; $35-$85.

Saturday, June 22

Live/Concert

Al Di Meola 7 p.m.; Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; $49.50-$99.50.

Concrete Boys 7 pm; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $20.

Live & Loud Fest: Angeles, Altered Thoughts, Shadow of the Talisman, Tru-Burn, Resurrection Story, and more 6:30 p.m.; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; $15.

Magic Bag Presents: EMF with Music for the Masses 7 p.m.; Magic

24 June 19-25, 2024 | metrotimes.com

Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $20.

Marty Kohn and Kathy Wieland in Concert 8-10:15 p.m.; Trinity House Theatre, 38840 W. Six Mile Rd., Livonia; $20.

Outline In Color, Nightlife, Foxcult, Walking Down Main 6 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $16.

Rhythm & Rouge: Jodye Watts, Untitled. Ruby Flwrs, Kris Lamarr, The High Octane Hittas, Lex the Radical 6-9 p.m.; Rouge Park, Brennan Recreation Area, Detroit; no cover.

Southwest Sounds with Sphinx Overture student musicians, musicians from the DSO, and Pa’ La Parranda Venezuelan Afrodrums 5-7 p.m.; Mexicantown International Mercado, 2826 Bagley, Detroit; no cover.

Sunday, June 23

Live/Concert Graveslave, Krocophile,

Archthrone 7 p.m; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Ham.tramck; $13.

Hiatus Kaiyote 6:30 p.m.; Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; $37.50-$75.

Magic Bag Presents: DJ Swiftie™ Official TayTay Dance Party 7 p.m.; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $20-$40.

Plain White T’s, Football Head, The Idiot Kids 7:30 p.m.; Diamondback Music Hall, 49345 S. Interstate 94 Service Dr., Belleville; $20$25.

Portrayal of Guilt, Wretched Blessing, Mechanophile, Abuse Repression 6:30 p.m.; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; $15.

The Soap Girls, Choking Susan 6:30 p.m.; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; $15.

The Spill Canvas, Punchline, Thomas Ian Nicholas 7 p.m.; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $23.

Monday, June 24

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Zach Bryan performs Thursday at Detroit’s Ford Field. KRISTÍN BRAGA WRIGHT

Live/Concert

Kickstand Productions Presents: Julia Cole, Madison Olivia 6:30 p.m.; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $20.

The Hirs Collective, Abuse Repression, Pillar of Light, Cemetery Girl 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $15. DJ/Dance

Adult Skate Night 8:30-11 p.m.; Lexus Velodrome, 601 Mack Ave., Detroit; $5.

Tuesday, June 25

Live/Concert

Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties, Future Teens, Maura Weaver 6 p.m.; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $25.

AJ Mitchell 7 p.m.; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; $20.

Global Sunsets, Blackman & Arnold Trio 7-10 p.m.; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.

Roger Daltrey, Dan Bern 7:30 p.m.; Meadow Brook Amphitheatre, 3554 Walton Blvd., Rochester Hills; $39.50$249.50.

Sham 69, No Consent, Detroit 442 7 p.m.; Small’s, 10339 Conant St., Hamtramck; $20.

The Church, the Afghan Whigs, Ed Harcourt 6 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $164.50$289.50.

DJ/Dance

B.Y.O.R Bring Your Own Records Night 9 p.m.-midnight; The Old Miami, 3930 Cass Ave., Detroit; no cover.

THEATER

Performance

Detroit Repertory Theatre

Between Riverside and Crazy; $25 in advance, $30 general admission; Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 3 and 8 p.m.; and Sundays, 2 p.m.

They Say The Murder Mystery Company Presents: A Dance with Death; $59; Friday, 7-9:30 p.m.

Musical

Meadow Brook Theatre Ella, First Day of Song; $46; Wednesday, 2 and 8 p.m.; Thursday, 8 p.m.; Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, 2 p.m.

The Token Lounge Cthulhu: The Musical! The Road To R’lyeh Tour; $20; Thursda, 8 p.m.

COMEDY

Improv

Go Comedy! Improv Theater Go Comedy! All-Star Showdown; $20; Fridays, Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Stand-up

Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle The Rudick Siblings Tour; $25; Sunday, 7-8:30 p.m.

Woodbridge Pub Comedy Open

Mic at Woodbridge Pub curated comedy show featuring a special set by Detroit stand-up comic Shelly Thomas with host comedian Scott Sviland and other special guests.; no cover; Tuesday, 9:30 p.m. sign up, 10 p.m. show.

