Metro Times 03/15/2023

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Fri 03/17 ST. PATTY’S DAY SHOW! NUKE AND THE LIVING DEAD (REUNION)

THE ZOTS/BLATSY’S BACKROAD

Doors@9pm/$5 Cover

TULLAMORE DEW DRINK SPECIALS FOOD BY PIETRZYK PIEROGI

FIREBALL FRIDAY’S!

$5 FIREBALL SHOTS ALL DAY!

Sat 03/18

BANGERZ & JAMZ

MONTHLY DANCE PARTY W/ ALL LADY DJS!

Doors@9pm/$5 Cover Happy Birthday, DONNY!

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Tues 03/21 B.Y.O.R.

BRING YOUR OWN RECORDS (WEEKLY)

Open Decks @9pm/NO COVER IG: @byor_tuesdays_old_miami

Happy Birthday, TATIANA & NELLY!

Coming Up: 03/24 CINECYDE/THE HOURLIES/ SEARCH & DESTROY 03/25 ASKELPLIUS (SMILEY’S B-DAY SHOW)

03/26 NAIN ROUGE PARADE PARTY W/BANGERZ & JAMZ

03/31 MATT BASTERDSON/ jo serrapere & the lafawndas/ phil profitt & his fast fortunes 04/01 PARKHOUSE NIGHT 04/06 TIGERS

NEWS & VIEWS

We received comments in response to last week’s cover story on Richie Hawtin by contributor Michaelangelo Matos. Hawtin, an electronic music artist, launched a “warehouse”-style tour in Detroit meant to be reminiscent of the early days of techno.

I guess he didn’t sell enough of those $800 sweatshirts? Cant capture what we had in the 90’s. It was like our Woodstock. stereonmymind, Reddit

what a weird comment. we’re not trying to capture anything from the 90s. we’re trying to enjoy techno music in [2023].

—eoswald, Reddit

Everyone i knew from the scene never stopped enjoying techno. Richie is out of touch lately hence the sweatshirt mention. It was ludicrous. None of the fans who packed the warehouses could afford it. He forgot his roots if you ask me. I still appreciate the memories of seeing Plastikman on nye in Detroit years ago but, a “warehouse party” it just wont be. Not like it was anyway.

stereonmymind, Reddit

Really outstanding work, as always! Fun to compare this with the piece I did on Rich when he was 33 (almost 20 years ago!) for MT

—Robert Gorell, Facebook

Sound off: letters@metrotimes.com.

2023 | metrotimes.com

NEWS & VIEWS

‘People hate me,’ MSU shooter wrote in letter

BEFORE HE WENT on a shooting rampage at Michigan State University, Anthony McRae wrote a letter in which he described himself as a sexually frustrated “outcast” whom people hated.

The two-page letter was found in his pocket after he turned a handgun on himself while police tried to arrest him a few miles from campus.

Police on Friday released the partially redacted letter, which was dated Feb. 12, a day before the shooting.

“Why do people hate me?” the 43-year-old wrote. “They never accepted me.”

McRae complained that “people treat me different” and said he hadn’t had sex for 10 years.

He said people “made me … a killer.”

McRae, who was Black, also said mentioned race and said, “fuck all you racist motherfuckers.”

“I don’t want to be an African American,” he wrote.

Although he described himself as

Funeral home owner files lawsuit against AG

THE OWNER OF a funeral home in Ypsilanti is suing Attorney General Dana Nessel and a state agency for malicious prosecution, alleging he was charged with a crime he could not have committed.

O’Neil Swanson, of West Bloomfield, was charged in November 2021 with failing to dispose of human remains within the required 180 days.

In November 2021, Washtenaw County District Judge J. Cedric Simpson dismissed the case, saying prosecutors failed to provide evidence to support the charges.

Swanson’s attorney, Gregory J. Rohl, said his client was targeted for political gain and because he’s Black.

“Nessel, who has harbored a longtime feud against Swanson, initially charged him with a 10-year felony alleging that he failed to dispose of a body at his crematorium,” Rohl told Metro Times in a written statement

Wednesday. “A simple review of records would have revealed however, that the body remains in question had been at the crematory business over 600 days prior to Swanson even assuming control of the business from its prior white proprietors.”

The charges are related to the remains of a woman who died in December 2018. The body was dropped off at Tri-County Cremation Services in Ypsilanti Township — more than a year before Swanson had an ownership stake in the facility.

Under state law, a body must be buried or cremated within 180 days.

The funeral director at the time, John Ozslewski, who is white, was never investigated or charged — even though the state’s Licensing and Regulatory Agency (LARA) knew the remains were not disposed of, according to the lawsuit.

The remains stayed at the facility

until they were seized by LARA in June 2021. The family never recovered the body or secured the proper paperwork for cremation, according to the lawsuit.

LARA is also a defendant in the suit, which was filed in the Michigan Court of Claims.

“The state cannot allow conditions to exist for the creation of a crime,” Simpson said when he dismissed the charges. “LARA let this linger on and on and on until ... all of a sudden there was somebody who was in front of them who they may not like.”

Swanson tells Metro Times that the state’s actions made him lose his faith in the justice system.

“What’s really sad about this is that these people are supposed to be protecting citizens and making sure real criminals are held liable for their conduct,” Swanson says. “This

a loner, McRae claimed he was the leader of a group of 20 that planned to carry out shootings in Lansing, East Lansing, DeWitt, Colorado Springs, and New Jersey. The “list of our targets” was redacted.

Police have repeatedly said McRae, who has a history of mental health issues, acted alone and that there’s no evidence that he belonged to a larger group of potential killers.

The letter also included drawings of a face with tears.

Killed in the shooting were MSU students Arielle Anderson, 19, of Harper Woods; Brian Fraser, 20, of Grosse Pointe; and Alexandria Verner, 20, of Clawson.

McRae also critically wounded five other students. Three of them have since been released.

When police found him walking toward his home after the shooting, he was carrying two unregistered handguns, nine magazines filled with ammunition, two bus tickets, and the letter.

—Steve Neavling

case shows that is not always going on in our justice system. My belief is that the system is broken.”

Rohl said Nessel should resign.

“Aside from monetary recovery, the Swansons seek an apology from Dana Nessel and encourage her to step down as she is not fit to serve,” Rohl said.

Metro Times couldn’t reach Nessel’s office for comment.

Swanson also owns a now-vacant funeral home in Flint where urban explorers found the body of what appeared to be a metal scrapper in January 2020.

LARA suspended the mortuary science license for the Swanson Funeral Home in Flint in July 2017 after inspectors said they found unrefrigerated human bodies, maggots, blood-stained casket pillows, and an unsanitary preparation room.

—Steve Neavling

A sexually frustrated “outcast,” Anthony McRae complained that no one liked him. MSU POLICE

Opinion: It’s not just its failing infrastructure — DTE has a communications problem

FOR TWO WEEKS, DTE Energy has been the villain in many Detroiters’ superhero origin stories.

They certainly are in mine.

I thought my woes with DTE would end when my power was restored after losing it for about 80 hours during the ice storm that left nearly 750,000 Michigan households shivering in the dark last month. But a week later, I found myself in a similar, and more dangerous situation.

During what social media has dubbed a “snunderstorm” on Friday, March 3, a tree limb fell from my neighbor’s yard into mine, taking down a power line with it. The wire not only pulled away from my home, but was resting on my car and the roof of my garage. I discovered it on Saturday morning and reported it to DTE, and then began the waiting game.

On Monday, March 6, I called for an update and the agent told me she would escalate the report. Just after midnight, DTE workers finally arrived to tape off the hazard that was my backyard. On Tuesday, March 7, I called a close relative who retired from DTE Energy to see if they could do anything to move the case along, who said they would call a supervisor who still worked at the company. It took four phone calls, three days, two escalations, and a personal favor before DTE workers arrived at my house to fix the power line on Tuesday evening.

I was told by a DTE field worker that my backyard should have been taped the same day I made the initial report due to the hazard. Instead, my yard was left exposed for days, although that is not the claim that DTE’s corporate office is making.

In a statement to Metro Times, DTE says a team was sent out “shortly after” the issue was reported and despite the downed wire resting on the roof of my garage and my car, it wasn’t an immediate issue because my power was still connected.

“Shortly after you reported your issue, a DTE team came to your home and taped off the area around the wire to help keep you safe,” said Dave Akerly, Senior Communications Strategist at DTE Energy. “In storm restoration conditions, we prioritize securing pole to pole downed wires as an immediate hazard because of the high voltage risk to the public.

Over the last 5 days, we restored over 220,000 customers including 18,000 customers in a situation similar to yours. Whereas, the service line (pole to house wire) was down, however, the customer had power. This is not considered an immediate hazard based on our service standards. Per our procedure, we address pole to pole wire down, customers with no power, then shift our resources to this next level of service restoration. For additional safety, we pre-flight these jobs, secure the area with yellow barrier (caution) tape and arrange for a crew to return to make final repairs.”

But DTE isn’t the problem — at least according to them. All these frequent power outages are the result of the weather, the company claims, not its failing infrastructure. It’s not just DTE’s infrastructure that needs improving — it’s their internal communication and protocols that need to be repaired as well. DTE telling me to stay 25 feet away from the wire while also saying the downed line didn’t pose an immediate hazard doesn’t exactly make sense. Two weeks ago, a Paw Paw firefighter was electrocuted after answering a call about a down power line.

I can’t help but wonder if DTE would still insist a wire on top of my car and roof was not an “immediate hazard” if it began to spark during the rainstorm we had after my initial call. Would they still stand behind taping my yard off days later if one of my neighbor’s children wandered into my yard and decided to touch the wire?

I can only wonder if the response would have been more pressing had I lived in a suburban city on the north side of Eight Mile Road, instead of in a seemingly low-priority Detroit neighborhood.

Of course, criticisms of DTE aren’t anything new. In October, around the same time DTE Energy began to push for an 8.8% rate increase, it was revealed the company donated money to 138 Michigan lawmakers — there are 148 in total. In December, Attorney General Dana Nessel fought to reject a proposal from the company that would have allowed customers to prepay their bills at the risk of lower income residents being subject to gas and electric shutoffs. Moving into the new year, it was reported that DTE cut

off power to 128,000 customers in the first 10 months of 2022, the third highest number of shutoffs from an electric company nationwide.

I worry about the people who aren’t like me, the ones who don’t have jobs that can put them directly in touch with DTE executives for comments. I worry about the people who don’t

have family or friends who worked for the company, and can call in favors to get their utility problems solved; or the families that only have one car and have to lose out on several days worth of income because their vehicle is trapped under a live wire. What do they do?

—Alex Washington

Eastpointe mayor charged

EASTPOINTE MAYOR MONIQUE Owens was charged last week with a felony after prosecutors alleged she fraudulently applied for a $10,000 COVID-19 CARES Act grant.

Owens faces up to five years in prison and a $20,000 fine if convicted.

She was arraigned Thursday on one count of false pretenses in 41-B District Court in Clinton Township .

The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office alleges Owens falsified information on her application for a CARES Act grant in November 2020.

“I will not shy away from public corruption cases,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said in a statement. “This is not the first time my office has authorized charges involving a public servant during my two years as a county prosecutor. I ran for office to clean up public corruption.”

In 2019, Owens became the city’s youngest and first Black mayor.

Her time in office has been marked with controversy. She often clashes with other council members, and in November 2022, four Eastpointe residents filed a federal lawsuit against her for refusing to let them speak during a public comment period at a city council meeting.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit alleges Owens violated the First and Fourteenth Amendment rights of four residents who tried to criticize Owens at a public meeting in September.

A preliminary hearing in the criminal case is set for April 11.

Metro Times couldn’t reach Owens for comment.

—Steve Neavling

ALEX WASHINGTON

NEWS & VIEWS

ages, they could sell individual telecasts on a game-by-game basis, in the payper-view method used by boxing and other fighting sports.

How much would you pay to watch the telecast of Opening Day at Comerica Park? Maybe $2? How about $5?

Once upon a time, skeptics said Detroit fans would never pay for sports on TV. Then came ON-TV, PASS, Fox Sports, and, for now, Bally. Hey, they could even sell single telecasts with “dynamic pricing,” the way they now sell tickets at Comerica Park.

“Dynamic pricing” — an unlimited cost ceiling, whatever the market will bear — used to be called “ticket scalping.” Like marijuana, pornography, and sports gambling, “dynamic pricing” was once illegal. In that “dynamic pricing” is now legit, why not take it to the next level on one-time telecast sales of sports games?

By the time they figure this all out, the sports television industry may see its biggest revolution since the 1980s, when cable emerged as a money fountain for professional and college leagues. But “cord-cutting” is changing that decades-old business model.

Metro Detroit TV picture is fuzzy for Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings

Sports fans in metro Detroit in recent seasons may have noticed fewer Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings telecasts on Bally Sports Detroit.

More games now leak out to longestablished cable networks like TNT or ESPN. Carried by most cable systems, they are generally easy to find on your television.

But a few games also are trickling onto streaming services like Peacock, Apple, and Hulu. These outlets are harder to find. You pay more for them, too. And they might not let you record the telecast or easily surf other channels during commercials or intermissions.

If that annoys or confuses you, get used to it.

Fans around Michigan — and many other major-league sports markets — may soon encounter major confusion and a big price spike because a company called Diamond Sports Group may file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Wednesday, March 15.

Diamond owns Bally Sports Detroit and Diamond is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Last month, Dia-

By Joe Lapointe

mond missed an interest payment of $140 million on debt of close to $9 billion, according to The New York Times, and owes about $2 billion this year in rights fees.

The Tigers are one of 14 Major League Baseball franchises carried by Bally. Locally, the channel was known as “Fox Sports Detroit” until Sinclair sold “naming rights” in 2020 to gambling promoters.

Nationwide, Bally televises 42 teams in MLB, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League, including the Pistons and Red Wings. But for how long?

The web site Sportico reported last month that, during its last earnings call, “Diamond said it has enough money to power its way through the end of 2023, although it warned investors that its estimates are largely dependent on macroeconomic headwinds.”

Another warning came from Rob Manfred, commissioner of MLB, who told reporters: “If Diamond doesn’t pay under every single one of the broadcast agreements, that creates a termination right and our clubs will proceed to

terminate those contracts.”

What might this mean for Detroit baseball fans, who expect Bally Sports Detroit to begin showing the regular season Tigers’ games beginning on March 30 at Tampa Bay?

In the short term, all partners and creditors could keep the Bally system intact for now — if and when Bally reorganizes under Chapter 11.

Another option for baseball season would be for the MLB television network to pick up some or all of Bally’s local rights, produce those games itself, and market them without local blackout through cable or satellite systems.

But, eventually, local sports fans may have to subscribe to internet apps by the year, by the month or even by the game to view their teams on streams through the internet.

