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NEWS & VIEWS

Tlaib slams big polluters in Detroit for ‘ agrant disregard’ for residents

By Steve Neavling

U.S. REP. RASHIDA Tlaib fired off letters to two big polluters in Detroit on Friday, demanding protections for residents living near the facilities.

The letters — co-written by U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat who is chairman of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Environment — are addressed to U.S. Ecology and Stellantis, both of which have been cited numerous times for environmental contamination.

The letters follow a congressional field hearing in Detroit in August that focused on the two facilities and the role they play in environmental racism.

Detroiters living near U.S. Ecology’s hazardous-waste processing plant at E. Kirby and St. Aubin streets are inundated with dust, pollution, and noise. The plant has received about 35 violations since 2014.

“We are deeply concerned that your company’s actions have confined residents to their homes, some hooked up to breathing machines, because the air outside is rotten, metallic, and fishy, filled with dust and volatile organic compounds,” Tlaib and Khanna wrote.

Despite the violations, nine of which came in the past two years, U.S. Ecology is requesting that Michigan environmental regulators renew its operating permit at the facility.

“This flagrant disregard for the health and well-being of people living near your facility will not be tolerated and should bear heavily on the State of Michigan’s upcoming decision regarding the renewal of your operating permit,” the letter states.

In the letter, the lawmakers questioned what the facility was doing to protect residents.

The lawmakers also wrote a letter to Stellantis, which operates a stenchspewing Jeep assembly plant on the city’s east side.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) slapped Stellantis with seven air quality violation notices since September 2021. Most of the violations stem from stench emitting from the plant.

EGLE is working with Stellantis on a proposed consent order that would requite the automaker to address the nauseating smell that has been wafting from the plant for more than a year.

The lawmakers questioned whether the consent order is sufficient.

“Residents have already expressed disappointment with what they perceive as ‘a great PR move for the company’ that ‘does nothing for the community being impacted by the smells,’” the letter states. “We share residents’ concerns about whether a consent order will effectively hold your company accountable, deter future violations, and deliver clean air and a safe environment for nearby residents.”

Included in the letter are snippets from testimony from residents who live nearby.

“This plant is making us sick,” Robert Shobe, who lives near the plant’s emitting stacks, said at the committee, according to the letter. “I am a cancer patient. I am physically disabled. I suffer from COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]. When the smell comes down around my house, my eyes burn. I have a cough from smelling the paint. I feel a tightness in my chest. I have gotten headaches from the smell, and I have been living as a prisoner in my own house for well over a year.”

Pollution is a widespread problem in the majority-Black city. The University of Michigan School of Public Health estimates that air pollution kills more than 650 Detroiters a year — more than twice the number of residents killed by gun violence annually. Thousands more are hospitalized, and children miss a disproportionate number of days at school because of illnesses and asthma.

Despite the disparate impact of environmental contamination in Detroit, state regulators continue to allow companies to pollute.

R.I.P. Detroit soul singer J.J. Barnes, dead at 79

DETROIT SOUL SINGER J.J. Barnes has died, weeks after what he said would be his final performance. He was 79.

That’s according to his family, who told the Detroit Free Press that he died Saturday.

Barnes was featured on the cover of Metro Times in October ahead of an appearance at the Detroit A-Go-Go festival in Detroit.

The singer told freelance reporter Adam Stanfel that he was retiring from live music due to multiple health issues.

“I’ll never fully retire, but this might be the last in-person appearance I’ll ever make,” Barnes said. “I’m almost blind in one eye, I’ve got high blood pressure, and a bad foot. But I’ve still got my piano at home, and I play and write every day.”

After working with Detroit’s Ric-Tic Records, Barnes scored a hit in 1967 with “Baby Please Come Back Home” on the Groovesville label, which landed on Billboard’s R&B chart and led to Barnes appearing on bills alongside acts like Otis Redding, James Brown, Deon Jackson, and Martha Reeves. Barnes later worked with Motown as a songwriter.

Barnes found a new generation of fans across the Atlantic thanks to the U.K.’s “northern soul” scene, which helped give Barnes’s career a boost in the ’70s and ’80s.

Barnes got another late-career boost many years later when Detroit rock ’n’ roll band the Dirtbombs covered the “Baby Please Come Home” B-side, “Chains of Love,” in 2001. That version of the song was featured in the acclaimed film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly in 2007.

—Lee DeVito

DSO bans attendee who shouted racial slur

THE DETROIT SYMPHONY Orchestra says it plans to ban an attendee for life for shouting a racial slur during a Friday performance.

“The DSO is deeply disappointed by an incident that took place towards the end of Friday night’s concert when an audience member shouted a racial slur,” the DSO said in a message posted to social media Friday evening. “Racism and bigotry have no place in Orchestra Hall, and behavior like this is unacceptable. We are currently investigating and will enact a permanent ban once we identify the ticketholder.”

The DSO added, “Live music is a profoundly human experience that taps into our emotions and provides us all with a sacred space for listening. We apologize that this space was violated. We appreciate our audiences so much and hope to see you back at Orchestra Hall soon.”