Continuing This Week Stand-up

The Independent Comedy Club at Planet Ant Tonight vs Everybody: Open Mic Comedysign up at 10:30 p.m., show at 11 p.m.; $5 suggested donation.

DANCE

Dance performance

The Music Hall World Ballet Festival: Closing Gala; $40-$84; Friday, 7 p.m., Saturday, 7 p.m.; and Sunday, 6 p.m.

ARTS

Continuing this week

Annex Gallery WOMAN

INTERRUPTED with Linda Soberman and Deborah Friedman; Friday and Saturday, 2-6 p.m.

Cranbrook Art Museum

Constellations & Affinities: Selections from the Cranbrook Collection

Habatat Galleries 52nd Annual International Glass Show (GLASS52). Through Aug. 30.

Janice Charach Gallery 5th Annual Michigan Regional Glass Exhibition; through Wednesday, June 26.

PARC Art Gallery The Light Show; Through Aug. 1.

The Michigan Glass Project Festival noon-11 p.m.; Russel Industrial Center, 1600 Clay, Detroit; $30-75.

Stamelos Gallery Center, UMDearborn Piece by Piece: Recent Work from Regional Fiber Artists

University of Michigan Museum of Art Unsettling Histories: Legacies of Slavery and Colonialism

WELLNESS

Self-care

Girls Street Smarts Safety Awareness Program Tailored specifically for pre-teen and teen girls. Saturday, 4:30-5:45 p.m.; Ambrose Academy Wing Chun Do, 28239 Plymouth Rd., Livonia; $99; ambroseacademy.com.

COMMUNITY

LGBTQ+

Brass Rail Pizza Bar The Official Pride Bar Crawl - Detroit; 4 p.m.midnight; $10-$30; Saturday.

Health screening

Eastern Market Shed 3 Central City Health Community Health Fair at Eastern Market; 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Eastern Market (2934 Russell St.), Shed 3. The fair offers free health screenings and consultations in medical, dental, and behavioral health. Services are available to all, regardless of insurance status. Screenings include primary care, mental health, dental health, asthma education, and Planned Parenthood and Head Start information. The family-friendly event also features free food, games, music, and raffles. Tuesday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Benefit

Urban Neighborhood Initiatives 26th Heroes of the Neighborhood; residents $10, non-Residents; $30;Thursday, 5-8 p.m.

MISC.

Drink

Chelsea Whiskey Club Each month a new group of fine whiskies are tasted. Members score the whiskey as they taste them and are then treated to a fifth pour of their favorite; 7-8:30 p.m; Robin Hills Farm, 20390 M-52, Chelsea; $45. Detroit Taco and Tequila Fest Saturday, 4 p.m.; Belle Isle Park, Detroit; $30; detroittacoandtequilafest.com.

HOWDY FEST III Drinks, live music, square dancing, vendors, drag, pony rides, dunk tank, petting zoo, mechanical bull, dunk tank, prizes, and more! LGBTQ+ focused, all ages welcome. Noon-5 p.m.; The Old Miami, 3930 Cass Ave., Detroit; kids under 12 get in free, $25 everyone else.

Vintage

Bowlero Lanes & Lounge Pop Culture Trivia (with a Retro Spin); every

third Thursday of each month. Table seating limited; bar and counter seating also available. No cover; third Thursday of every month, 8-10 p.m.

Food

Sunday Dinner - Caribbean Dining Experience Sunday, 3-5 p.m.; hungrymobeats.com.

ISSUES & LEARNING

Exhibits

Detroit Historical Museum In the Neighborhood Everyday Life on Hastings Street Take a walk back in time to Detroit’s first Jewish enclave, 1880-1930, where tradition and innovation rubbed shoulders in surprising ways. Museum admission charge; Mondays-Sundays, 10 a.m.

HOLIDAY

Juneteenth

Hamtramck Stadium Juneteenth at Historic Hamtramck Stadium. Scheduled events begin at noon on Wednesday, June 19, at Historic Hamtramck Stadium, followed by the home run derby. Tribute game starts at 3 p.m. ; Wednesday, noon.