And if you are already a cord-cutter, Bally Sports Detroit already has a just-launched app for you: Bally Sports Plus for $19.99 per month or $189.99 per year. Please excuse or ignore all the glitches.

Think about where all this might lead. In addition to subscription pack-

This tectonic shift in TV sports comes in part because cable subscriptions have dropped in the last decade from 100 million homes to 70 million. Companies like Diamond (and Bally) feel squeezed by a shrinking subscriber base reluctant to pay more (in their “cable bundle”) for sports that they don’t want to watch.

Spinning regional sports networks off cable and onto a streaming service would force the sports viewers to bear more of the cost and not share it with non-fans.

And in an age of viewing-on-demand without commercials, a live sports event remains a valuable property because each game is a unique and unscripted drama that forces its live audience to endure ads for alcohol, injury lawyers, and gambling casinos.

It would be good to hear from Bally Sports Detroit about its contingency plans for the near future as well as its long-term outlook, but interview requests to them in recent days have been politely declined.

BSD executives referred questions to Diamond corporate vice-president Whitney Burak, who wrote in an email: “We are not providing comment right now related to Diamond financials.”

Come what may, after this all shakes out, rest assured that the promoters of baseball, basketball, and hockey will figure out some way to sell us their televised games. The money will still be there for sports TV, but the flow is about to change.

Things could get weird if Diamond Sports Group files for bankruptcy.

SHUTTERSTOCK

EMPLOYMENT

Industrial Engineer-Motor Drives, Brose North America, Auburn Hills, MI. Plan & prepare industrial production schedules for high volume manufacture of proprietary, Brose electric power steering (EPS) motors, cooling fan modules (CFM), antilock braking systems (ABS) motors, & heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) motors w/ rare earth materials for hybrid electric vehicles, diesel & internal combustion engine small & large psgr cars, trucks, commercial vehicles, SUVs, minivans, & sports cars. Assure product & material qlty reqmts & GD& T at plants in N.A. producing & addressing lifecycle assy processes of EPS, CFM, ABS & HVAC syss. Plan production machinery, internal mfg sys & sub-supplier assy, & assure chemical engrg & environmental compliance. Investigate & improve plant areas to optimize air pollution control, aerosol dynamics, atmospheric chemistry, emission control, air pollution control strategy design, & cptr modeling at mfg plant level. Assure successful launch of new products incl. but not limited to cost optimization, setting & achievement of targets & deadlines, qlty, & production volumes. Bachelor, Industrial, Manufacturing, Metallurgical, or Chemical Engrg. 24 mos exp as Engineer, planning production machinery, sub-supplier assy, & assuring chemical engrg & environmental compliance, & investigating or improving plant areas to optimize air pollution control, aerosol dynamics, emission control, & air pollution control strategy design at mfg plant level, or related. Mail resume to Ref#301, Brose, Human Resources, 3933 Automation Ave, Auburn Hills, MI 48326.

EMPLOYMENT

Hardware in the Loop (HIL) Application Engineer, Milford, MI, General Motors. Design, set up &maintain HIL test benches to perform real-time simulations for testing SW on Battery HIL &High Voltage Battery Pack Charging HIL domains, using dSPACE HIL benches, in BEVs. Collect Battery domain HW input &output specs from stakeholders to create electrical designs of HIL test benches. Work w/ SW &HW vendors incl. dSPACE to procure test benches based on design specs. Coordinate MATLAB &Simulink plant models rollout by Simulation team to support Battery domain apps &features, such as charging, high &low power distribution. Design &create wiring harnesses (for dSPACE HIL benches &ECUs) &load boxes, &provide designs to HW teams to verify test bench setup functionality. Make changes to plant models using MATLAB &Simulink, dSPACE ControlDesk, &dSPACE Configuration Desk when users request changes to simulation. Set up &configure instrumentation incl. ETAS 600.1 &592 devices, Lauterbach debugger, Intrepid neoVI FIRE2 &Vector HW devices on test benches. Master, Electrical, Computer Engrg, or related. 12 mos exp as Engineer, designing, setting up &maintaining HIL test benches to perform realtime simulations for dSPACE HIL benches, &creating or coordinating MATLAB &Simulink plant models, or related. Mail resume to Ref#31268-24201, GM Global Mobility, 300 Renaissance Center, MC:482-C32-C66, Detroit, MI 48265.

EMPLOYMENT

Simulation Integration Engineer

- Virtual Electronic Control Unit (vECU), Milford, MI, General Motors. Dvlp, integrate, &release Virtual Hardware in the Loop (VHIL) benches of Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV), on semi-autonomous &autonomous

Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS), Chassis &Body, &Propulsion syss, using dSPACE Veos simulators &MATLAB, Simulink, Stateflow, Virtualizer, ControlDesk, ETAS INCA, Vector CANalyzer, CANoe, &Vehicle Spy tools. Integrate simulation cmpts, Level 4 virtual ECUs (vECUs), plant models, behavioral models, sensor models (Camera, Radar, Ultrasonic, Infrared (IR)) &actuator models, into virtual cmpts, subsyss &full sys benches. Implement open-Loop cmpt benches &verify functionalities of virtual ECUs using Virtualizer, Lauterbach, vINCA, Vector CANoe, &Vehicle Spy tools. Integrate GTSuite, CarSim, MSC Adams, &Amesim plant models. Develop ADAS VHIL benches by integrating vECUs; dSPACE ASM ModelDesk &MotionDesk, Applied Intuition, VIRES, &CARmaker environment models; &sensor models (Camera, Radar, Ultrasonic, IR). Troubleshoot &enable ADAS features incl Ultra Cruise, Super Cruise, Adaptive Cruise, Lane Keep Assist, Park Assist, Auto Emergency Brake, Front Collision Warning Features. Master, Electrical Engrg, Computer &Systems Engrg, Mechanical Engrg, or related. 12 mos exp as Engineer, dvlpg or integrating HIL benches of BEV, on semi-autonomous &autonomous ADAS syss, using dSPACE simulator &MATLAB, Simulink, ETAS INCA, &Vector CANoe tools, or related. Mail resume to Ref#35650-206, GM Global Mobility, 300 Renaissance Center, MC:482-C32-C66, Detroit, MI 48265.

EMPLOYMENT

Controls Design EngineerVehicle Motion Embedded Controls (VMEC), Milford, MI, General Motors. Dvlp controls &diagnostics using C prgrmg language &MATLAB, Simulink, &Stateflow tools, to meet functional reqmts, vehicle specific architecture &sys reqmts of current &future model yr U.S. &global conventional ICE psgr vehicle &BEV embedded ECUs. Optimize controls design through modeling, simulation, data collection, &anlys. Ensure subsys level test reqmts &verification of controls &diagnostic design. Perform embedded ECU testing on test bench &in vehicle, using dSPACE HIL, ETAS INCA, Vehicle Spy, Vector CANape, Vector CANoe tools, to verify functionality at Function, Controller &Sys levels prior to production release. Set technical objectives &tasks to implement production intent SW for infrastructure &platform SW cmpnts supporting communication for GM ECUs in Embedded C, using Git, Gerrit, Jenkins, Eclipse, IBM RTC, &following MISRA CERT C standards. Master, Mechanical, Automotive, Aerospace Engrg, or related. 12 mos exp as Engineer, performing embedded ECU testing on test bench &in vehicle, using dSPACE HIL, ETAS INCA, &Vector tools, to verify functionality at Function, Controller &Sys levels prior to production release, or related. Mail resume to Ref#29967, GM Global Mobility, 300 Renaissance Center, MC:482-C32-C66, Detroit, MI 48265.

HOME NOWHERE

By Eleanore Catolico

Amber Matthews tries to stay rosy and upbeat as she prepares for an upcoming event. Her ninemonth-old nephew’s relentless cries had kept her up late into the quiet hours of a snowless January night. All too soon the sunrise had arrived.

She throws on a loose-fitting, light brown blazer, dark brown dress pants, and mahogany loafers with maize and blue stripes. Matthews knows clothes can make the woman, so she hopes to exude an image of budding professionalism. Her apparel choices — aiming to impress impressionable youth — show off the woman she aspires to become, an approachable authority figure, yet still preserve her girlish charm. “I want to give off, like, a big sister vibe,” she says. Half of her hair is dyed a funky and luminous pea green shade, which

she processed herself. She styles her locks back into French braids, pulled away from her cherub-like face. Her big brown eyes show the strength of her soul.

Around 8:30 a.m., Matthews leaves the two-bedroom apartment on Detroit’s west side she shares with her older sister Danielle Spratt and Spratt’s three sons to go to work. She begins her commute by riding two city buses for an hour and a half — luckily enough, the wait times aren’t too long. She arrives at The Detroit Phoenix Center,

situated inside a stocky building with a silvery facade on a nondescript stretch of Woodward Avenue. Established as a nonprofit organization in 2017, the center is an asset-based, youth-driven services provider helping teenagers and young adults transition out of homelessness and poverty. They also help build power among young people to drive systems change.

After losing some sleep, Matthews is sapped of the energy she needs for the day. The days before already felt heavier and more burdensome. The 24-yearold is a senior youth advocate — the best job she’s ever had. She earned the position after working as a peer support specialist through AmeriCorps and serving as the president of the Youth Action Board, a coalition of young leaders-in-training who advocate for policy and reform of systems which combat homelessness and poverty. Matthews took advantage of the

center’s resources and services, such as the food pantry, housing support, leadership workshops, and a life skills coaching program, as she couch-surfed and slept on the floor of a shelter just a few years ago. Now she’s held the job for almost a year.

She knows — so do her co-workers, her sister, and her boyfriend — how far she’s come. She has finally begun to blossom. But lately, Matthews has been growing tired for reasons that aren’t the fault of a weepy infant. A tension gnaws at her heart. She worries about burning out, knowing she can’t be everything for everyone all the time. She’s always been a furnace of compassion, laboring in care ever since her mother began drinking wine like medicine while growing up in rural Mississippi.

At the center, commotion erupts over the next few hours, during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration Matthews helped organize and plan with

Amber Matthews plays air hockey with one of the center’s youth. SE7ENFIFTEEN

After getting kicked out of the house as a teenager, one young woman now wants to save Detroit’s lost and abandoned children

current Youth Action Board members: donation drop-offs of essentials like toothbrushes, toothpaste, and clothes; a workshop on leadership and advocacy that imparted the necessity of lifting one’s voice on behalf of another.

The youth were coming and would benefit from inspiring speeches on a day annually reserved for that kind of inspiration to flourish. And when they come, they often blitz Matthews with questions about what high school was like, what college would be like, and the next chapter, and the next.

In her role, Matthews is more than a mentor, advisor, and connector of resources. She sees herself as the keeper of dozens of little flames. She’s there to light the match, start a fire within them, she says, so one day they can stand on their own.

How much more could she give them so they could have another chance toward some semblance of stability? Some semblance of a life? They remind her, as they scurry to her knees, again and again, of the child she once was.

“There are a lot of homeless youth that I’ve come across that have so much potential and drive, and they really want and have aspirations,” says Matthews, who dreamed of becoming a veterinarian as a little girl. “But their living situation, sometimes it’s so bad that they have to put their aspirations and dreams to the side just to try to survive. After a while, they don’t care for their dreams anymore.”

Her eyes were watching the streets

The precarity of their lifestyles makes youth experiencing homelessness elusive, so Matthews often relies on her intuition to guide her to where she thinks their hangouts and pit stops are as they roam the city: gas stations, Starbucks cafes, liquor stores, anywhere with Wi-Fi.

On her outreach quests, Matthews carries a stack of white and orange square cards in the pockets of her winter coat, which list The Detroit Phoenix Center’s programs, such as after-school enrichment clubs on college preparation and entrepreneurship, or resources such as showers, laundry, a food pantry, a hygiene closet. She drops these cards on the counters of stores and shops or on the seats of city buses, hoping they catch the youth’s eyes and hook their curiosity.

The popular stock images of homelessness show a person sporting tattered clothes and sleeping on a sidewalk alone or standing at the corner of an intersection, holding a makeshift cardboard sign asking for spare change or spare compassion and sometimes inches away from a stampede of cars beating the traffic lights. But youth and

young adults often experience a form of homelessness that’s less recognizable. They are stuck in a cycle of transience, jumping from couch to couch, living in hotels or motels, camping grounds, cars, abandoned buildings.

People who are doubled up — meaning they live at someone else’s house — or pay for hotel or motel stays generally do not meet the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development’s definition of homelessness, and they are not eligible to stay at a shelter and access any associated services, like job training, says Jennifer Erb-Downward, the director of housing stability programs and policy initiatives at the University of Michigan’s Poverty Solutions, who studies youth homelessness across the state.

Even when they qualify, the majority of young adults tend to avoid shelters, making their plight largely unseen. All of this disconnection from the systems charged to support them amplifies their risk of harm. “The reality of couch surfing, a lot of these situations are not safe,” Erb-Downward says. “People are often forced to make this choice between having a place to stay and not be on the street, and maybe being in a situation that might put them in danger in some other way.”

And some of the reasons why youth become homeless are breathtaking in

their severity. Their families, gripped by financial hardship, were forced out of their homes because of an eviction or the loss of stable jobs. They aged out of foster care and struggle to find their own footing. They were incarcerated as juveniles and once they returned as citizens, they lack the necessary skills to get work or have trouble finding a stable home so they can jumpstart their life again. They are ostracized by their families who’ve kicked them out of the house because they express their true gender that doesn’t match their birth certificate, or they fall in love with people no matter their gender at all.

These youth are among the most vulnerable of the vulnerable, who’ve escaped hostile homes and wallowed in broken systems. They’ve spent nights without a warm bed, a harrowing experience some in the city will never truly know or turn away from entirely. Many youth experiencing homelessness lack basic items: a birth certificate, a driver’s license or state ID card, a social security card, a phone.

If Matthews sees teens wandering during school hours or looking lonely or sullen, she’ll walk up to them, flash a smile, say her name. She’s perfected her spiel. “I’m not trying to pry,” she tells them. “I’m willing to be here [for you].” She’ll sell them on what they’ve been missing out on — a safe sanctu-

ary — where she could become their surrogate guardian. She wants to teach them self-reliance when some of them didn’t grow up with much life guidance. She’ll cultivate their strengths, not their deficits. But she can only take them so far.

She already helped one young man polish his resume and prepare for a job interview at a Ford plant. He tanked the interview, Matthews says, but at least he tried. Matthews believes more employers need to meet young people where they are. Not having a mailing address shouldn’t prevent a young person from getting hired. She also offered feedback on a college application essay to another young woman, who then started her undergraduate degree in North Carolina, which Matthews quietly celebrated because so many youth who are homeless don’t make it that far. A 2019 national study revealed youth experiencing homelessness were less likely to enroll in a four-year college compared to peers who’ve had stable housing. They also have difficulty accessing financial aid and can’t afford to pay for their education, which may belong on a lower pillar among their hierarchy of needs.