A representative from the DSO confirmed to Metro Times that the incident occurred during a concert by Cyrus Chestnut, a pianist from Baltimore who was performing the score from A Charlie Brown Christmas at Orchestra Hall.

—Lee DeVito

Dearborn man charged for ‘anti-semitic’ rant outside synagogue

A DEARBORN MAN was charged with two counts of ethnic intimidation after police say he harassed and threatened Jewish families outside of a Bloomfield Township synagogue and preschool earlier this month.

Hassan Yehia Chokr, 35, was arrested a day after his tirade outside Temple Beth El, where parents were dropping off their children for day care.

“Anti-semitic and racist threats, or ethnic intimidation of any kind, will not be tolerated in our community, and every such incident will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a statement.

Bloomfield Township police officers pulled over Chokr immediately after the incident, and he streamed the encounter live on Instagram.

“I was just asking people if they supported the state of Israel, and they were telling me, ‘Yeah.’ I was telling them, ‘How dare you?’” Chokr said.

He insisted he was there to “express my freedom of religion.”

“I proved my point and left,” he told an officer. “I didn’t start any problems.”

He then called two security officers at the synagogue “[n-word] bitches,” which he described as “slaves to the wrong master.”

Chokr declined to provide identification, saying he did nothing wrong.

He also told the officer that he planned to go to another synagogue, but would not return to Temple Beth El.

The officer didn’t press him, and even gave Chokr a fist-bump before allowing him to go.

According to the group StopAntisemitism, Chokr hurled expletives and derogatory remarks at Jewish people.

The incident comes several days after rapper Kanye West made several antisemitic comments, including telling Alex Jones, “I like Hitler” during the right-wing conspiracy theorist’s show InfoWars.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel pledged Monday to pursue charges against people for hate crimes and domestic terrorism.

“Those who espouse hate and are motivated to commit crimes against specific populations or communities because of that bias threaten the values we hold scared as Americans,” Nessel said. “As Attorney General, I created a dedicated unit to investigate and prosecute bias-motived crimes. My Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism Unit works with federal and local law enforcement partners to ensure crimes of this nature are thoroughly investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. No one should fear for their safety because of who they are, where they worship, who they love — or any ot<her unique attribute that contributes to the diversity of our state.”

—Steve Neavling

Detroit is getting the world’s largest Kwanzaa kinara

FOR YEARS, DETROIT has celebrated the holiday season with an enormous Christmas tree and a 26-foot-tall Hanukkah menorah in downtown’s Campus Martius Park. But one of the largest Black-majority cities in the nation has not celebrated Kwanzaa with a large kinara — until now.

According to a press release, a 30-foottall kinara monument will be erected in Campus Martius Park for the first time this year, believed to be the largest in the world. The monument will be on display for the entire seven days of Kwanzaa, which lasts from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.

A Motor City Kwanzaa celebration is planned from 3-4:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 26 at Beacon Park with a live virtual presentation by Kwanzaa founder Dr. Maulana Karenga, a performance by the African drum and dance group Nanou Djiapo, a demonstration from AlkebuLan Warrior Martial Arts, and remarks by organizers and sponsors.

Officials will then lead a procession to Campus Martius Park for a kinara lighting ceremony at 5 p.m.

The events are free and open to the public.

The development comes two years after Metro Times asked why the city celebrated the holidays with a giant Christmas tree and a menorah, but not a kinara. At the time, the city’s director of arts and culture Rochelle Riley expressed interest in a kinara monument, and surmised that the reason the city had not pursued one earlier was due to financial constraints and a lack of corporate sponsorships.

The kinara monument is made possible by the City of Detroit, the Downtown Detroit Partnership, Alkebu-Ian Village, Councilman Scott Benson, and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

“The Downtown Detroit Partnership, known for programming and managing year-round placemaking initiatives and events within Downtown Detroit’s historic and transformational public spaces and parks, is proud to expand its recognition and inclusion of holiday traditions,” organizers said in a press release. “The creation of the kinara display brings the public together to embrace the city’s rich diversity in the award-winning Campus Martius Park, the site of Detroit’s point of origin now known as Detroit’s Gathering Place and a destination for more than 4.5 million residents and visitors annually.”

While Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday, observers say everyone can learn from its seven principles, the Nguzo Saba: Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith).

“I have observed Kwanzaa annually for years and am happy to be part of the DDP Parks team to support all of the involved entities to bring this positive beacon to the heart of the city,” DDP producer Njia Kia said in a statement. “Everyone is welcome to embrace Kwanzaa’s principles, which are universal, and celebrate the lighting of the black candle signifying unity on Day One of Kwanzaa.”

—Lee DeVito

More information is available at alkebulanvillage.com/kinara.

NEWS & VIEWS

Due to Detroit City Council, many residents are stuck playing a waiting game.