SHOPPING

Auction

Midwest Auto Auction Every third Friday of each month from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

SPORTS

Baseball

Comerica Park Detroit Tigers vs. Philadelphia Phillies; Friday, 6:40 p.m.; Saturday, 1:10 p.m.; and Sunday, 1:40 p.m.; Monday, 6:40 p.m.; and Tuesday, 6:40 p.m.

Golf

Detroit Golf Club Sunday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; and Tuesday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Other

M1 Concourse Xtreme Xperience. Book your driving or riding Xperience on a world-class racetrack in supercars like Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, and more. No experience necessary. $249-549 -23, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Wrestling

Harpo’s JCW’s Lunacy Live Taping; $25 Saturday, 6 p.m.

FOOD

Why aspire?

By Jane Slaughter

Hamilton’s

1401 Michigan Ave., Corktown (in Godfrey Hotel)

313-463-4770

hamiltonscorktown.com

Starters $14-$28, most entrées $29-$36

Hamilton’s gives what it promises: “familiar food” and “the dishes you love.” Familiar “doesn’t necessarily mean pedestrian,” asserts the culinary team. Of course, the goal is “unforgettable versions” of such classics as fish and chips, a cheeseburger, Cobb salad, roast chicken, and steak.

So you know going in that this hotel restaurant is not reaching for the stars; it’s not aspirational — except in its prices. The menu implies that Hamilton’s is a respite for the weary business traveler who is just going to eat downstairs and watch TV in the room before turning in, rather than seeking the pleasures of Detroit nightlife.

That said, the chef does the familiar dishes well, sometimes with a small, if not “unforgettable,” fillip.

Fish and chips, for example, have a

tender batter that’s not soggy or heavy, though the fish itself is not distinguishable from that in humbler establishments. It comes with both a sharp tartar and a creamy malt-and-vinegar sauce, plus some non-gloppy red-cabbage slaw. The chips are an excellent, crisp version of potato pavé. So yes — in this case, the kitchen does reach beyond the commonplace.

The pesto casarecce (short twists of pasta with basil, peas, and favas) is decent but nothing like homemade, and in my opinion, we should not grate our Parmesan so fine that it looks like Kraft. Use the larger holes on the grater! There’s more flavor that way.

A $19 double-patty smashburger with Colby hit the spot; we were warned that it would be grilled medium well, as the thin patties could not help but cook through. The lemony house-made mayo was the most notable accessory. Likewise, the server advised of the salmon that “the chef does it medium,” but it was not overcooked. I’d call it almost medium rare with a good crisp crust, some turnip puree, and a tangle of chard.

I would not pay $36 for roast chicken in anyone’s restaurant (maybe if it had some Michelin stars), nor did we assay

the $65 6-ounce filet or the Creekstone Farms ribeye at market price. The chef does a good job with three small scallops, just browned enough, and even better with melt-in-the-mouth tuna tartare on crisp toast, decorated with little circles of jalapeño. These appetizers are appetizer size, doing their job of setting you up for the next course.

Salads are the usual, from mixed greens to kale and quinoa, down to the candied walnuts, but I love a roasted beet salad with two kinds of beets, tender baby arugula, a few orange slices, and a bit of burrata. Its dressing is far above the heavy restaurant norm. An everything biscuit is dusted with everything-bagel toppings and goes for — wait for it — $9 for three. The “umami” butter that promised a punch actually has less flavor than normal butter.

The dessert menu sticks to the tried and true as well: chocolate cake, a sundae (but then a strawberry-margarita sorbet).

A scoop of vanilla ice cream on your cake will set you back $6. The few bites of Key lime pie I was served were lavender-infused, tart and delightful, if not shareable. Service at Hamilton’s is consistently friendly. When I wavered about ordering

humo y espejos (smoke and mirrors), a mezcal cocktail, the server assured me she’d take it back if I didn’t like it. I didn’t want to be a brat, but… She switched it for an extra sparkly, stone-cold Prosecco. Other cocktails lean toward bitter — lots of amaro — but there’s always Stiggin’s It to the Man, with Plantation Stiggins’ pineapple rum.

A pre-opening press release described Hamilton’s as “a vibrant neighborhood tavern”; there’s no hint of a tavern vibe, nor does the understated decor, in shades of gray, evoke “neighborhood.” It’s quietly tasteful in a minimalist way, unfancy, with cloth napkins, bare tables, and plain silverware. Floor-length windows showcase the action across the street at Nemo’s and Ottava Via. Servers wear aprons with the Carhartt logo to commemorate a previous business on the site: a clothing factory owned by Hamilton Carhartt.