Sometimes when Matthews talks to youth and young adults on the streets, they brush her off, assuring her they’re totally fine. Thanks, but no thanks. Matthews is never fazed by these gentle rejections. Other times, her pitches land, and the youths come to visit the center. Some come once and then never return. Others decide this is the place where they could mend the shattered parts of their lives. Even then, once she tries to get into the nitty gritty of problem-solving for what ails them, Matthews suspects they aren’t revealing the full story. That’s one of the toughest parts of the job, Matthews says — trying to unearth the truth.

“It’s always kind of hard because they’re not really comfortable speaking about everything that they’re going through,” she says. “So it’s like, you get little bits and pieces and you’re trying to see how you can help with the little information that you do get.” Matthews knows they’re out there, somewhere. A chance encounter with them could mean access to all of these lifelines. Because what are their chances to survive without them?

Nobody’s taught to listen, nobody cares

Some youth are surviving the trauma of homelessness along with their families, who tried their best to provide and loved them all along. But there are children and young adults who are out on the streets completely alone, who face an even greater risk of losing themselves, spiraling headfirst into calamity.

The center’s Joy Zone is where youth can play games.

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Roughly 500 unaccompanied youth aged 24 and under, who aren’t in the physical custody of a parent or guardian, experienced homelessness in the city in 2021, according to the Homeless Action Network of Detroit, the lead agency over the homelessness response system for Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park. Experts say the numbers are likely higher.

The research literature is unequivocal. The dangers to the youths’ minds and bodies are real. They could sink into depression, consider suicide, have problems progressing in school and may graduate late or never at all, get sick and have a harder time recovering because they don’t have access to medicine or a doctor, become hooked on drugs, or engage in survival sex so they can have something to eat. Four out of five children who are experiencing homelessness have already witnessed at least one violent incident by the age of 12, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Who suffers the most? Beyond the imprints of violence during childhood, the risks of homelessness deepen depending on who you are. Those who belong to historically marginalized groups, including Black and LGBTQ+ youth, are more likely to become homeless across the nation. And those trying to rebuild their life may confront discrimination. Youth homelessness providers across Michigan, ErbDownward says, are also raising alarm over some landlords refusing to rent to transgender young adults who’ve been previously unhoused. Members of a generation of already vulnerable youth may wind up living in uninhabitable quarters like vacant and blighted houses.

In Detroit, a city rife with aging and dilapidated homes, there’s also a shortage of emergency housing, Erb-Downward says. The COVID-19 pandemic made even more people homeless and strained a shelter system already struggling to accommodate the demand for more beds.

As warming shelters opened during the chilly season, the number of people staying in the city’s emergency shelter system rose for the first time since 2016. As of November 2022, 4,530 people stayed in these shelters, up from 3,428 the previous year, a roughly 32% increase. In 2016, 6,643 people were housed in shelters.

In a world that’s swallowed up much of their innocence, many youth experiencing homelessness are scarred by broken promises. They are often on high alert and skeptical, and this heightened sensitivity frays at their mental health. Many of these youths

often don’t trust the adults around them. They’re often blamed and labeled, Matthews explains, as troubled kids who make bad choices — so they stay hidden, disconnected. “It’s hard for them to want to, like, reach out to people for help, just because of the stigma that’s attached. They don’t want people to put them in that category,” she says. “They just decide not to ask for help at all. And that’s a difficult thing.”

Even when these youth do show up to the center, the bonds of trust are fragile. Matthews once told a group of kids horsing around the center to leave because the site was closed. She later feared her order made them think she didn’t care about them, which may have affirmed in their minds that adults didn’t care about them, so nobody cared. The interaction haunted her. So Matthews became obsessed with gentleness. Whenever Matthews interacts with youth, she chooses her words wisely so she doesn’t unintentionally cast them aside, like so many other people already have. “They feel like because their own family just let them go, nobody else cares,” she says. “So they don’t even care anymore. Because they’re like, ‘Oh, well, the people that were supposed to care about me didn’t.’”

Observing youth fight off hurt feelings, Matthews feels a deluge of reasons

ees, she thought back then, and there wasn’t much for kids to do. She’d see her peers get into trouble or do drugs. The racism, in its forwardness, was shocking. “They will literally let you know like, ‘I don’t like you and yes it’s because of your skin’ and call you the n-word,’” she says.

Eventually, Matthews’s mother found a house with a big front yard peppered with pine trees and a backyard with a shed, a pool, a wooden swing set. By that time, Matthews thought she was too old to ride the swings, but she admired them anyway. In the living room, her mother displayed her children’s awards, like when Matthews made the honor roll, on top of a mantle. Her mother, who often worked 12-hour shifts, sometimes overnight, as a medical assistant, always marched forward as she raised her children alone.

As a child, Matthews loved reading and escaping into the world of her crime-fighting game on her PlayStation 2. Inside her bedroom, an explosion of colors: red, green, blue, pink. She couldn’t decide on just one. Around the family, Matthews was clumsy and silly, so silly she once ran into a light pole, her oldest sister, Spratt, recalls. “She was just the clown of the family, the goofiest,” she says. Moments of joy and laughter helped the days roll on.

why they can’t bootstrap their way out of homelessness flood her mind: low-paying or no jobs at all, no car, no money for the bus, no phone, no warm arms to embrace them, no lifelines. “Every week, I’m in a meeting trying to figure out, ‘What can we do?’” she says, frustrated. And these words can often trigger a remembering of her own journey.

How difficult it was, during the hardest days when she cried alone and questioned whether she should still be alive, to rise above the violent currents of the past, to reclaim her story.

Portrait of a mother and daughter

These are the memories Matthews carries: She was born in 1998 at Hutzel Women’s Hospital in Detroit, the second oldest of six children. Her first name is DeAndra, but her family always called her by her middle name, Amber. Growing up, the family had moved from house to house. Matthews was raised by a single mother, who decided to uproot the family and move to Kosciusko, Mississippi, a rural town, population 7,402 and the birthplace of Oprah Winfrey, when Matthews was 12. Her mother wanted to be closer to her mother, who didn’t live that far away.

The town, Matthews remembers, was memorable if only for its blandness. Kosciusko was more fitting for retir-

But growing up, Matthews started noticing how many times her mother went to the fridge to pour wine into a plastic tumbler with a straw. Spratt remembers she’d often fall asleep while smoking a Black & Mild cigar. And the past never truly left their mother. Matthews’s father wasn’t around much. “He gave good advice once in a while,” Matthews says. Their mother couldn’t find a righteous and caring love. An ex-husband, a different man from Matthews’s father, Spratt and Matthews recall, started sexually abusing the sisters when they were little. He threatened to kill them if they ever told their mother about the abuse. Then he tried to kill their mother by slitting her throat. “There was blood everywhere,” Matthews says. Blood splattered on the walls, dripping onto the stairs. Her mother, Matthews says, never got justice. Other men exerted control and manipulation over her. Even now, Spratt says, the family has not reckoned with what happened in that house.

Matthews tried to comfort her mother. The words she told her she still keeps close to her heart and doesn’t need to share with the rest of the world. When her mother couldn’t function, Matthews became a caregiver to her little brothers and sisters. She made sure they got on the bus right on time. She helped them with their homework. “I was young,” Matthews says “I really

An uplifting sign hangs on the wall.

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wasn’t ready to take on some of the roles I took on.” All the while she had to bury some of her own suffering. She had a hard time relating to kids her age. She always wore plain clothes and didn’t rock Air Jordans, so she got bullied by classmates. She never learned the language for her private pain. “Sometimes when I was younger, I would cry,” Matthews says. “I was sad. I was going through stuff. I couldn’t express it. I didn’t know how. I’d say, ‘I don’t know.’”

Even though she consoled her mother about her troubles, she couldn’t confess her own. She tried. “I couldn’t talk to my mom about it,” she says. “She was emotionally unavailable. You can’t tell anything to a drunk person.” The daughter cared about her mother, until the turbulence of their lives stretched them too thin. One day, her mother let Matthews go.

A rupturing

The day 15-year-old Matthews got kicked out of the house, she did not scream. She did not cry. Her mother did, telling her daughter she’d given her all she had. This rupturing upset Matthews. Didn’t her mother understand the gravity of her choice? Matthews’s mind spiraled into the questions about what she would do next, and the next chapter, and the next. “I didn’t know much. There was a lot more I needed to know,” Matthews says. “I was unprepared for life.” Her exile ushered in an era of crashing on friends’ couches, never staying in one place for very long. She dropped out of Kosciusko Senior High and didn’t graduate. She earned money by manning a Popeyes drive-thru. She didn’t talk to her mother at all.

Here she was, holding onto the shards of a life. Her dreams, washed away. She ended up under the wing of her male cousin, whom she thought she could trust. But he sold her, Matthews says, to a man in his 50s. Matthews was 18. She lived in his trailer, surrounded by horses grazing farm fields, hills, and a ditch, somewhere deep in Mississippi country. The older man treated her like a piece of property. He injected her with drugs. He didn’t allow her to have a phone. He controlled how she spent the hours of the day. Here she was, trapped in a dangerous and unpredictable place. Her freedom, stolen from her.

Matthews spent a year under his ceaseless surveillance, until she chose to save herself. “This isn’t where I wanted my life to be,” Matthews remembers. A few months before Matthews’ 19th birthday, the violence boiled over when the man slapped another girl so hard she dropped to the trailer’s floor. After the assault, the man left the trailer.

Matthews then started cooking in the kitchen. She doesn’t remember what the meal even was. The other girl begged her to snuff out the flames, but Matthews let them billow until the entire trailer caught on fire. The girls got out of the trailer and began to run. Matthews kept running and running and running. Running far down the dirt road.

She stopped at a woman’s house nearby, pleading for help. She told her the trailer was on fire. That woman, who may not have realized she paved the path for Matthews’s salvation, called the fire and police departments. Matthews then got a ride to stay at her grandmother’s house for a little while. A month before she turned 19, she bought a Greyhound bus ticket to Detroit, which was so big and full of people, where she could read peacefully by the river.

Reconciliation

The return to her birth city didn’t reinstate a sense of rootedness right away. Matthews stayed with her sister briefly. After a little while, she moved in with a friend but that didn’t pan out either. Matthews found herself in one of the city’s shelters, sleeping on the floor — all that was available to those struggling and striving and clawing for ways to survive. And there were strict rules, people crammed into close quarters, all the noise they made, the bitter confrontations, and the piercing lights while she tried to get some rest. Matthews had a janitorial job working nights cleaning up a Ford plant. “That was rough,” Matthews says. Eventually, she moved back in with Spratt. And Matthews kept busy making herself feel whole again. In 2017, she got invited to a Friendsgiving party in the city, where she remembered the kindness of strangers and people making wishes for Christmas. Matthews met a staffer at The Detroit Phoenix Center, the nonprofit organization still in its infancy. As the celebration ended, she asked the staffer how she could get more involved. Then she began using some of the center’s services. Two years

later, she earned her GED, a bittersweet milestone. She didn’t get to wear a cap and gown during a graduation ceremony, inspiring her to go forth and change the world.

Her family became her fortress. Around the apartment she helps Spratt, who works as a hairstylist and a Lyft driver, by cooking and cleaning. “I can depend on her,” Spratt says. It’s hard to deny her nephews more Xbox controllers, even though they broke the ones she already bought them. Spratt, who suffered herself and witnessed much of Matthews’s suffering and the detours she made along her slow crawl toward progress, sees her sister as an outlier. “After all of that, she still ended up being the best sister that I can have. Because most times when people go through stuff, it can affect them in the wrong way. But she turned it around,” Spratt says. “I hope she’ll be able to conquer life and whatever her true purpose is.”

Matthews has a new boyfriend, her very first. They met on a dating app, and so far the romance is running smoothly. She’s dated girls in the past. She doesn’t put a label on her attraction. She likes whomever she vibes with. Matthews also keeps in touch with her younger siblings in Mississippi, including a four-year-old brother. He’s smart and sweet. She doesn’t want him to forget about her. “It would have hurt my feelings to have a sibling who didn’t know me for real,” she says.

Not everyone who survived what Matthews did feels safe to tell their story. Experts say asking survivors to reveal the roughest details of their past may be retraumatizing, so those asking the questions should proceed with mindfulness, transparency, and consent. Matthews recalls her memories plainly. They don’t enshroud her like a hazy fog as much because she’s found some daylight. She doesn’t want to save animals anymore. She wants to save kids, hoping to open her own transitional youth housing program one day. She walks down city sidewalks, waves and says hello or shows off a smile to passersby because she believes being a

good person doesn’t cost her anything. With every step forward, a sharper view of her own history, the life she reclaimed. “I love people as if I don’t know pain,” she says.

Although the days grew quieter, one phone call a few years ago shook Matthews’s carefully crafted normalcy. It was her mother. They hadn’t talked for so long, while Matthews was wallowing on the streets, endured abuse in a country trailer, and slept on a cold shelter floor. She told Matthews she was mad for the periods of radio silence that engulfed their relationship. “Did you even really care?,” Matthews remembered snapping back at her mother. She eventually regretted how sharp-tongued she was. “I was really, really rude,” she says.

Months passed without contact. Matthews had practiced the discipline of healing in so many other ways, establishing boundaries in her relationships, romantic and platonic. She cut herself off from the co-dependency of others. The one relationship that defined her life had bruised her for so long. Matthews then watched a video about forgiveness on social media, which gave her pause. Did her mother even deserve forgiveness? Some children may not be willing to forgive loved ones who abandoned them, although some intervention-based initiatives aim to reunite and mend family wounds before they become estranged forever.

As she’s prone to do, Matthews reflected on herself. One friend jokingly called her “old man,” because of how she always seemed steeped in philosophical thinking, always reading books like Margaret Walker’s historical novel Jubilee. To liberate herself, she told herself to think about the woman her mother was. She stopped being mad at her for not teaching her certain things. She understood she didn’t know how to be her parent. Was what her mother told her the day she got kicked out of that Mississippi house actually the truth? Was her mother the villain of her story? “She took me as far as she could,” Matthews reflects. One day, she called her mother back. They started

Whenever Matthews interacts with youth, she chooses her words wisely so she doesn’t unintentionally cast them aside, like so many other people already have. “They feel like because their own family just let them go, nobody else cares,” she says. “So they don’t even care anymore. Because they’re like, ‘Oh, well, the people that were supposed to care about me didn’t.’”

talking again and agreed to repair the relationship. Another new beginning.

Somewhere home

In the late afternoon, a young boy in a powder blue hoodie darts toward Matthews. He asks if she needs help putting out the tiny bags of Wavy Lays and Fritos near the microwave. Mealtime is about an hour away. Attendees of the MLK Day Celebration walk through a doorway framed by a partial arch of blue, gold, and white balloons. A toddler in a pink and gray striped onesie is hoisted into the air by her father. Volunteers build metal shelves for donations. Matthews greets children, families, and the volunteers. She then grabs a water bottle, overseeing the joyful commotion buzzing around her. Another little girl gently approaches Matthews.