Letter from the editor

CITY OF DETROIT

Detroit City Council, don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good

We love French words here in

metro Detroit, even if most of us don’t pronounce them correctly. A phrase I’ve been thinking about a lot lately has its roots in a French proverb attributed to Voltaire (who apparently cribbed it from the Italians): “l’ennemi du bien est le bien,” or “the best is the enemy of the good.”

The phrase is used to describe how people can get caught up in chasing perfection, but as a result never accomplish anything — something that has been on my mind following recent developments from Detroit City Council and Mayor Mike Duggan, who have become embroiled in a public feud unlike any we’ve seen in recent years.

Last week, Duggan and City Council President Mary Sheffield traded barbs following Council’s 11th-hour decision during a Nov. 22 meeting to terminate a nearly $50 million contract with Transdev, a French company that provides transportation services for the city’s residents with disabilities. The move left among about 1,000 residents who rely on the services daily with an uncertain future, just as Council adjourned on its holiday break until the new year.

Adding insult to injury, the Federal Transit Administration said such a move was a violation of federal law. Duggan was understandably pissed, leading him to issue this zinger: “We’re dealing with a dysfunctional City Council for the first time in nine years, I’ve got to get adjusted to that,” he told reporters at a news conference last Tuesday.

Sheffield responded to Duggan in a statement Wednesday, calling it a “travesty to arrive at a point that a fellow elected official deems it necessary to attack members of Council for faithfully discharging their duties and representing their constituents,” adding, “Unfortunately, intimidating that City Council is ‘dysfunctional’ or that the Administration has to clean up ‘Council’s mess’ is a false narrative, shameful and highly inappropriate rhetoric directed towards a duly elected body.”

Now, we think calling City Council “dysfunctional” for trying to do the right thing is unfair. (Recall that multiple members of the previous City Council were investigated by the FBI for corruption, and Andre Spivey and Gabe Leland were sentenced for bribery.) And it seems Council had good reason to give Transdev the boot, including alleged subpar service and for hiring drivers accused of sexual misconduct. Councilwoman Gabriela Santiago-Romero said she changed her vote to reject the contract after reading communications from her constituents in the disabled community, as well as transit advocates.

“I believe we were presented with a false choice: either to pass a contract for a company with a poor history of service delivery or vote for a 70% reduction in services,” Santiago-Romero said in a statement. “It is the Administration’s job to do their due diligence to provide Council with an amended Transdev contract or an expedited process to seek other vendors. It is our job as Council to consider all options — beyond this one false choice — and be given the time and required detailed information to make the decision on behalf of the people this will most impact.”

Using executive powers available in public emergencies, Duggan was able to quickly line up a package of contracts with four other transit providers, though at a higher cost, up from $4.7 million to $5.8 million for six months, according to Axios. The city will start looking for a better long-term paratransit service provider in 2023. Still, the resulting spat was quite possibly the worst since council president pro tempore Monica Conyers insulted council president Ken Cockrel, Jr. by calling him “Shrek,” after the famous animated ogre, during a heated exchange in a 2008 meeting.

The incident also recalled another from recent memory. In 2018, Michigan voters approved cannabis sales for adult use in municipalities that chose to allow them. Detroit has had medical cannabis provisioning centers after voters approved that measure in 2008, many of which were banking on the city to allow adult use sales so they could generate more money.

But four years later, Detroit still doesn’t have adult-use dispensaries, forcing customers to head to the suburbs (or the black market). That’s because efforts led by Council President pro Tem James Tate to allow adult-use sales in the city have stalled twice. Tate was trying to help people from communities harmed the most by the racist war on drugs — like Detroit — by creating an ordinance that would give them a leg-up, offering long-time residents priority in licensing.

It was a nice idea in theory, but an absolute failure in practice. In March 2021, a resident who lived in the city for 11 out of the past 30 years sued, arguing that she would be denied a license due to the policy. A federal judge agreed, saying Detroit’s ordinance was “likely unconstitutional.” In April of this year, the city revised the ordinance by dividing applicants into “equity” and “non-quity” tracks so they aren’t competing with each other for limited licenses, but the ordinance also restricted the city’s existing medical dispensaries from converting their licenses to adult-use until 2027. Unsurprisingly, this drew even more lawsuits, though a judge eventually dismissed the suits.

So now dispensaries are, allegedly, finally on the way in Detroit. We’ll believe it when we see them. Suffice it to say the Motor City is late to the weed game, and due to oversaturation of the market, cannabis prices have since plummeted. So when Detroit’s dispensaries finally do open, it might not be as lucrative of a business. In the meantime, businesses that have been holding out for years for Detroit to open up its adult use cannabis market have been forced to give up their dreams, unable to wait any longer. That’s according to a June Politico cover story headlined “The Unintended Consequence of Trying to Give Black Marijuana Entrepreneurs a Head Start.”

Of course, Detroit City Council is not wrong to try and do better for the city’s residents. But in both instances, in holding out for better, City Council wound up leaving residents who are among the city’s most vulnerable with nothing, instead of a flawed thing.

By Lee DeV ito