Hamilton’s is run by Chickpea Hospitality, which also owns Forest and Phoenicia in Birmingham and Leila (upscale Middle Eastern) in downtown Detroit. It’s not going to upend the Corktown dining scene, but it does add to the regrettable trend to ask for prices in the stratosphere. Those on the boss’s dime, enjoy!

Hamilton’s aims to elevate the familiar in Corktown.

COURTESY PHOTO

Arts Spotlight

Detroit artists challenge values of the Declaration of Independence

By Layla McMurtrie

The United States will mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. But how much do the document’s values truly resonate in today’s America? Have they ever?

A new art exhibition, featuring 10 large-scale talking drum sculptures by 11 Detroit artists, examines these questions. Presented by Bedrock’s Decked Out Detroit, non-profit The Stories of Us and the Downtown Detroit Partnership, the show encourages viewers to learn about the past, understand the present, and reimagine the future — focusing on the Declaration’s ideals of solidarity and equity.

“These were not a reality in 1776 and they’re not a reality today, yet they are so much a part of our identity as Americans and who we believe we are,”

Ashley Shaw Scott Adjaye, co-founder of The Stories of Us, says. “This is a critical time in American history where it feels like we are so often set up for conflict, rather than for curiosity, for solidarity, this willingness to extend grace to each other. We believe that art has the power to move past some of the barriers we create between each other, whether it’s religion, or our gender, or our race, ethnicity. At the end of the day, we are humans and we believe that art has the power of a human language for us to connect.”

Created by Shaw Scott Adjaye and Dennis Marcus, the art education nonprofit’s first-ever exhibit is debuting in Detroit at Capitol Park through July 7, then moving to Valade Park from July 9-Aug. 15, and finally will be on display at the Afro Nation Detroit festival from

Aug. 18-19. After Detroit, the exhibit will travel to Atlanta and other U.S. cities over the next year and a half, growing to feature 50 sculptures by 2026.

The initial exhibition showcases works by Detroit artists that highlight the city’s diverse talent across generations and backgrounds. Featured artists include Peter Daniel Bernal, Darius Baber, Shirley Woodson, Senghor Reid, Khary Mason, Cailyn Dawson, Ackeem Salmon, Juniper Jones, Nicole Macdonald, DeAnn Wiley, and Hubert Massey.

In the making for 18 months, these artists collaborated on their sculptures in the undeveloped third floor of the city’s newly revitalized Book Tower.

“We got to really feed off of each others’ energy and creativity, share information and experience,” Reid says. “To be able to do that and not work on

these pieces in isolation, I think makes this project even more real.”

For the project, Reid collaborated with his mother, Shirley Woodson, on a piece titled “Ancestral Journeys” under the theme “Emancipation,” a mixedmedia sculpture of historic family photographs and painting.

“I’m a painter and my mom is a painter as well, but my mother has a large body of collage work where she uses ancestral photographs,” Reid says. “We have a family reunion every year, coming up on our 50th year pretty soon, but my mom is a part of the historical committee. So, for years, she and another cousin of mine were responsible for going to the library, looking up old census records, traveling down to Pulaski, Tennessee where my family’s from, to really discover and really identify key

The debut exhibit in Capitol Park showcases 10 large-scale sculptures reflecting on America’s past, present, and future.

COURTESY PHOTO

people in our lineage, trying to go back as far as we can. In doing so, in talking to her aunts and people who were still alive at the time, they started sending her all these photographs from the late 1800s and early 1900s and she started creating this body of collage works. For this project, using my mother’s approach and some of those photographs, we thought it would fit perfectly with the theme of emancipation.”

Reid describes the process of creating the sculpture as “painstaking” and “challenging,” yet entirely rewarding.

“Artists love being challenged,” Reid says. “I loved every minute of it and it really turned out even better than I could have ever imagined. I just love the way it came together and really allowed for my mom and I to really tell the visual narrative in the way that we have intended from the beginning.”

He adds, “It means a lot because I’m able to connect with my family. I mean, so many African Americans, their knowledge of their ancestral lineage only goes back so far due to enslavement. So, to know that I have these ancestors who were farmers, who at the time were very successful farmers, had all of these creative skills, I mean it’s very empowering for me to know that I can draw strength from all that they had to go through and persevere through so that I could be here today making art.”

driving around Detroit, seeing all of the different murals and the Heidelberg Project and just how it kind of ignited my curiosity into expression and art,” Wiley says. “I thought about their roles, all the artists around Detroit, known and unknown, and what their role was in creating this society and how it impacted me as a child to now be an artist in my 30s.”