“Do you need help? You look a little sad,” she asks.

“I’m not sad. I’m just tired, a little bit,” Matthews replies.

The Detroit Phoenix Center is a refuge for wellness. Up to 1,700 people participate in outreach activities, and around 280 youth and their families receive consistent support each year. Life-affirming messages are scrolled across the teal and yellow walls, like “Gratitude is a reckoning force. We have so much to be thankful for.” The royal purple wall is emblazoned with a mural of a young person lifting their palms open toward the sky, haloed by the words: “YOU ARE WORTHY.” Sunkissed signs reading “You Belong Here” and “This is a Safe Space” dangle from the ceiling.

The genesis of The Detroit Phoenix Center came after CEO and founder Courtney Smith discovered something missing in the overarching narrative of Detroit’s resurgence. “I just felt like young people were being left out of that,” she says. Smith’s own journey somewhat echoes Matthews’, as she herself once struggled with housing insecurity. She took a train ride across the country. Each city and its children taught her the myriad approaches to combat the scourge of youth homelessness. More precisely, the drop-in center model, what the center now implements, stuck out in Smith’s mind. When she returned home, Smith says she convened a cohort of young people and community stakeholders to gauge where exactly the gaps and needs were. Their voices weren’t being heard, Smith was told. Policies addressing youth homelessness didn’t serve them.

Ever since, the philosophy of youth voice and choice has been embedded in the organization’s DNA. Matthews is one of three senior youth advocates — positions which currently are time-

limited and funded through a one-year pilot grant. Smith says they’re exploring ways to keep the opportunity available. Smith believes Matthews, along with the other advocates, are among the center’s best assets. They have the unique ability to build trust and connection with the youth they serve, passing down knowledge and skills from one leader to, hopefully, another in the making.

The Zen Zone is doused in soft, gentle lights and mint green colors, where little bodies can easily sink into the bean bag chairs as they try to relax. The Joy Zone houses board games, an air hockey table, and a flatscreen TV, but other kinds of games are afoot whenever Matthews overhears the boys gossip about their girl crushes. Hanging on a wall in the Innovation Zone, the heart of the space and where the leadership workshop will commence, is a staff photo of Matthews, sporting a half-pink afro, smiling next to The Changemakers, another group of youth ages 14 to 18 who receive leadership and development training as part of a oneyear fellowship. That memory makes Matthews happy, and over the years, she’s noticed how many of the youth are bursting with the potential to go forth and heal the world. She’s a protector of those dreams.

Before the workshop, Matthews leads a group of teenagers on a mini-adventure to a nearby Subway sandwich shop. The day, Matthews recounts, has already been a little exhausting, and they are hungry. After they order their sandwiches, a man approaches them, asking for some money. One of the girls offers him a 30-day bus ticket instead, knowing this charitable token would benefit him much longer than a handful of pocket change. Matthews has watched so many of these youth learn how to think quickly, to act with care. This is another moment of epiphany. “I was so proud,” she says.

A little after 3 o’clock, the workshop begins. Dozens of teenagers and some younger children sit in rows of blue, orange, and sunshine-yellow plastic seats. They have endured the same woes of not having a stable home or not having enough to eat. The youth then face a panel of speakers: a volleyball coach who champions mutual aid, a

restorative justice advocate who’s also a mother, a head of a community development corporation who rehabbed homes he thought his neighbors deserved. Matthews serves as the MC and scrolls through her smartphone, which stores a bunch of questions written by The Changemakers. She looks a little coy and reserved, like she wants to melt into the background. Still, she is ready to deliver these questions before the crowd of little faces. Their bodies are swallowed up by their puffer coats and their necks wrapped in scarves.

What does youth advocacy mean to you? Is advocacy possible without a movement? What is mutual aid? As the discussion progresses, some of the youth’s answers showcase a little loss of faith. There’s violence in the city. There are wars waging in countries oceans away. People don’t want to listen to each other. Many don’t care. The speakers encourage them not to feel defeated in the face of so much sorrow, and explain how growing up in foster care and being housing insecure drove them toward advocacy. Retweeting a social justice message wasn’t good enough. Their time would come to heal the world. And the world needs them. Some of the youth heed that call.

All the while Matthews watches them speak. There are long lulls of silence, interrupted by flashes of heartfelt testimonials after they shoot their hands up into the air. The young boy in the powder blue hoodie talks about how sad he was after his grandpa died. Another talks about how barren her neighborhood is, how tough it is to be a young Black girl in America. There are little boys and girls who look tired. Another little girl adjusts her deep blue lipstick and giggles. Still, Matthews is proud of them. All of them. For speaking up even if they are a little shy or self-conscious. For being here at all. Many of the youth who’ve entered these doors have achieved small victories, like a good grade on a homework assignment, a job offer, as she’s nudged them along the way.

The Youth Action Board members want the pathways to go to school, find jobs and safe and stable homes, access to mental health services like therapy, among others, to be easier than they

are for young people like themselves. Members, who are ages 16 to 24, have endured homelessness and poverty or know a loved one who has, or have been involved in the foster care and criminal justice systems. To solve the youth homelessness crisis, experts agree adults need to trust the youth, their perspectives, their eyes toward solutions. The board members have also conducted community clean-ups and recorded a podcast series called “Detroit Youth Rising,” which explores serious topics like food insecurity. Matthews is floating the idea of building a food pantry at a local high school. Ultimately, the board members must decide on what they want to do. Still, she cherishes these awakenings. “I love when they have the motivation in themselves, to be the best version of themselves. I don’t even know if they really either know that yet, but they all have potential,” Matthews says. “I’ll love them more than they’ll ever know.”

She knows, and so does her mentor and boss Smith and her big sister Spratt, there’s much left to come. Smith watched Matthews grow as a young woman as the organization expanded, describing her as a bright light, coachable, gifted. She hopes Matthews defines her own version of success and takes advantage of future leadership training the center offers. And as long as she’s an employee or falls within the age range the center serves, Matthews can still access the site’s wraparound services. In Smith’s eyes, the 24-yearold who forgave the mother who kicked her out of the house and dedicates her days to helping save Detroit’s lost and abandoned children already is one. “She is an example of why we exist in the first place,” Smith says. An example of a young life that regained its promise.

After the workshop ends, the youth feast on chicken, mac and cheese, and green beans catered by Happy’s Pizza. The kids start to play, bounce around, and scream. Matthews hears a body thunder into a wall as Lloyd and Ciara dance anthems blast over the loudspeakers. The roughhousing alarms her, so she plans to check in on the rowdy kids. She also promised another 17-year-old boy she’d follow up with him. She feels a little regretful. She didn’t mean to brush him off earlier. She was just busy. What he needed to tell her could have been serious. “You don’t know what’s truly going on,” she often reminds herself. “You don’t know the full story.” After checking in with the boy, she has another promise to fulfill, a game of Uno with a group of kids. The river of her life keeps flowing toward somewhere home. Matthews is still so young.

There are little boys and girls who look tired. Another little girl adjusts her deep blue lipstick and giggles. Matthews is proud of them. All of them. For speaking up even if they are a little shy or self-conscious.

FEATURE

Bars o’ the Irish Detroit-area pubs where you can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

By Metro Times staff

Everyone’s Irish on March 17, and these Irish-inspired pubs are ready to supply you with all the green and Guinness you can handle on St. Patrick’s Day.

The Old Shillelagh

349 Monroe St., Detroit; 313-964-0007; oldshillelagh.com

For many metro Detroiters, Old Shillelagh is the bar of choice for their first St. Paddy’s Day celebration. The pub has been a Detroit staple since 1975.

McShane’s Irish Pub

1460 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-9611960; mcshanespub.com

McShane’s Irish Pub might have a good whiskey list, but the food menu is the real star. The Corktown bar offers traditional Irish favorites like Shepherd’s Pie and some foods with a twist like “Irish Egg Rolls” stuffed with cabbage, Swiss cheese, and corned beef.

Nancy Whiskey

2644 Harrison St., Detroit; 313-9624247

Nancy Whiskey is one of Detroit’s oldest bars, having been around since 1902. Rumor has it that it survived the Prohibition by operating as a speakeasy.

Danny’s Irish Pub

22824 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248546-8331

A charming hole in the wall bar known for its reasonably priced drinks and for hosting karaoke nights.

O’Connor’s Public House

324 S. Main St., Rochester; 248-6082537; oconnorsrochester.com

Named after Ireland’s famous Gus O’Connor’s in Doolin, this pub was built in Ireland, made from crumbling churches and shipped to Rochester for an authentic experience. It hosts live music four days a week.

Three Blind Mice Irish Pub

101 N. Main St., Mount Clemens; 586-961-6371;threeblindmiceirishpub. com

Originally opened in 1900 as the Green Tree, Three Blind Mice has been under new ownership since 2020, boasting more than 300 beers, 160-plus types of whiskey, bourbon, and Scotch, a food menu featuring Irish favorites.

John Cowley & Sons Irish Pub

33338 Grand River Ave., Farmington; 248-474-5941; johncowleyandsons.com

Established in 1972, this family-owned pub is a fixture of downtown Farmington for three generations. Its latest owners have revamped the menu, and the bar hosts live entertainment on the weekends.

Duggan’s Irish Pub

31501 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak; 248549-3659; dugganspub.com

This Irish bar is beloved in the warm

season, when it opens the windows on its second floor. Its menu features Irish fare and traditional bar food, including its signature “Big Chief” burger.

O’Toole’s

205 Fifth Ave., Royal Oak; 248-5919226; otoolespubs.com

Established in 2002, O’Toole’s is known for packing large crowds of young people on weekends.

O’Malley’s Supper Spirits & Song

15231 Farmington Rd., Livonia; 734-4277775; omalleyslivonia.com

A low-frills bar that has live music and karaoke and is considered one of Livonia’s best.

Kelly’s Irish Pub

3701 S. Telegraph Rd., Dearborn; 313563-7510; kellysirishpubdearborn.com

Originally built in the 1930s, this neighborhood bar was renamed Kelly’s in 1977 and sold to lifelong customers

The Old Shillelagh is a tried-and-true destination for St. Patrick’s Day merriment.

STEPHEN BOYLE, FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS

in 2012 who have kept things largely as-is.

Conor O’Neill’s Irish Pub & Restaurant

318 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; 734-6652968; conoroneills.com

An Ann Arbor favorite, this bar boasts an authentic interior that was designed and built in Ireland to be reminiscent of old-school Irish pubs, and features a menu that includes traditional favorites. Located near the Big House, it’s also a great place to watch sports.

Dick O’Dow’s Irish Public House

160 W. Maple Rd., Birmingham; 248642-1135; dickodowspub.com

Dick O’ Dow’s boasts a moody interior with a gas fireplace. In recent years, ownership launched “the Dow,” a Wall Street-inspired part of the bar where the price of beer fluctuates with demand.

Sean O’Callaghan’s Public House

821 Penniman Ave., Plymouth; 734-4596666; seanocallaghanspub.com

Established in 2o01, Sean O’Callaghan’s features a menu of Irish dishes like Shepherd’s Pie, Lamb Shank Irish Stew, and Corned Beef and Cabbage, as well as more than 100 Irish whiskeys, bourbons, and Scotches — and, of course, Guinness.

Dunleavy’s

6004 Allen Rd., Allen Park; 313-382-

4545; dunleavypub.com

Founded by brothers, this Downriver neighborhood favorite features a menu of typical bar fare with some Irish staples.

Pat O’Brien’s Tavern

22385 E. 10 Mile Rd., St. Clair Shores; 586-771-5715; pobtavern.com

This Irish pub has been a favorite in St. Clair Shores since 1948, and became known for its famous perch dinners. It’s been under new ownership since 2006.

Shamrock Irish Pub

7715 Auburn Rd., Utica; 586-731-6886; shamrockpubutica

Shamrock Irish Pub has been a staple in Utica since 1935, and not much has changed since — because it doesn’t need to. Its simple menu is built around beer and its burger, which is considered one of the best in Macomb County.

Nemo’s 1384 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-9653180; nemosdetroit.com

A sports bar that dates back to the days of the old Tiger Stadium and has stayed in business thanks to its burgers. Since this is Corktown, it’s a St. Patrick’s Day favorite.

McClenaghan’s Pub

52500 Van Dyke Ave., Shelby Township; 586-739-2913

A hole-in-the-wall bar beloved for its

low prices and low-frills burgers.

Colleen’s Irish Pub

32307 Harper Ave., St. Clair Shores; 586-415-0571

Low-frills? This bar looks like it could be in someone’s basement. That’s not a diss.

The Blue Leprechaun

1220 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor; 734-929-5944; theblueleprechaun. com

Opened in 2008, this U-M campus bar boasts what it claims is the longest happy hour in Arbor from 4-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

McShane’s Ypsilanti

2203 Ellsworth Rd., Ypsilanti; 734434-0494; mcshanespubypsi.com

McShane’s opened its Ypsi outpost shortly after its Corktown location, with a menu that includes traditional Irish favorites along with typical bar fare.

Sullivan’s Public House

23 N. Washington St., Oxford; 248572-7344; sullivanspublichouse.com

One of the owners actually lived in Ireland, bringing authenticity to this bar, which opened in 2014. Its menu includes a “full Irish breakfast” served for brunch, along with other Irish favorites.

Kennedy’s Irish Pub

1055 W. Huron St., Waterford; 248-

681-1050; kennedysirishpub.com

Opened in 1972, this neighborhood has been family-owned and -operated for four generations, its walls decked out in kickknacks and memorabilia.

O’Flaherty’s Irish Bar

15119 Charlevoix St., Grosse Pointe Park; 313-824-1140; oflahertysgpp.com

A Grosse Pointe staple for decades, what O’Flaherty’s lacks in a food menu (just chips and popcorn) it makes up for with a friendly, downto-earth bar staff.

O’Mara’s Irish Pub

2555 W. Twelve Mile Rd., Berkeley;248-399-6750; omarasrestaurant. com

Established in 1994, O’Mara’s recently reopened after a 2020 fire forced it to close for nearly three years. Its menu still features plenty of Irish favorites.

Gaelic League Irish American Club

2068 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-9648700; gaelicleagueofdetroit.org

This cultural heritage club is probably the most authentic Irish experience in metro Detroit and is modeled after Ireland’s Gaelic League, dedicated to preserving Irish culture. Founded in 1920, it’s called its current Corktown location home since the 1950s. The social club is open to all for $25 annual membership dues.

The Gaelic League Irish American Club is probably the most authentic Irish experience in metro Detroit.

SHUTTERSTOCK

WHAT’S GOING ON

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

MUSIC

Wednesday, March 15

Live/Concert

Boombox (Ukraine) 7 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $85. El Perro (members of Radio Moscow), Glass Chimera 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck; $13. Mad Pursuit 7 p.m.; Blind Pig, 208 S. First St., Ann Arbor; $10.

NEKTAR 7 p.m.; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; $25-$140.

The Gang’s All Here Tour With Skid Row And Buckcherry 7:30 p.m.; Sound Board, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit; $35-$48.

We Three 6:30 p.m.; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; $25.

Thursday, March 16

Live/Concert

Ari Lennox 7 p.m.; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $39.50-$65.

Blue Thursdays 8 p.m.; Cadieux Cafe, 4300 Cadieux Rd., Detroit; $5.

Emotional Oranges 7 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $25.

Joe & The Ruckus with The Stephen Oduro Quintet, The Mercer Patterson Quintet 8 p.m.; Blind Pig, 208 S. First St., Ann Arbor; $10.

Stephanie Mills 8 p.m.; Sound Board, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit; $54-$66.

THOTBREAKER TAKEOVER 7 p.m.; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; $10.

Friday, March 17

Live/Concert

America 8 p.m.; Andiamo Celebrity Showroom, 7096 E. 14 Mile Rd., Warren; $32-$122.

Black Swan Dive Bomb w/ Killing Pixies + DJ Zak Frieling 8 p.m.-12:30 am; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; no cover.

Caracara 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck; $16.

Feck Off Fest! A St. Patrick’s Day Celebration 11 a.m.; Sgt. Pep-

peroni’s Pizzeria & Deli, 4120 Woodward Avenue, Detroit; no cover.

Hollywood Casino @ Greektown

Present The Jacksons 8 p.m.; The Music Hall, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit; $45-$80.

J.I.D & Smino - Luv Is 4ever Tour 7 p.m.; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $39.50-$64.50.

Lucki - Flawless Like Me: The Made Martian Tour 7 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $30.

Major Dudes 9 p.m.; UFO Factory, 2110 Trumbull Ave., Detroit; $15.

Matthew Dear with KJ 8 p.m.; Blind Pig, 208 S. First St., Ann Arbor; $18.

Show Me The Body, Jesus Piece, Scowl, Zulu, TRiPPJONES 7 p.m.; Tangent Gallery, 715 E Milwaukee Avenue, Detroit; $25.

Thot Squad’s Pussy Poppin’ XXXmas Eve EVE 8 p.m.; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; $15.

Desert Hearts 9 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $20.

Saturday, March 18

Live/Concert

Ava Swiss 6 & 8 p.m.; 20 Front Street, 20 Front St., Lake Orion;

Betty Who 7 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $30. Blanket, Bad Magnets, Vinyl 9, Alex Marzejon 7 p.m.; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $12.

Eastside Still Alive 8:30 p.m.; Cadieux Cafe, 4300 Cadieux Rd., Detroit; $5.

Esseks + tiedye ky with Ujuu + Mistah Dill 9 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $20.

Heywood Banks w/opener

Lauren Crane at MAMA’s Coffeehouse 8-10 p.m.; MAMA’s Coffeehouse, 38651 Woodward Ave, Bloomfield Hills; $22.

Kittens & Crooners featuring Sky Covington 6-10 p.m.; Ciao Amici’s, 217 W. Main, Brighton; $25.

Michael Quatro + DJ Sanford 8 p.m.; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; no cover.

Pop Evil w/ The Word Alive 7:30 p.m.; Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; $25+.

Sada Baby 6:30 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck; $50.

March 15-21, 2023 | metrotimes.com

Drake is coming to Detroit on his first tour since 2018

IF DETROIT HAD a twin, Drake would still choose Little Caesars Arena.

The “God’s Plan” rapper is coming to LCA on July 8 with 21 Savage on his “It’s All A Blur” tour. The tour marks Drake’s return to the stage for the first time in five years following the “Aubrey & the Three Migos Tour” in 2018.

Tickets go on sale Friday, March 17 at 12 p.m. via 313Presents.com, LiveNation.com, Drakerelated. com, and Ticketmaster.com. Presales tickets will be available starting Wednesday, March 15 for Cash App cardholders and via a promotion through Sprite on Thursday, March 16.

“It’s All A Blur” is apparently

TBone Paxton: “Joys” Release Pary 7-10 p.m.; Berkley Coffee & Oak Park Dry, 14661 West 11 Mile Rd., Oak Park; $10 suggested door.

The Simon & Garfunkel Story 2 & 8 pm; The Music Hall, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit; $34-$94.

Worry Club 7 p.m.; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; $15.

DJ/Dance

Detroit’s Official St. Patrick’s Bar Crawl 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Exodos Rooftop, 529 Monroe Avenue, Detroit; $20-$40.

Sunday, March 19

Live/Concert

Brian McKnight 8 p.m.; Sound Board, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit; $45-$58.

Farmington Concert Band- Wild Symphony 3-5 p.m.; The Hawk - Farmington Hills Community Center, 29995 Twelve Mile Road, Farmington Hills; $15 in advance, $20 at the door, $5 students.

named for Drake’s sentiments about the last decade. In the past five years, he has released four albums — including his most recent album Her Loss in collaboration with 21 Savage, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and had all 16 songs debut on Billboard’s Hot 100 list.

We still remember the days when Drake aka Aubrey Graham was playing wheelchair-bound Jimmy on Degrassi (which he apparently complained made him look “soft”). We should have known his future as a rapper was bright when his grandma said “A town to stay down, okkk” on that Degrassi Unscripted episode.

—Randiah Camille Green

Joshua Bassett: The Complicated Tour 7 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $35.95. The Dollyrots, The Von Tramps, Hayley and the Crushers 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck; $17.

Young Nudy 7 p.m.; Garden Bowl, 4120 Woodward, Detroit;

Monday, March 20

Live/Concert

Gorod, Cognitive, Summoning The Lich, Flub, Voluntary Mortification 6 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck; $18.

Tuesday, March 21

Live/Concert

Bleep Pop + Spkrbox present Drummer B + milieu 10 p.m.-2 a.m.; Spkr Box, 200 Grand River, Detroit; $10. Keshi: Hell & Back Tour 8 p.m.; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $39.50-$86.

Killer Queen 8 p.m.; Andiamo Celebrity Showroom, 7096 E. 14 Mile Rd., Warren; $32-$66.

Steel Panther - On The Prowl

World Tour 6:30 pm; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $25-$49.50. thuy - girls like me don’t cry tour 7 p.m.; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $20.

THEATER

Performance

Open Book Theatre Company

For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday. $30 for adults, $25 for seniors, and $15 for students Friday, 8-10 p.m., Saturday, 8-10 p.m., and Sunday, 2-4 p.m.

Musical

The Book of Mormon (Touring)

Wednesday, 8 p.m., Thursday, 8 p.m., Friday, 8 p.m., Saturday, 2 & 8 p.m. and Sunday, 2 & 7:30 p.m.; Fisher Theatre, 3011 W. Grand Blvd, Detroit; $40+.

COMEDY

Go Comedy! Improv Theater

Fresh Sauce. 20 Saturdays, 10-11:30 p.m.; $10 Sundays, 7 p.m.; free Sundays, 9 p.m.

Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle

Hip-Prov All-Stars Comedy Show. Hosted by Tam White and judged by Jake Russell. $15. Tuesday, 7:30-9 p.m.

Planet Ant Theatre Ants In the Hall present “ 2 Fast 2 FuriANTS: Hamtramck Drift.” Thursday Nights at 8 p.m. at Planet Ant Detroit.

Podcast

Majestic Theatre You’re Wrong

About with Sarah Marshall. $35. Tuesday 7-9 p.m.

Stand-up

Detroit House of Comedy The St. Patrick’s Day Showcase with Pat Sievert, Jason Jamerson, and Bret Hayden, and Tam White. $25+. Saturday, 7 & 9:30 p.m. and Sunday, 7 p.m.

The Independent Comedy Club at Planet Ant Ken Witzgall & Friends Comedy Showcase. $10 online, $15 at the door Saturday, 9-10:30 p.m.

Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle Joe Devito with Jim Eliot and Cherie Ledbetter. $20. Friday, 7:15-8:45 p.m. & 9:45-11:15 p.m. and Saturday 7-8:30 & 9:30-11 p.m.

Sound Board Vic DiBitetto & Eric

D’Alessandro. $46-$58 Saturday, 8 p.m.

Mash St. Patrick’s Day Drag Party with JAX and Kornbread Come. $35 - $50 Friday, 6-10 p.m.

SPORTS

Ford Field Monster Energy Supercross. $30 and up Saturday, 6:30 p.m.

Local buzz

By Broccoli and Joe Zimmer

NOLAN fka wrestles with intimacy on new LP: Following up on his single “HOUNDSTOOTH” from late last year, which featured ruminations on the storied pattern and the women that wear it best, NOLAN fka continues his crusade into the world of love and loss with Don’t Get Too Excited, his latest LP that was released late last month. In its review for the track “ILY,” Pitchfork writes that it’s “like a steamy, late-night phone call out of Spike Lee’s Girl 6, all body rubs and feeding each other fruit while laid out on the beach.” NOLAN’s longtime affinity for lo-fi beats and detailed lyricism has found a new set of subjects and feelings to explore, and his ability to address these complex topics with both assertive conviction and refreshing vulnerability seems to have hit the sweet spot. Whether you’re looking to set the vibe at a casual function or setting the mood with a significant other, Don’t Get Too Excited might be your answer to both.

—Broccoli

Chasey the Illest takes a leap of faith: Releasing music can be nerve-racking, as just about any musician will tell you. Even after getting things down on paper, the seemingly endless cycle of creation and revision is enough to leave many projects in the dark, never to see the light of day. Chasey the Illest certainly knows the feeling, and his newest EP Afraid of Heights seems to address that dynamic in both abstract and concrete ways. Featuring original production from Heaven Sin’t and Cyht, the EP is Chasey’s first proper release in quite some time, and marks a departure from his streak of releasing singles and snippets over the past few years. In some ways, the project serves as a statement of courage for an artist that shows promise as a break from Detroit rap’s modern reputation for trap-beats and inflated bravado. Conscious-rap may not be what tops the charts these days, but Afraid of Heights is a small reminder that the music is still alive.

—Broccoli

The best Movement afterparties are already selling out: Although Memorial Day weekend may seem far off now, many of the standard afterparties and day-parties

start releasing tickets as soon as Movement Music Festival announces its official lineup. Within 24 hours, the first couple of pricing tiers typically get bought up, so we recommend you buy now if you’re interested in exploring all that the city has to offer. Pro tip: if your plans change later, demand for these tickets is always high and you will most likely be able to find an eager buyer. The most anticipated party of the weekend is always the Interdimensional Transmissions “Return to the Source” mega-party, a three-day festival of its own, at Tangent Gallery. Expect rare sets from international cult figures like DJ Nobu and Wata Igarashi, past Movement favorites such as Eris Drew and DJ Stingray 313, and regular Detroit faves BMG, Erika, Mike Servito, Derek Plaslaiko, and Scott Zacaharias The Texture team and Marble Bar hosts their annual party all-night on Saturday with Ben UFO, a sunrise set from Octo Octa, and a noisy set from Giant Swan to keep you alert. Club Toilet is the spot for LGBTQ-centric dance music (tickets at the door only), Deep Detroit is for the house heads from longtime host Kai Alcé featuring Ash Lauryn

and Delano Smith, and the Moods collective’s barbecue is my pick for a nice soft start to your weekend on Friday during the day (with sets from Tammy Lakkis, Whodat, Psy-chick, and more). All events I mentioned have tickets available via Resident Advisor.

—Joe St. Patrick’s Day? Try St. Piggy’s Day: DJ Psycho (aka Piggy McTiggers) is the alias of longtime crate digger-hip-hop head-turntablist-your favorite DJ’s DJ Dezi Magby. With encyclopedic knowledge of music and one of the deepest vinyl collections in the city, he’s taking over Spot Lite this Friday, March 17, for the newly-christened St. Piggy’s Day. Take a break from binge-drinking Guiness (gross) and check out the most non-Irish St. Paddy’s party. Dezi’s mixes span all genres and all tempos, with a central theme of “music you like.” Also featuring live art by Zrek, tix available on Resident Advisor.

—Joe

Got a tip about Detroit’s music scene? Hit us up at music@metrotimes.com!

MUSIC

thoroughfare.

At the time, Sue Mosey, president of development and planning nonprofit Midtown Detroit, Inc. told Metro Times that “at the end everyone will benefit with new light rail connecting Midtown” to downtown.

“We are aware that area businesses are suffering and will continue to suffer until the streetcar is operating,” she said.

Tartarian didn’t bother to wait and see if the QLine, which opened to the public in 2017, would in fact become the promised boon to his business. He says his basement flooded during construction, and the last straw was when he couldn’t even open his door because a pile of sand was dumped in front of it.

“When I left, I was glad to go,” Tatarian says.

At 3,500 square feet, including an upstairs mezzanine, the new Showtime Clothing store is smaller than the former 5,000 square-foot Detroit location. (Maya’s Indo-Pak Cuisine moved into that building, although years later it has still not yet opened.) But Tatarian says he’s quite happy with his new downsized store.

“It seems to work,” he says. “I like the neighborhood better. The community is phenomenal here. You know, you’re not fighting the corporate world.”

A second act for Showtime Clothing

Owner Dan Tatarian relocated his long-standing store to Hamtramck after its Midtown neighborhood changed

By Lee DeVito

Showtime Clothing had operated for nearly 30 years on Woodward Avenue in Detroit before owner Dan Tatarian decided to close up shop and relocate his business in 2015.

More than seven years later, the store — which is known for its rock ’n’ roll vibe and sells items like leather jackets, fur coats, dresses, Western wear, jewelry, and even some guitars, and counts some big-name stars as customers — is back.

Showtime Clothing quietly opened its doors in Hamtramck earlier this month with a soft opening.

“A soft, stupid opening,” Tatarian tells Metro Times with a chuckle, adding that he decided to open for business on the same day as a terrible snowstorm.

The new Showtime Clothing is located at 9702 Joseph Campau Ave. in a storefront formerly home to another clothing store called New York Fash-

ions. For now, it’s open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays only, and Tatarian says he’s still putting some finishing touches on it.

When we last checked in with Tatarian ahead of a holiday pop-up appearance, he said he was planning to open his Hamtramck store back in 2019. Why the delays?

“Well, you know, what you expect and what happens are two separate things,” he says.

Tatarian says he opened his former store at 5708 Woodward Ave. with just $500 back in 1989, when the neighborhood was known as the Cass Corridor, not “Midtown.” He has long complained about the changing nature of Detroit’s former counterculture hub as big developers have since moved in, especially in the last decade or so.