When it comes to the entire Stories of Us exhibition wanting people to look forward, Wiley emphasizes the importance of children in shaping the future.

“I think that children move the needle forward, and so I wanted to appeal to children, speak to children, hopefully empower children, so that’s why I depicted a bunch of little Black kids around this neighborhood, and they’re responsible, and they each have a role in kind of what they’re doing to create this little world in the scene,” she says. “It’s very important for me to have children and characters of all abilities, skin tones, body shapes, and everything like that in my art. That’s how I let those people who are usually kind of left out, know that they are important, that they belong in the art.”

The opening of Stories of Us in Detroit is significant for the organizers and artists, as the rich culture, creativity, and history of the city is reflected in the exhibition’s themes and overall mission.

Declaration of Independence

18-19. After Detroit, the exhibit travel to Atlanta and other U.S. cit the next year and a half, grow feature 50 sculptures by 2026. initial exhibition showcases by Detroit artists that highlight city’s diverse talent across genera and backgrounds. Featured artists Peter Daniel Bernal, Darius Shirley Woodson, Senghor Reid, Mason, Cailyn Dawson, Ackeem Juniper Jones, Nicole Macdon DeAnn Wiley, and Hubert Massey. making for 18 months, these collaborated on their sculptures undeveloped third floor of the newly revitalized Book Tower. got to really feed off of each energy and creativity, share information and experience,” Reid says. able to do that and not work on present, and future.

June 19-25, 2024 | metrotimes.com

The larger-than-life talking drum sculptures featured in Stories of Us exhibition were designed by Jomo Tariku to celebrate the drum’s role in bringing people together across cultures and time.

“During enslavement, many plantations banned the use of the drum because we were able to communicate to enslaved Africans in other plantations,” Reid says. “To be able to have this kind of form and for us as artists to create this imagery to tell the story, and then for these drums to travel to another city and have another group of artists speak through the drums – it’s beautiful. To be a part of it is truly an honor.”

DeAnn Wiley, a Detroit painter, digital artist, and children’s book illustrator, created a sculpture titled “Letter to Tyree Guyton” under the theme “Me Reimagined.” The piece features Black children in the McDougall-Hunt neighborhood outside of the artist’s version of the Heidelberg Project, an outdoor art project created by Guyton around three decades ago.

While Wiley says he probably doesn’t know her, she wants her piece to be a thank you to Guyton for impacting her journey to becoming the artist she is today.

“[The theme] made me think about when I was younger, going around,

“When I think about Detroit, I think about resistance and I think about being rooted to something and I think that there’s a lot of spaces where you can clearly see that there’s this gentrification and people kind of moving out, but we still find a way to stay true to the spirit of Detroit, to really stay true to our creativity and our expression,” Wiley says. “I feel so inspired to be from here, and to live here… I think it’s important that it started here.”

“What better place to start than the D?” Reid adds. “Our artistic community in Detroit is so rich, and it’s so active, and it’s been that way for so long. I feel like it’s only natural that it start here… To have all those generations working together to create these forms and to tell this story together is important and it’s what Detroit is all about.”

The Stories of Us co-founders hope the exhibit inspires people to move with purpose, grace, courage, and hope.

“I want people to connect,” Shaw Scott Adjaye says. “I want people to understand that our histories are shared, our present is shared, our future is shared, so it is in our best interest to move into that future with solidarity.”

More information on The Stories of Us is available at thestoriesofus.org.

CULTURE

Savage Love

Bruise Control

By Dan Savage

: Q My question could come across as kink shaming. That is not my intent. I am a habitual self-harmer who is planning to seek therapy. However, I find myself unable to stop comparing attitudes towards the kind of self-harm I’ve engaged in with attitudes toward BDSM pain play. When I was a teenager, I would describe myself as a masochist because I was unaware of the sexual connotations of the word, and I bought into the stereotype that self-harm was only self-harm when it was done by an emo kid cutting themselves with a razor blade. My method was different: blunt force. In my view, the self-harm I engage in is no less ethical or healthy than the kind of “pain play” I’ve read about others engaging in.