Thanks to its cheap rents, the neigh-

borhood long known as the Cass Corridor was associated with a number of arts and culture movements in the 1960s and ’70s, including visual artists like Gordon Newton and the original offices of the rock ’n’ roll magazine Creem. But the name was also associated with crime, and in the early 2000s a campaign was launched to rebrand the neighborhood as “Midtown.” An influx of trendy restaurants, high-end retail shops like Shinola, and those ubiquitous 5-over-1 buildings, also known as “gentrification buildings,” soon followed.

In 2014, Tartarian told Metro Times that construction of the QLine streetcar was choking off his business, eliminating street parking and foot traffic. Ironically, the QLine was designed with a curbside rail with the idea that it would create more foot traffic for businesses along the Woodward Avenue

He says he plans on selling his Detroit house and move to the Hamtramck area so he can walk or bike to work, just like he used to do in the Cass Corridor.

Back when he launched his business, Tartarian says the members of the glam punk band the Trash Brats were among his first customers, and were happy to rep his brand. “They put me in every interview they did,” Tatarian says, returning the favor by displaying record sleeves by the Trash Brats’ Ricky Rat in his windows. Other customers, he claims, include Vinnie Dombroski from Sponge, Suzi Quatro, and even Slash from Guns N’ Roses.

At the new store, there’s a small stage on the mezzanine level, and Tatarian says he plans to create a lounge area that could host intimate music or poetry performances.

“The Detroit music scene is the biggest driver of Showtime,” he says. “They keep me in business.”

He says he purchased the new building outright, so there’s no danger of a landlord raising his rent. His experiences with Hamtramck so far have been positive, he adds, and he says he loves the diversity and entrepreneurial spirit of the community.

“I like Hamtramck, and the people here are welcoming,” he says. “The Arab community, the Polish community, everyone here is very welcoming. It reminds me of the Cass Corridor back in the day.”

After delays, Dan Tartarian has officially relocated his Showtime Clothing to a Hamtramck storefront.

LEE DEVITO

FOOD

High praise for the Avenue of Fashion’s only Mexican restaurant

The place to start at Pequeño Cantina is the maple-lime wings, which deliver aromatic and acidic punches that are balanced out with just a touch of mellow sweetness. The exteriors are slightly crisp and the meat inside falls off the bone. Pequeño chef Frank Blackman achieves this near perfection by marinating the big wings in cilantro, garlic, and lime before they’re rubbed with a house blend of spices, then baked, then flash fried, and finished with a molasses-agave-lime-cilantro sauce. There’s not many flavor profiles like this in town, and Blackman is giving even the beloved wings at Detroit’s mighty Sweetwater Tavern a run for their money.

Though that was the highlight of the meal, everything reached a certain level at Pequeño, which has been folding tacos on Livernois since late 2021, making it the only Mexican restaurant on Detroit’s Avenue of Fashion. Blackman, a restaurant industry veteran who was once the executive chef at London Chop House, and who has had ownership stakes in Sweet Georgia Brown and 24Grille, says he has intentionally kept

By Tom Perkins

Pequeño’s profile a bit on the low side so he could get a feel for the new concept.

It’s his first restaurant in a neighborhood instead of downtown, but it’s got a downtown vibe, and it’s a welcome addition to an area that calls for more spots like this. You will pay downtown prices for the margaritas and some plates, but that’s fine because it is worth paying more for menu items that are fresh and largely made from scratch. The menu was developed under consultation from several chefs from Mexico who spent a month with Blackman.

It shows in dishes like the birria, with its tender shreds of short rib cooked for eight hours, slow and low in its own juices, to build a rich base. Though Blackman kept his secret ingredients close, my guess is there’s some kind of brightening chile like guajillo in the mix, and birria usually stews with garlic, onion, cumin, oregano, and a range of other spices and aromatics that add to the depth. Blackman wraps the beef in a corn tortilla shell with a generous portion of mozzarella, then hits it with the consomme to give it even more depth and cooks the package on the

flattop to render the exterior slightly.

Pequeños’ chicken fajitas offer herb-laced strips of bird, that, in a rare blemish, were a bit on the dry side, though the flavor made up for it and we enjoyed the dish nonetheless. It arrives with the requisite bell peppers, onions, pico, guacamole, sour cream, and rice and beans on the side.

The Pequeño fries are not pequeño at all and have a real “Flavortown” kind of vibe — loaded up heavy with queso, spicy ground beef, jalapeño, pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole on top of waffle fries. The fries were the pre-seasoned kind and that distracted from the superior mess of flavors, but it’s a minor distraction and the plate is well worth it.

For whatever reasons, the chorizo in Blackman’s tacos is among the best in town. He wouldn’t reveal his secrets beyond saying that he picks it up from Honey Bee Market in Southwest Detroit and treats it with his house blend. The meat is salty, moist, and pops from what I’m guessing is a healthy dose of chile powder. The steak taco came with a flavorful New York strip, and Pequeño grills

Pequeño Cantina

19329 Livernois Ave., Detroit 313-422-9088

pequenocantina.com

$10-$18

Wheelchair accessible

the corn tortilla shells on the flattop so they arrive warm with a slight crunch.

The bar menu is solid with a spicy margarita composed of Julio Blanco, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, jalapeño, and Tajín. When we visited, the server had to double as a bartender and she said ours were the first margaritas she had ever made. She’s a natural, folks.

The salsa is made in house, as are the chips, which are excellent and come dusted with Tajín. It’s this attention to detail and execution that puts Pequeño over the top, and has us waiting in anticipation for a cigar bar and pair of restaurants Blackman and business partners have in the works just down the street.

Chorizo tacos, Pequeño fries, wing, and margarita from Pequeño Cantina. TOM PERKINS

FOOD

Midtown’s Mad Nice is now open

MAD NICE, A new Italian restaurant in Detroit’s Cass Corridor, opened for dinner on Sunday.

Located at 4120 Second Ave., it’s the latest concept by Heirloom Hospitality Group, the group behind the Townhouse restaurants, Prime + Proper, and Cash Only Supper Club.

With a modern Italian menu and coastal chic decor, Mad Nice joins Midtown’s growing upscale dining scene, which includes spots like Selden Standard and SheWolf.

The menu, spearheaded by chef Myles McVay, includes specialty pizza, duck pastrami, egg yolk ravioli, rigatoni ragout, sourdough garganelli, rotisserie Amish chicken, and pork shank. McVay previously led the kitchen in Ferndale’s recently shut-

tered Otus Supply.

Mad Nice is described as a “low-key, timeless but modern” restaurant where “Italian roots meet coastal-California vibes; farm-fresh meets fermented and preserved; vintage hospitality meets Detroit’s sauce.”

The restaurant will begin serving lunch on March 15. At an undetermined future date, it will include a retail space with a coffee and cocktail bar, the owners say.

The space was most recently occupied by high-end leather retailer, Will Leather Goods, which closed in 2019. Before that, it was a local grocery store.

—Steve Neavling

More information is available at madnicedetroit.com.

Former Steve & Rocky’s is now Brentwood Grille

NOVI’S POPULAR STEVE & Rocky’s restaurant is no more — at least in name, anyway.

The longstanding upscale restaurant is now known as the Brentwood Grille. A new ownership team took over the restaurant last week.

Ford’s Garage has expanded to Novi

CLASSIC AMERICAN DINER

franchise Ford’s Garage has opened the doors to its Novi location.

This is the chain’s second Detroit-area location, located in the Twelve Mile Crossing at Fountain Walk complex at 44175 W. 12 Mile Rd.

Ford’s Garage is known for its 1920s service station decor, vintage memorabilia, and a Model A car suspended above the center bar.

Downs Management owns and operates the new Novi location along with the Ford’s Garage Dearborn location.

“I’m excited to share this fun, familyfriendly concept with the Novi-area,” Downs Management owner Billy Downs said in a press release. “The Novi-area has a rich history with Ford Motor Company. This concept gives us a unique opportunity to celebrate an important part of our local heritage.”

The restaurant boasts a menu of burgers made of black angus beef, bison, and vegetarian options on buns branded with the Ford’s Garage logo. Its “Burgers of Fame” menu includes

burgers named for local figures like Mayor of Novi Bob Gatt (The Mushroom Swiss); Novi High School Principal Nicole Carter (The Patty Melt), and 99.5 WYCD’s Josh, Rachael, and Grunwald (The Black-N-Bleu).

Other menu items include comfort food like homemade meatloaf, chicken wings and tenders, onion rings, and macaroni and cheese. Over 100 types of beer are available, including more than 30 drafts on tap with an emphasis on local breweries.

Ford’s Garage was founded in 2012 in Fort Myers, Florida, where Henry Ford had a winter home. It has since grown to 23 locations across six states and is an official licensee of the Ford Motor Company, which allows the restaurant to use the company’s iconic blue logo.

Hours for the Novi Ford’s Garage are 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday- Thursday, 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, and 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday.

—Randiah Camille Green

For more info, see fordsgarageusa.com.

But much will stay the same, according to a press release. A number of dishes from the Steve & Rocky’s “core” menu will remain, as will the entire staff — including former co-owner Steve Allen (the “Steve” in Steve & Rocky’s), who is executive chef and culinary consultant.

“It’s an honor to carry on the legacy of Steve & Rocky’s and to introduce Brentwood Grille to those that have been loyal to this restaurant for decades,” said Brentwood Grille managing

Pizza Cat has a carryout store in the suburbs

A GROWING PIZZA chain that touts a “deliciously weird menu” has expanded into the suburbs.

Pizza Cat opened its latest restaurant on Monday. The carryout-only store is located at 27723 Dequindre Rd., Madison Heights, in the former Toarmina’s Pizza.

Since March 13 is affectionately known as “313 Day” around here, the store celebrated its grand opening with $3.13 small cheese and pepperoni pizzas all day. (Nevermind that Madison Heights has a 248 area code.)

The franchise is operated by Troy

partner Robert Loomis. “Our team is dedicated to providing an exceptional dining experience for our guests in a fresh and inviting atmosphere. We look forward to welcoming everyone to Brentwood Grille and to serving the Novi area for years to come.”

The new ownership says it will introduce new menu items later this spring, and renovations will occur to the dining room in the summer.

Former owners Allen and Charles Rachwitz (the “Rocky” in Steve & Rocky’s) decided to sell the business and step down from day-to-day operations.

—Lee DeVito

More information is available at brentwoodgrille.com.

Dillard, a Detroiter and former Chrysler worker who previously opened Brookies Cafe in Ypsilanti. He also has experience working as a delivery driver and manager at Hungry Howie’s.

Pizza Cat launched in Toledo, Ohio in 2017. In 2022, it opened its first Detroit-area store in Greektown in the former Ready Player One arcade.

According to the company’s website, another Pizza Cat location is planned for 30915 Ann Arbor Trail, Westland, though an opening date has not yet been announced.

The chain’s “weird” menu includes Flamin’ Hot Cheetos toppings and a keto crust made from shredded chicken breasts, among other offbeat offerings.

—Lee DeVito

The decor at Ford’s Garage iincludes a Model A car suspended above the bar. COURTESY PHOTO

FOOD

Chowhound

How to help Karl’s Cabin

By Robert Stempkowski

Got a tip about metro Detroit’s dining scene? Hit us up: eats@metrotimes. com.

Now, hopefully, up from the ashes: Last month, Karl’s Cabin in Plymouth (6005 Gotfredson Rd.) nearly went up in flames. A fire starting in the rear of the historic restaurant property, fanned by high winds that day (Feb. 15), did serious damage. It could have been far worse. Some 250 seated customers were safely evacuated by working staff. While far from a total loss and human tragedy, Karl’s still faces an extended closure during a projected six-month restoration and rebuild. I visited Karl’s once as a virtual tourist nearly a year ago, right after my relocation to the Detroit area. The place was packed. From crew to customers, most seemed to know each other’s names. Everyone seemed happy to be there. Success makes a certain sound in a restaurant that really works: a collective hum of dining room laughter, relaxed conversation, and otherwise audible contentment you pick up on almost subconsciously. That came across loud and clear to me at Karl’s. The waitresses’ smiles were real. The kitchen damn sure could cook. The place ran like a top.

Suddenly, that all came to a stop. These days, founder Karl Poulos’s children, Sophia, Peter, and Louis, are doing all they can to lift morale among their team of currently unemployed back and front-of-house pros. They’ve sponsored a bowling league to keep displaced co-workers connected during the hiatus, and are offering yoga classes to help address the stress of consequences created by the Cabin’s forced closure. What they can’t do is cover the cost of living for some 100 employees who lost their livelihoods last month.

Maybe this is where we come in. A longtime regular at Karl’s has already set up a GoFundMe account for the cause, so there’s that. But over and above the one-time donation avenue of fighting this fire, I’m wondering: Who out there in our extremely laborforce-challenged local restaurant/ hotel/resort/senior living/hospital

industries might be willing to take on staff as well-seasoned as Karl’s, even if it’s only for a while? With operators everywhere struggling to douse shortstaffing situations, here’s a bucket brigade of proven performers. Hire one or two and help yourselves while you do good service to others. Perchance you’re in a position to offer some commercial kitchen space for use by Karl’s catering arm, you’d be a Godsend in helping provide the Cabin’s culinary crew the opportunity to generate revenue for the business during the busy graduation party season to come.

Calling all restaurateurs, hall owners, kitchen and dining room hiring managers, and the like: Let’s rally around a fellow wounded warrior. Most if not all of us have been left more than a little singed by circumstances in the current food service workplace. I think it would feel good to fight back by picking this battle one of our own now faces.

Imagine six or so months from now: Karl’s rises from the ashes and reopens as a monument to the daunting challenges overcome daily in every corner of the food industry. Picture the place not only moving forward, but standing as a testament to what great effect a group empathetic to the plight of colleagues was able to rally during truly trying times. Then just think of yourself walking into Karl’s Cabin one day and taking in the sights and sounds of a place rescued and restored to its happy place in bread-breaking and merry-making local lore.

And the feeling of knowing you helped make it happen.

Contact Karl’s Cabin Manager, Leslie McClean, if you think you can help: 734-455-8450.

Doing the Dirty: There’s this thing local TV stations do that should be exposed for what it is: Lazy, cheap-shot reporting. We’ve all seen these stories. Typically, they’re bumped on morning and evening news shows as “Dirty Dining” or “Restaurant Report Card” segments, which tease viewers with bad health inspection news their hardcharging consumer reporters dig up about restaurants around town. These filler pieces tend to lead-in with lines

like: “Stay tuned to see which longtime favorite lunch spot was recently cited for flies in their Soup & Salad,” or, “When we come back; we’ll tell you what downtown eggery was scrambling to fix a failed health inspection.”

For starters, these dubious little exposes don’t reflect any journalistic hard work whatsoever. Inspection findings are posted online for public access. Your friendly-faced media homers simply sit at their studio cubicle screens cherrypicking these postings and slapping together tear-down packages that can take all of two minutes to permanently ruin the reputation of a restaurant that fell short of food safety and sanitation standards on the day they happened to be inspected.