My self-harm provides catharsis for the sadness and anger I feel. Sometimes when my negative emotions are intense, I feel as if they will burst my body and I am desperate to release them. In these times I find relief in turning emotional pain into physical pain. I haven’t always done this as safely as I could. Last year, during one of the most difficult years of my life, I failed to consider how the visible marks on my body might bother others. I wound up upsetting my coworkers and now I am facing disciplinary action at work, which has only added to my stress.

I’ve read that people into BDSM engage in pain play in seek of catharsis. I also do it for catharsis. The only difference seems to be the motive. Mine is to cope, and theirs is sexual gratification. I now know how hard I can hit myself without causing lasting injuries. I typically do it alone and discreetly, so non-consenting parties are not involved, and I of course consent to the pain I inflict on myself. Yet what I do is perceived as unhealthy and BDSM pain play is considered healthy. Am I wrong to wonder why that is? I feel that people are told not to judge others for their kinks while I am judged and shamed for what I do safely, consensually, and in private.

—Perplexed About Intensely Nebulous Esoteric Distinctions

P.S. I have very little sexual experience personally due to almost no one finding me attractive.

A: Before I bring in the big guns before I roll out our guest experts — I wanna encourage you to follow through on your plan to see a therapist. Advice columns are great, of course, and the insights and/or dick jokes of a halfway decent advice columnist can help. But your issues — your physical and emotional safety — require more thorough analysis than I could possibly provide for you in this space.

Alright, PAINED, with that said…

I shared your letter with Leigh Cowart, the author of Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose, a terrifically entertaining and insightful book about the different ways different kinds of people seek out different kinds of pain.

“I don’t think PAINED is seeing similarities where there are none,” said Cowart. “What people who practice BDSM do and what PAINED is doing are both ways of using aversive sensation and the brain’s reward system to create a desired emotional state.”

Americans, as Cowart argues in their book, assess consensual suffering — and so much else — using moral judgments that aren’t always consistent or logical. People who seek out pain in socially sanctioned ways, e.g., long-distance runners, mixed martial artists, celebrities who go on chat shows and eat chicken wings slathered in extreme hot sauces, are looked up to — particularly when their pain-seeking behaviors “[come] draped in the dignity of athleticism,” as Cowart puts it — while BDSM players are subjected to a lot of judgment and shame.

Now, numerous studies have shown that BDSM players are just as emotionally healthy as vanilla people, which is why mental health professionals no longer pathologize people into consensual sadomasochism. But kink muggles don’t admire kinksters the same way they admire, say, long-distance runners. A masochist and a marathoner may push themselves to their limits for similar reasons — both may be seeking the rush of endorphins freely chosen pain can induce, both may be seeking the kind of emotional catharsis freely chosen pain can provide.

“While pain on purpose for emotional benefit is common and normal, and while it is not inherently harmful,” Cowart said, “it can be harmful — so it deserves a thoughtful risk analysis to assess for avoidable dangers.”

To that end, PAINED, Cowart wants you — they want any person seeking out pain on purpose — to think about these questions:

• “Am I emotionally regulated enough to safely give myself catharsis through pain?”

• “Am I looking to feel pain that is temporary or am I risking harm with lasting effects?”

• “Do I feel like I can stop or does this feel compulsive?”

No one wants to see of themselves as damaged, PAINED, which means you’ll have to be on your guard against rationalizing behaviors that actually might be compulsive and harmful — and if you’re showing up to work covered in bruises so alarming you might lose your job over them, that points to compulsive and harmful. So, I would urge you not to engage in solo pain play — if that’s how you wanna think of it for now — while you think about Cowart’s questions and wait for your first appointment with your therapist.

Cowart had another suggestion for you: If you are emotionally wellregulated, if you aren’t doing yourself lasting harm, and you — and your therapist — don’t think this is compulsive behavior, you should find some like-minded friends.

“Generally speaking, in potentially risky situations — be it BDSM or rock climbing or swimming or fight club humans mitigate risk with the buddy system,” said Cowart. “If you’re going to do something dangerous, you want to be able to say, ‘Hey watch this!’, before you jump, in case someone needs to save your life. If PAINED explored pain catharsis in a more social, structured environment, where there are more explicitly defined boundaries for engagement, he may find deepening catharsis through pain shared.”