Now here’s some news, viewers: It happens in the best of places. In a great majority of cases, violations found are corrected right there on the spot by ownership and staff, something these low-down and dirty reports don’t always exercise the due-diligence to mention. Worse still, they do their best to trigger our gag-reflexes with buzzwords that speak to common food fears (“bugs,” “raw chicken,” “bare hands”) and industry jargon just as scary (“cross-contamination” and “bacterial growth risks” are biggies).

Don’t get me wrong. Food safety inspections perform an invaluable and necessary service in the cause of consumer welfare. Restaurants are responsible for maintaining established standards of food service safety and sanitation. And media, by all means, should inform us of things we have the need and right to know. Restaurant inspectors do good and important work. Restaurants must comply with procedures that ensure safe handling, storage, preparation, and service of their goods. And media coverage of

these matters should — as with all their content — provide fair and balanced reporting.

The next time you see some dirty dining report on TV, decide for yourself if they’re doing that before you write-off the restaurant they’re putting through the wringer.

Imagine the morning news sifting through your dry cleaner’s business, then pointing to a stain or two on your work clothes as evidence that you’re some unprofessional slob to be avoided. Like you, me, and all of us, restaurants get dirty in spots. They also clean themselves up, as we all do. Rightly, they can get called out on the carpet when inspections turn up infractions. As any respectable health inspector will tell you, this stuff happens, and when it does, things get addressed, corrected, and reinspected. In fact, by the time you see the media coverage, it’s likely old news and no longer an issue. And nobody knows this better than those network wannabes working on padding their audition reels at our local television stations.

On that note, I’ll reissue the standing challenge I made in the Phoenix market to every consumer reporter and news director at every media outlet within earshot. Let me bring a retired health inspector into your homes — even semi-unannounced — to see how your kitchens, dining spaces, and bathrooms stand up to scrutiny using the exact same standards of food safety, sanitation, and cleanliness restaurant professionals are held to. And subsequent to that inspection, let’s air those findings for all to see, when I personally present them, on camera, during one of your broadcasts, following the same script your crew tends to. Agreed?

You know where to find me. I double dog dare ‘ya.

Karl’s Cabin in 2015. YELP INC., FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS

WEED

Ferndale decriminalizes magic mushrooms and other psychedelics

WELCOME TO THE magic mushroom club, Ferndale. We’re glad to see you.

Last month, Ferndale City Council unanimously approved a resolution to decriminalize entheogenic plants and fungi like psilocybin mushrooms, Ayahuasca, and Dimethyltryptamine (aka DMT).

One of Michigan’s largest cannabis companies is under receivership as industry struggles

SKYMINT, ONE OF the state’s largest cannabis companies with 24 dispensaries and three indoor grow operations, is in serious financial trouble and under control of a receiver.

An Ingham County Circuit Court judge ordered the receivership after Skymint was sued by Canadian investment firm Tropics LP, which says the company owes it more than $127 million, Crains Detroit Business first reported.

The suit alleges that Skymint, which primarily operates under the parent company of Green Peak Innovations Inc., is burning through $3 million in cash every month and missed its annual sales forecast of $263 million, generating only $110 million in revenue in 2022.

The company’s financial collapse is the latest sign that the oversaturated

Ric Flair is coming to promote his weed brand

market in Michigan is causing significant problems in the legal cannabis industry.

The average price of an ounce of adult-use flower dropped from more than $512 in January 2020 to $80.16 in January. The price continues to decline every month, making it very difficult for dispensaries and growers to break even.

New York-based cannabis investment firm Merida Capital Holdings and its affiliates also filed a lawsuit against Skymint, alleging the company misrepresented its financials and management.

Since marijuana is still illegal on the federal level, cannabis companies cannot receive help in a bankruptcy court.

In response, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer allowed for receiverships for cannabis companies in 2020.

On Thursday, March 16 and Friday, March 17, Ric Flair will be visiting Cloud Cannabis, JARS, House of Dank, and other dispensaries to promote his brand Ric Flair Drip.

Fans will be able to meet the WWE Hall of Famer, snap photos with him, and buy Ric Flair Drip cannabis products during the visits. Chad Bronstein, chairman of the brand’s parent company, Carma HoldCo. will also be in tow.

Gene Kohut, a partner at Detroitbased business advisory firm Trust Street Advisors, was appointed as the receiver in this case.

Tropics LP loaned Green Peak $70 million in September 2021 and agreed to repay the debt in full by September 2025 at a monthly compounding interest rate of 12.5%.

Tropics is requesting to take possession of Green Peak’s assets.

“Absent appointment of a receiver, defendants’ assets are subject to waste, and plaintiff will suffer severe and irreparable damage unless in the hands of a receiver,” the suit says. “(The receiver should) take all necessary action to preserve the value of the assets, all subject to the direction of the court during the pendency of those proceedings and until the assets are sold.”

—Steve Neavling

The “Nature Boy” wrestler announced Ric Flair Drip, named after the 2018 track by Offset and Metro Boomin, was coming to Michigan back in November.

Flair’s schedule for his dispensary visits is below.

Thursday, March 16

11:30 a.m.-12 p.m.: Dispo Romeo; 100 Shafer Dr., Romeo, MI

12:45 p.m.-1:15 p.m.: JARS Mount

This doesn’t mean these psychedelic substances are completely legal, but the “investigation and arrest of persons for planting, cultivating, purchasing, transporting, distributing, engaging in practices with, or possessing Entheogenic Plants or plant compounds which are on the Federal Schedule 1 list shall be the lowest law enforcement priority for the City of Ferndale,” according to the resolution.

“The use of Entheogenic Plants, which can catalyze profound experiences of personal and spiritual growth, have been shown by scientific and clinical studies and traditional practices to be beneficial to the health and well-being of individuals and communities,” the resolution reads. Sounds like they pretty much came around to what we’ve known this whole time.

Billy Horton of Decriminalize Nature Ferndale thanked the council for their support and said the group would continue educating the community on using plant medicine safely.

“I just want to continue to emphasize the importance of psychedelic and entheogenic plants and the work that’s going on, the research and the science that’s supporting it for psychological and for physical wellness,” he told the council.

Ferndale is the fourth Michigan city to decriminalize psychedelic plants and fungi after Detroit, Hazel Park, and Ann Arbor.

—Randiah Camille Green

Clemens; 101 N. Groesbeck Hwy., Mount Clemens

3-3:30 p.m.: PUFF Madison Heights; 2 Ajax Dr, Madison Heights

Friday, March 17

Time TBD: Cloud Detroit; 16001 Mack Ave., Detroit

Time TBD: House of Dank; 3340 Eight Mile Rd., Detroit

—Randiah Camille Green

COURTESY PHOTO

ONE OF THE greatest pro wrestlers of all time is bringing the drip to metro Detroit dispensaries this month.

CULTURE

Artist of the week

Ricky Weaver’s photography is a hymn to Black feminist futurity

By Randiah Camille Green

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,” a white wall at Detroit’s David Klein Gallery reads. The gallery feels sterile, like a hallowed, consecrated place.

Photos of a Black woman dressed in a silky black garment grace the walls. The focus is on her hands, adorned with rings and long, black stiletto nails. She’s the Virgin Mary of Black femininity. She touches her chest lovingly and makes hand gestures that anyone who grew up Black will recognize.

The photos are of Ypsilanti artist Ricky Weaver, though she doesn’t consider them self-portraits. The skilled photographer describes them as “image-based objects trafficking in the grammar of black feminist futurity.”

These photos are part of Weaver’s solo show at the gallery titled Crucify My Flesh. She takes us to church with two series “Untitled, On the Mainline (Anthem)” and “Untitled, I Sound Like Momma’N’Em (Care and Council).” The former is named after the hymn “Jesus on the Mainline” but instead of Jesus, we’re praying to Black women.

“I think of it as an embodied sort of prayer,” Weaver tells Metro Times about the hand gestures in her photos. “What is expressed and implied by the language of Black women’s everyday spirituality? People kept asking me, ‘Is this sign language?’ In a way, yeah. But I’m thinking more about the way that language can be embodied. Language can act as a ‘dark sousveillance’ technique. That’s the way they invade the archive of the everyday. I like the fact that I can’t say exactly what they mean because that defeats the purpose.”

“Dark sousveillance” is a term coined by writer and researcher Simone Browne that describes how enslaved Africans created their own coded language to “disappear” from surveillance.

A second room of the gallery turns into a ritual space with a skyring portal

Weaver created with reflective glass, soil, and vials of water she calls “Let The Circle Be Unbroken.” Photos of her oldest daughter braiding her youngest’s hair surround it.

“Spirit is the thing that escapes the form,” Weaver says. “I think about the ways that we make sure the circle remains unbroken and to me, that’s through the everyday spiritual. Everything in that space is spiritual. Getting your hair braided is a spiritual activity, having an embodied coded language is a spiritual knowing. It’s looking back

at yourself, navigating the politics of looking but also skyring past, present, future. So letting the circle be unbroken requires a nonlinear sort of temporality.”

She adds, “there’s an energetic transfer when you’re getting your hair braided and I was always told you don’t just let anybody do your hair. I think about the body as a central mechanism for archiving, uploading, downloading, and transferring information.”

Weaver is from Ypsilanti and is currently a teaching fellow at ArtCenter

College of Art and Design in Pasadena, California. She has an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and her work has been exhibited locally and internationally at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco, Art Museum at the University of Toronto, and Grand Palais Éphémère in Paris, among others.

Where to see her work: Crucify My Flesh is on view at David Klein Gallery until April 1; 1520 Washington Blvd., Detroit; 313-818-3416; dkgallery.com.

“Untitled, On the Mainline (Anthem) (#9090)” by Ricky Weaver. COURTESY OF RICKY WEAVER AND DAVID KLEIN GALLERY

CULTURE

barely-informed psychological speculation, Close never really finds a register that grounds the film. Instead, it always seems to approach its subjects from some distant place outside. Rarely moving past what one might presume or expect based on sociological and situational context, the characters in Close aren’t elaborated enough to give them a sense of narrative independence from a sense of them as “written,” curbing their ability to feel as live as they really might — or any capacity to behave on their own terms, much less surprise.

A queer coming-of-age story that lacks intimacy

By George Elkind

Delicacy and beauty aren’t by themselves sufficient in a work that calls for more emotional sensitivity or insight, though they certainly don’t hurt. In the case of Lukas Dhont’s Close, a film whose capable (if opaque) leading performances buoy it partway emotionally alongside its formal strengths, the film lacks sorely the sense of intimacy promised by its title. Working to render a period of growing self-awareness experienced by two Belgian, queer, 13-year old boys, Dhont struggles when working both metaphorically and literally to capture the sense of specificity or emotional weight the story rightly deserves.

This pervasive shortcoming proves quite a shame, given the present sense of heft Close’s subject merits in our own political moment. Youthful experiences of attraction and dawning sexual awareness are fraught to treat due to the potential for prurience involved, but the freedom for people as much as stories to explore them currently finds itself — especially in the United States — under renewed and heavy attack. For this reason, Close’s premise — of observing the tight bond between two kids who might, in some fumbling and indefinite way, consider themselves more than friends once they find the words to — offers much of value: especially for considering queer attraction and identity as a perspective experienced by many early, before a point of easy or unhindered articulation. Spotlighting a moment just as vivid but perhaps tougher to reckon with than the ways of living which might arrive for his two leads later, Dhont has plainly landed on a worthwhile subject.

In certain moments, Léo and Rémi’s experiences scan as realistic, even prototypical; in others, they’re idealized and so heavily polished that any veneer of credibility wears thin. With a largely binarized structure that moves between spaces, the film first presents the domestic and pastoral settings in which the boys, who seem to be biking-distance neighbors and longtime friends, play-act, sprint endlessly through the ever-flowering fields of a nearby farm, and sleep over at one another’s homes. With Rémi’s mother (a versatile but underserved Émilie Dequenne) declaring Léo (played by Eden Dambrine) early on a “son of the heart” as they lay about in the grass outside, the connection between the three of them is made to seem as solid as most firm familial ones. While these homey, sun-soaked scenes allude only sparsely at first to any potential for imminent or external tension or threat, their emotional cast eventually dims as elements from the movie’s other key spheres pollute a once spotless reality.

That other space is a more grown-up one: the realm of school and sport, and their attendant litany of social compromises. While at 13 the boys can’t be new to coursework, or to offering an unguarded public showcase of their friendship, the two find in the fall that follows the film’s opening idylls that some threshold of age and prejudice appears to have been unwittingly crossed in terms of what’s now thought acceptable. “Are you together?” one schoolmate asks in the semester’s first days — just a scene before another presses the pair on their relationship significantly harder. Drawing Léo into hockey as,

more than a hobby, a kind of smokescreen providing a useful masculine affect (Dhont and cinematographer Frank van den Eeden often shoot Dambrine’s character as all but buried awkwardly in the game’s uncommunicative, armorlike uniform), these social pressures gradually pull the film’s central pair apart, paining Rémi most acutely.

The separation between the film’s two worlds thus becomes chronological and not just geographic, a contestable boundary between more mature (constricted) and youthful (carefree) parts of life. Dhont makes blunt metaphors of Léo’s work to negotiate his growing grasp of this, with the flower farms he plays around in providing more plain expressions of flourishing, wilting, fading, and regrowth than Dambrine’s performance really can. A blond, delicate kid whose impassive face is beset with gigantic, platter-like eyes, Dambrine manages to make Léo arresting even when he does little more than stare, inviting viewers to project volumes of emotion onto his often tremulous but less than giving palette of expressions.

While this dynamic largely works in real-time given moments, there’s much anyway it doesn’t offer for the film taken as a whole. While Dambrine’s performance is not quite “off” taken on its own terms, the movie fails for embracing this acting register as sufficient in providing us with real particulars — and thus fails to fill out the particulars of each boy’s presumably specific interior and emotional lives. With the viewer’s experience of the pair’s feelings careening between hard-pressed metaphors of pain and healing, wounds and growth, and then invitations to

Instead of building toward something that might enable this sort of observational and experiential detail, Dhont structures his film (written collaboratively with Angelo Tijssens) around a few key metaphors and the back-andforth experience of quotidian routine, which persists coolly even through the film’s main points of rupture. While this experience, of a dully rhythmic day-today, plays like roles for both working adults and school-age children, it’s hard to feel that much is changing or put on offer as we return endlessly to certain settings. One can only watch Léo elbow his way around a hockey rink or see the boys tussle in bed or sprint through blooming fields so many times before such scenes lose any once-held luster. Instead of providing a sense of digging deeper over time, these scenes feel like repetitions of one another — made distinct only through the most obvious of narrative and formal gestures. They lack, too (and oddly enough) a sense of sensory vividity and tactile sensuality — such as one might find from something as simple as shooting a hand brushing over wood or grass, easy stuff to nail in a pastoral setting.