Your local BDSM group is a good place to find the kind of social, structured environment Cowart is talking about. Most people at the munch you’ll attend first and the play party you might attend later will be sexually aroused by BDSM, PAINED, but in every large kink group there are serious players who are seeking emotional release, not sexual release.

Now, for a second opinion, we turn to another Leigh: Leigh Wakeford, a

California-based psychotherapist who specializes in shame-resilience work with queer and kinky or kink-curious couples and individuals.

“I am sorry to hear that PAINED feels judged and shamed for the way in which they have learned to cope with their sadness and anger,” said Wakeford, “and how their relationship to pain compares to the kind of pain experienced by partners engaging in BDSM pain-play, is a valid thing to contemplate.”

There are, however, easily identifiable makers that can help to distinguish healthy BDSM play — which may or may not include consensual and controlled pain play — from emotional or physical abuse.

“Pain-play in BDSM operates within clearly defined boundaries and collaborative parameters that allow for pain to be safely expressed and experienced between the consenting partners,” said Wakeford. “These ‘rules’ make the interaction with pain playful, pleasurable, and potentially transformative. And there’s a greater degree of safety when these things are experienced with another than is possible when engaging in these things alone. What comes to mind for me here are the numerous kinksters who have lost their lives during solo ‘breath control’ play due to the very fact that another was not present to safely assist and witness.”

So, it’s unanimous: Cowart, Wakeford, and Savage all vote for finding friends who share your interest in safe, sane, and consensual impact play. Connecting with others who share your need for for release through pain — even if it takes some effort to find them — will not just make you safer, PAINED, it will transform something that currently isolates you from others into something that helps you connect with others.

Good luck.

P.S. Kink scenes tend to be more welcoming spaces for people who don’t feel conventionally attractive. For many in the kink scene, PAINED, it’s your ability to safely dish it out (your skill set as a Dom) and/or your ability to take it (your appetite as a sub) that matters most, not your jawline or your waistline.

Follow Leigh Cowart on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter @voraciousbrain.

Read the full column online at savage. love.

Got problems? Yes, you do! Email your question for the column to mailbox@ savage.love! Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/ askdan! Podcasts, columns, and more at Savage.Love.

CULTURE Free Will Astrology

By Rob Brezsny

ARIES: March 21 – April 19

I love being logical and reasonable! The scientific method is one of my favorite ways to understand how the world works. I am a big fan of trying to ascertain the objective facts about any situation I am in. However, I also love being intuitive and open to mystical perceptions. I don’t trust every one of my feelings as an infallible source of truth, but I rely on them a lot to guide my decisions. And I also believe that it’s sometimes impossible to figure out the objective facts. In the coming weeks, Aries, I suggest you give more weight than usual to the second set of perspectives I described. Don’t be crazily illogical, but proceed as if logic alone won’t provide the insights you need most.

TAURUS: April 20 – May 20

In their book Your Symphony of Selves, Jordan Gruber and James Fadiman propose a refreshing theory

about human nature. They say that each of us is a community of multiple selves. It’s perfectly natural and healthy for us to be an amalgam of various voices, each with distinctive needs and forms of expression. We should celebrate our multifaceted identity and honor the richness it affords us. According to my analysis of astrological omens, the coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to exult in your own symphony of selves and make it a central feature of your self-understanding.

GEMINI: May 21 – June 20

serendipitous inspirations. This is the approach I recommend for you in the coming weeks, dear Leo.

VIRGO: August 23 – Sept. 22

Does any person or institution own a part of you? Has anyone stolen some of your power? Does anyone insist that only they can give you what you need? If there are people who fit those descriptions, Virgo, the coming weeks will be an excellent time to fix the problems. According to my understanding of life’s rhythms, you can summon the ingenuity and strength to reclaim what rightfully belongs to you. You can recover any sovereignty and authority you may have surrendered or lost.

LIBRA: Sept. 23 – Oct. 22

healing medicine and not a chaotic disruptor.

CAPRICORN: Dec. 22 – Jan. 19

I’m in NYC with Sarah, taking in Broadway, Museums, a variety of ethnic cuisine, and timeless bars. See you next week. Happy summer solstice!! ICE COLD BEER!!

3PM-2AM EVERY DAY

In the second half of 2012 and the first half of 2013, you launched a journey that will finally culminate soon. What a long, strange, and interesting trip it has been! The innovations you activated during that time have mostly ripened, though not entirely. The hopes that arose in you have brought mixed results, but the predominant themes have been entertaining lessons and soulful success. I hope you will give yourself a congratulatory gift, dear Gemini. I hope you will luxuriate in a ritual celebration to commemorate your epic journey. The process hasn’t been perfect, but even the imperfections have been magical additions to your life story.