Rather than treat each moment of revisitation as a chance to find something new in a familiar space, Dhont banks on meaning and depth arising from his cast’s performances and the hardpressed metaphors which structure and surround them. While the film’s two-world structure offers some fruitful, communicative strains of crosspollination (between the scholastic and domestic, the structured adult world and the shaggier one of youth), one senses in watching that Dhont doesn’t exactly grasp its variety of potential resonances and strengths. Treating the film’s spheres as refuges to cut between at the close of each scene instead of environments inviting purposeful, narrative forms of investigation, Dhont’s structural assemblage banks on work that’s reliably either overly prescriptive or insufficiently defined. Unable to play to its own strengths, Close’s script is left to bounce and flounder. Like its characters, it deserves better than what it gets, seeming always on the run.

Eden Dambrine, Émilie Dequenne, and Gustav De Waele in Close

A24

CULTURE

Savage Love Coming

Around

By Dan Savage

: Q I’m a straight cis woman who could never orgasm from vaginal penetration alone. But suddenly I am able to come just from vaginal penetration now that I’ve reached middle-aged! This was never the case for me before

I could never come from PIV all by itself — and I’ve never heard another cis woman talk about suddenly being able to come during PIV after hitting her late 30s. Is this common?

—Suddenly Having Intensely Felt Tremors

: A “We too often think about orgasms as stable or unchanging,” said Dr. Debby Herbenick, a professor at the Indiana University of Public Health, a prolific and widely published-and-cited sex researcher, pundit, and author, and director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion. “In fact, orgasms sometimes shift over time or in response to certain life stages or body experiences experiences such as pregnancy, the postpartum period, or menopause.”

While Dr. Herbenick couldn’t say for sure why you’re so suddenly able to come from just PIV alone — something most women can’t do — she did share some possible explanations.

“First, it may just be learning over time, especially if SHIFT has a new partner, is exploring in new ways with a long-term partner, or is paying attention to vaginal sensation in ways SHIFT perhaps didn’t before,” said Dr. Herbenick. “Or maybe SHIFT’s just open to the experience now in ways she wasn’t earlier.”

Basically, SHIFT, if you ran out of fucks to give — something most women eventually do — and consequently became more vocal and assertive about your pleasure and the positions, speeds, depths of penetration, etc., that work best for you, you could be experiencing PIV very differently now.

“Another option is anatomical change,” said Dr. Herbenick. “While the changes are slow-moving, cisgender women do experience anatomical shifts — the angle of vagina in the body can change over time. I’ve always found this fascinating, and this may be contributing to how intercourse feels for SHIFT.

Because along with changes in vaginal angle come changes in how the vagina and cervix may be stimulated during intercourse.”

If the angle of your vagina has shifted even slightly, SHIFT, the angle or angles of penetration that work best for you now — new angles that hit you just right — could be stimulating your clit, internally or externally or both, in ways PIV didn’t use to.

“Another possibility could be shifts related to hormones and the brain,” said Dr. Herbenick. “If SHIFT is around perimenopause or menopause, no doubt she’s noticed a range of ways that hormonal changes are affecting ways that her body feels. Orgasm is not just about the clitoris or vagina; these are stimulating points but they’re only one part of what contributes to orgasm. How we sense and perceive those sensations are influenced by our brain, which is also influenced by hormones.”

Finally, SHIFT, assuming you can still come from oral, manual, and vibrational stimulation, I think we can safely file your question — suddenly being able to come from another kind of stimulation — in the “good problem to have” drawer. Enjoy!

Follow Dr. Herbenick on Twitter @ DebbyHerbenick and on Instagram @ DrDebbyHerbenick.

: Q I began getting massages to help with my back pain and discovered how utterly relaxing they are. But I also get a sexual charge from them. I’m a gay male, and every time I go, I’m hard from the moment the massage therapist touches me until the moment it ends. One masseur took this as a green light and gave me a happy ending, which I didn’t ask for or expect. I’m worried that by getting hard I may be making some massage therapists uncomfortable. Is that a possibility? Or are massage therapists used to that type of response? I’ve tried jerking off beforehand, but still got hard during my session. I even got a massage from an older woman once and somehow still got hard! I leave these sessions and feel guilty, which sort of negates some of the calming aspects of a massage. Am I a terrible person? Should I stop getting massages? Should I warn them?

—Bothered Over Needlessly Erect Dick

: A Erections happen for non-sexual reasons — spontaneous erections, reflexive erections, nocturnal erections — and most professional massage therapists know to ignore them. So, while

you may be getting a sexual charge during your massage (or you may be assuming you’re getting a sexual charge when you’re actually having a reflexive erection), your massage therapist is going to give you (and your boner) the benefit of the doubt and assume you’re not intentionally doing something to make them uncomfortable. The one therapist who took your erection as a “green light” to give you a handjob took a wild guess, BONED, and seems to have guessed correctly — I mean, you don’t seem traumatized by the experience. But if that massage therapist had guessed incorrectly, he could’ve lost his job or worse.

So, you are not a terrible person, and you may keep getting massages. And since the only thing more awkward than a client getting an erection during a massage — at least according to a massage therapist pal of mine — would be a client saying something like, “I just wanted to let you know that I sometimes get an erection during a massage,” no advance warnings.

: Q While trying to fall asleep the other night, insomnia struck again, and I decided to use the masturbation trick to knock myself out. I must have struck a creative nerve because a question popped into my head: Could I penetrate myself with my own penis? I’m a straight male and I’ve never received anal but the thought of giving has always aroused me. Could I give it to myself? Since fully erect obviously wouldn’t work, I relaxed, lubed up, and only massaged myself to a state of semiengorgement. And I was able to do it! And then, after applying a little pressure to the base of my cock, I was able to create an in-and-out piston-like action that made me come right away! In my own ass! Does that have a name? Could I hurt myself if I do it a lot? Despite being a straight male, I’m not at all bothered by what I did — if anything, I’m bothered it took me 30 years to figure this out. Did I miss the boat by not watching any gay porn? Please enlighten me!

—Gone And Fucked Myself

: A Last week a hateful rightwing troll told me to go fuck myself — again, not something I need to do for myself, as I have people for that — and this week a straight reader of mine goes and fucks himself. Coincidence? Or did reading my column last week, which I assume GAFM did, plant a seed in him? Anyway, GAFM, hung dudes who can fuck themselves — guys who can twist their own hard cocks around far enough to slip them into their own asses and then rock back and forth on their taints until they come in themselves — were the crazy new thing in

gay porn for 10 minutes 20 years ago. And while I’m sure there are still plenty of porn performers out there fucking their own asses and uploading videos to PornHub and OnlyFans, it’s not the crazy new thing anymore, and doesn’t get the attention (or the clicks) it once did. It’s still fucking crazy, though — crazy to do (requiring a degree of flexibility at the root of the cock that not all men possess), and crazy to think about (some people really can go fuck themselves). And since I’ve haven’t heard from or about someone who accidentally snapped his dick off trying to fuck his ass, GAFM, I’m gonna assume this is relatively safe — just take it slow, be sober, and use a lot of lube.

: Q I’m a woman in my late 40s, married 20 years. My husband is in his late 50s. My sex drive was low for a while but now is quite high. I’m not sure exactly what accounts for the change, but some marriage counseling improved communication, which no doubt helped, and I got into porn and vibrators, which increased my pleasure and therefore my interest. Now, I like to have sex or masturbate once a day. I’m going to reach menopause in a few years, which could make things more difficult, so I’m anxious to enjoy as much as I can now. However, this has caused some friction between me and my husband. He just doesn’t want sex as often as I do, and he doesn’t want me masturbating as often as I’d like to. He claims the noise from the vibrator is distracting. I’ve tried to be flexible, but he needs more sleep than I do, so sex and masturbation are off the table between at 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., which are both good times for me right before sleep, right after waking up — which leaves during the day, while our children are at school, but he’s not always interested during the day. But if I masturbate before I head to work, he says the noise disturbs him. (He works from home.) I think he’s being selfish. Most of the time when I approach him for sex — or mutual masturbation, which I also enjoy — he has trouble maintaining an erection. He says he doesn’t want to “deal with a doctor” about getting medication that might help. I say if he doesn’t want to deal with doctors, let me use my toys! But he insists the noise disturbs him while he’s working. How do we remedy this situation? Am I the unreasonable one here or is he being unreasonable?

—Buzzing Sounds

See Savage.Love for the full version of this column.

Send your burning questions to mailbox@savage.love. Podcasts, columns, and more at Savage.Love!

CULTURE Free Will Astrology

ARIES: March 21 – April 19

I highly recommend the following experiences: 1. ruminating about what you learned in a relationship that ended — and how those lessons might be useful now. 2. ruminating about a beloved place you once regarded as home — and how the lessons you learned while there might be inspiring now. 3. ruminating about a riddle that has long mystified you — and how clarifying insights you receive in the coming weeks could help you finally understand it.

TAURUS: April 20 – May 20

For “those who escape hell,” wrote Charles Bukowksi, “nothing much bothers them after that.” Believe it or not, Taurus, I think that in the coming weeks, you can permanently escape your own personal version of hell — and never, ever have to return. I offer you my congratulations in advance. One strategy that will be useful in your escape is this idea from Bukowski: “Stop insisting on clearing your head — clear your fucking heart instead.”

GEMINI: May 21 – June 20

Gemini paleontologist Louis Agassiz (1807–1883) was a foundational contributor to the scientific tradition. Among his specialties was his hands-on research into the mysteries of fossilized fish. Though he was meticulously logical, he once called on his nightly dreams to solve a problem he faced. Here’s the story: A potentially crucial specimen was largely concealed inside a stone. He wanted to chisel away the stone to get at the fossil, but was hesitant to proceed for fear of damaging the treasure inside. On three successive nights, his dreams revealed to him how he should approach the work. This information proved perfectly useful. Agassiz hammered away at the slab exactly as his dreams suggested and freed the fossilized fish. I bring this marvel to your attention, Gemini, because I suspect that you, too, need to carve or cut away an obstruction that is hiding something valuable. Can you get help from your dreams? Yes, or else in deep reverie or meditation.

CANCER: June 21 – July 22

Will you flicker and sputter in the coming weeks, Cancerian? Or will you spout and surge? That is, will you be enfeebled by barren doubts, or will you embolden yourself with hearty oaths? Will you take nervous sips or audacious guzzles? Will you hide and equivocate, or else reveal and pounce? Dabble gingerly or pursue the joy of mastery? I’m here to tell you that which fork you take will depend on your intention and your willpower, not on the caprices of fate. So which will it be: Will you mope and fritter or untangle and illuminate?

LEO: July 23 – August 22

I applaud psychologists who tell us how important it is to feel safe. One of the most crucial human rights is the confidence that we won’t be physically or emotionally abused. But there’s another meaning of safety that applies to those of us who yearn to express ourselves creatively. Singersongwriter David Bowie articulated the truth: “If you feel safe in the area you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a bit out of your depth, and when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re in the right place to do something exciting.” I think this is a wise strategy for most of us, even those who don’t identify as artists. Almost everyone benefits from being imaginative and inventive and even a bit daring in their own particular sphere. And this will be especially applicable to you in the coming weeks, Leo.

JAMES NOELLERT

VIRGO: August 23 – Sept. 22

You are in the sweet, deep phase of the Receiving Season. And so you have a right and a duty to show the world you are ready and available to be blessed with what you need and want. I urge you to do everything necessary to become a welcoming beacon that attracts a wealth of invigorating and healing influences. For inspiration, read this quote by author John Steinbeck: “It is so easy to give, so exquisitely rewarding. Receiving, on the other hand, if it be well done, requires a fine balance of self-knowledge and kindness. It requires humility and tact and great understanding of relationships . . . It requires a self-esteem to receive — a pleasant acquaintance and liking for oneself.”

LIBRA: Sept. 23 – Oct. 22

Libran poet E. E. Cummings wrote that daffodils “know the goal of living is to grow.” Is his sweet sentiment true? I would argue it’s only partially accurate. I believe that if we want to shape our destinies with courage and creativity, we need to periodically go through phases of decay and decline. They make periods of growth possible. So I would say, “The goal of life is to grow and wither and grow and wither and grow.” Is it more fun to grow than to wither? Maybe. But sometimes, withering is educational and necessary. Anyway, Libra, I suspect you are finishing a time of withering and will soon embark on a series of germinations and blossoms.

SCORPIO: Oct. 23 – Nov. 21:

All of us have elements of genius. Every person on the planet possesses at least one special talent or knack that is a gift to others. It could be subtle or unostentatious, like a skill for communicating with animals or for seeing what’s best in people. Or maybe it’s more spectacular, like composing beautiful music or raising children to be strong and compassionate. I mention this, Scorpio, because the coming weeks will be an excellent time to identify your unique genius in great detail — and then nurture it and celebrate it in every way you can imagine.

By Rob Brezsny

SAGITTARIUS: Nov. 22 – Dec. 21

The emblem associated with Sagittarius is an archer holding a bow with the arrow pointed upwards. This figure represents your tribe’s natural ambition to always aim higher. I bring this to your attention because your symbolic quiver is now full of arrows. But what about your bow? Is it in tip-top condition? I suggest you do some maintenance. Is the bow string in perfect shape? Are there any tiny frays? Has it been waxed recently? And what about the grip? Are there any small cracks or wobbles? Is it as steady and stable as it needs to be? I have one further suggestion as you prepare for the target-shooting season. Choose one or at most two targets to aim at rather than four or five.

CAPRICORN: Dec. 22 – Jan. 19

It’s prime time to feel liberated from the urge to prove yourself to anyone. It’s a phase when your selfapproval should be the only kind of approval you need, a period when you have the right to remove yourself from any situation that is weighed down with gloomy confusion or apathetic passivity. This is exciting news! You have an unprecedented opportunity to recharge your psychic batteries and replenish your physical vitality.

AQUARIUS: Jan. 20 – Feb. 18

I suspect you can now accomplish healthy corrections without getting tangled up in messy karma. Here are my recommendations: 1. As you strive to improve situations that are awry or askew, act primarily out of love rather than guilt or pity. 2. Fight tenderly in behalf of beautiful justice, but don’t fight harshly for ugly justice. 3. Ask yourself how you might serve as a kind of divine intervention in the lives of those you care about — and then carry out those divine interventions.

PISCES: Feb.19 – March 20

In describing her process, Piscean sculptor Anne Truitt wrote, “The most demanding part of living a lifetime as an artist is the strict discipline of forcing oneself to work steadfastly along the nerve of one’s own most intimate sensitivity.” I propose that many Pisceans, both artists and non-artists, can thrive from living like that. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to give yourself to such an approach with eagerness and devotion. I urge you to think hard and feel deeply as you ruminate on the question of how to work steadfastly along the nerve of your own most intimate sensitivity.

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