CANCER: June 21 – July 22

I suspect you may have metaphorical resemblances to a lightning rod in the coming weeks. Just in case I’m right, I urge you not to stroll across open fields during thunderstorms. On the other hand, I recommend that you be fully available to receive bolts of inspiration and insight. Put yourself in the presence of fascinating events, intriguing people, and stirring art. Make yourself ready and eager for the marvelous.

LEO: July 23 – August 22

“It’s hard to get lost if you don’t know where you’re going,” said experimental filmmaker Jim Jarmusch. He’s implying that there’s potential value in getting lost. Unexpected discoveries might arrive that contribute to the creative process. But that will only happen if you first have a clear vision of where you’re headed. Jarmusch’s movies benefit from this approach. They’re fun for me to watch because he knows exactly what he wants to create but is also willing to get lost and wander around in search of

In ancient Greek myth, Sisyphus was a forlorn character punished by the gods. He was required to push a boulder from the bottom to the top of a hill. But each time he neared the peak, the big rock, which had been enchanted by the crabby god Zeus, slipped away and rolled back down the hill. The story says that Sisyphus had to do this for all eternity. If there have been even minor similarities between you and him, Libra, that will change in the coming months. I predict you will finally succeed — is this your fifth attempt? — in finishing a task or project that has, up until now, been frustrating.

SCORPIO: Oct. 23 – Nov. 21:

Is it possible to reap spiritual epiphanies while having sex? Can intense physical pleasure be a meditation that provokes enlightened awareness? Can joy and bliss bring learning experiences as valuable as teachings that arise from suffering? Here are my answers to those three questions, Scorpio, especially for you during the next four weeks: yes, yes, and yes. My astrological ruminations tell me that you are primed to harvest divine favors as you quest for delight.

SAGITTARIUS: Nov. 22 – Dec. 21

Your animal magnetism and charisma could be wildly potent in the coming weeks. I’m worried that as a result, you may be susceptible to narcissistic feelings of entitlement. You will be extra attractive, maybe even irresistible! But now that you have received my little warning, I hope you will avoid that fate. Instead, you will harness your personal charm to spread blessings everywhere you go. You will activate a generosity of spirit in yourself that awakens and inspires others. Do not underestimate the electrifying energy pouring out of you, Sagittarius. Vow to make it a

I’ve had thousands of crucial teachers. There would be no such thing as me without their lifechanging influences. Among that vast array have been 28 teachers whose wisdom has been especially riveting. I feel gratitude for them every day. And among those 28 have been five geniuses who taught me so much so fast in a short period of time that I am still integrating their lessons. One of those is Capricorn storyteller and mythologist Michael Meade. I offer you these thoughts because I suspect you are close to getting a major download from a guide who can be for you what Meade has been for me. At the very least, you will engage with an educational source akin to my top 28.

AQUARIUS: Jan. 20 – Feb. 18

In one of my previous lifetimes, I was a bricoleur — a collector and seller of junk who re-used the castaway stuff in new ways. That’s one reason why, during my current destiny, I am a passionate advocate for recycling, renewal, and redemption — both in the literal and metaphorical senses. I am tuned in to splendor that might be hidden within decay, treasures that are embedded in trash, and bliss that can be retrieved from pain. So I’m excited about your prospects in the coming weeks, Aquarius. If you so desire, you can specialize in my specialties.

PISCES: Feb.19 – March 20

Some people imagine that being creative means having nonstop spontaneous fun. They think it’s primarily exuberant, adventurous, and liberating. As a person who prizes imaginative artistry, I can testify that this description is accurate some of the time. But more often, the creative process involves meticulous organization and discipline, periods of trial-and-error experimentation, and plenty of doubt and uncertainty. It’s hard work that requires persistence and faith. Having said that, Pisces, I am happy to say you are now in a phase when the freewheeling aspects of creativity will be extra available. You’re more likely than usual to enjoy spontaneous fun while dreaming up novel ideas and fresh approaches. Channel this energy into an art form or simply into the way you live your life.

Homework: If you’d like to give me a gift for my birthday on June 23, consider signing up for my newsletter: Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

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