Metro Times 04/05/23

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NEWS & VIEWS

Dont let media scare you into selling your Detroit home so the can gentrify the city faster. —@detroithiphoplive, Instagram

We received many responses to Steve Neavlings’s cover story, “Black Detroiters are fleeing the city at an alarming rate.” Here are just a few.

Great article and research on past/current residents of Detroit. Born and raised in Detroit I grew up on the Northwest side and attended Mackenzie HS from 84-86. Moved to Romulus with my father and that saved my life. Currently resides in La Plata, MD after serving in the Air Force. Love your work and keep the articles coming. —Alan Hudson, via email

Detroit also lead the nation in rising values of Black owner homes. Report that.

The way the city is raising my property taxes but not building up schools I understand the desire to leave, but I refuse. I’m here for the build back and won’t be leaving anytime soon if I can help it! —@mrs.kerfluffles, Instagram

That’s unfortunate. I’m the complete opposite. I own and live in Detroit proper. It was very important to me that my taxes remain in the city of Detroit. We can’t make it better by leaving —@marquitarich, Instagram

Have an opinion? Of course you do! Sound off: letters@metrotimes.com.

NEWS & VIEWS

Detroit stops Grosse Pointe Park foundation from demolishing building

MAYOR MIKE DUGGAN’S administration ordered a Grosse Pointe Park foundation to stop demolishing a building this week along a historic stretch of land in Detroit.

The Urban Renewal Initiative Foundation failed to get a permit to raze the former Grosse Pointe Park Department of Public Works building that is partially located in Detroit at the corner of East Jefferson Avenue and Alter Road.

Despite objections from the city of Detroit, the foundation is planning to build a $35 million performing arts center near the border of Detroit and Grosse Pointe Park.

Activists ready to defend Detroit woman facing eviction from tiny home

HOUSING RIGHTS ACTIVISTS are stationed outside of the home of a Black woman with a terminal illness to defend her against what they’re calling a “retaliatory eviction” on Detroit’s west side.

Taura Brown, 44, is being kicked out of her 317-square-foot home that is part of a community of unique tiny houses in the Dexter-Linwood neighborhoods.

Cass Community Social Services (CCSS), a nonprofit that designed the homes for lower-income Detroiters, has received a court order to evict Brown after a two-year legal battle, even though she has paid her rent on time.

Brown, who has stage-five kidney disease, alleges she was evicted in retaliation for blowing the whistle on problems at CCSS. She accused the nonprofit and its director, Rev. Faith Fowler, of fraud and micromanaging residents. She also alleged CCSS never intended to provide permanent homes for tenants.

“At this point, we are in home defense,” Brown said Monday morning. “I’m going to fight this because this is bullshit. … I ain’t going.”

Activists said Brown’s eviction sets

a dangerous precedent for other landlords to evict tenants for speaking out.

“Faith Fowler is an example of a nonprofit poverty pimp, a white savior, a white supremacist treating people like crap,” Bob Day, a retired lawyer with Detroit Eviction Defense, an activist coalition, said. “We can’t have it. We can’t allow it. And it’s setting the tone for slumlords all across the city who figure, ‘If anybody complains, anybody tries to organize, anybody tries to speak out, we’ll evict them.’”

Outside of Brown’s house is a large banner with an unflattering photo of Fowler’s face and the words, “Reverend Faith Fowler is a fraud!”

Sammie Lewis, an activist with Detroit Eviction Defense, said a system that allows for the eviction of an ill woman on dialysis is broken.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous that we have to be here,” Lewis said. “The system is absolutely vile. Housing is a human right.”

In a written statement, Fowler claimed that Brown has not used the house as her primary residence and chose to live somewhere else during most of her lease, a claim that Brown adamantly denies.

“The Cass Tiny Homes were never

intended to serve as second homes or to sit empty,” Fowler said. “They were designed to provide poor people with safe and affordable rental housing which would convert into homeownership after seven years. There is no shortage of Detroiters who need this type of housing, not as an investment property, but their primary residence.”

Brown said she often visited her boyfriend at another apartment in the city, but insisted she primarily lives in her tiny home.

If she’s evicted, Brown said she’s worried that her health will take a serious turn for the worst.

“I’m lucky every day to wake up, and I take full advantage of my life because I don’t know when it will end,” Brown said. “If I don’t get transplanted, then this could be it.”

When Brown moved into her house in early 2020, CCSS promised that tenants who pay rent for seven years will receive the deed to their home, mortgage-free. The goal was to break the cycle of poverty and create a path to homeownership.

But Brown likely won’t have that opportunity. She expects a bailiff to show up at her door any day.

—Steve Neavling

At least one top Detroit official is opposed to the plan because it involves turning a historic plot of land into a parking lot.

Although Detroit doesn’t own the property, it’s within the city’s Jefferson-Chalmers Historic Business District. Any changes to the land must be approved by the city’s Historic District Commission (HDC).

In a scathing report in 2021, Detroit’s Historic Preservation Director Garrick Landsberg criticized the project as “historically inappropriate” and said it “destroys the historic character of the property.” He recommended that the commission reject the proposal.

Without permission from the commission, it’s illegal to modify the land.

The foundation requested approval to build the parking lot in 2021, but has since withdrawn the request.

Nevertheless, the foundation has continued to move forward with the plan to build the A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Center for the Performing Arts and announced last week that groundbreaking is scheduled for April.

The historic plot is now bounded by a chain-link fence and blue tarp. Affixed to the fence is a rendering of the art center and gallery, with the words, “Opening: Fall 2025.”

“In addition to issuing the stop work order, at this point we are telling them they need to obtain necessary permits and approvals from BSEED

STEVE NEAVLING

(Building, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department) and HDC before proceeding,” Duggan spokesman John Roach tells Metro Times. “The Law Department also has requested a meeting with GPP on this matter.”

Developed largely in the early 1900s, the commercial strip on Jefferson is one of the few remaining early 20thcentury neighborhood commercial districts and contains architecturally significant buildings. It has been targeted for revitalization and is the site of the popular Jazz on Jefferson Festival. The district is surrounded by intact neighborhoods and includes more than 50 buildings, including two ballrooms, retail stores, banks, apartment buildings, and four churches.

Landsberg suggested the best solution for the land is a building that compliments the historic character of the area.

The Grosse Pointe Park City Council, which supports the project and sold the land to the foundation, has downplayed Detroit’s concerns and even insisted that Duggan’s administration is supportive of the project.

Responding to a Metro Times story about the project in December, Michele Hodges told other council members that they have done nothing wrong in helping the foundation clear municipal hurdles to build the center.

“Each time an analysis has shown we are compliant, and we are fulfilling expectations, and we do have the support of Mayor Duggan’s office on these matters,” Hodges insisted at a board meeting.

“It is very important for this community to be good partners to the city of Detroit and to always be operating in a legally, fiscally, and ethically responsible manner,” she added.

Roach says the mayor has never signed off on the project and doesn’t know why the council is indicating Duggan is supportive.

“The Mayor has not taken a position on this project,” Roach says.

The only current council member to question the handling of the project is Vikas Relan, who told Metro Times on Thursday that he is uncomfortable with how his colleagues have treated Detroit.

“There is respect you are supposed to show to each city, and we haven’t done that,” Relan says. “Since 2020, I’ve been asking questions about this, and no one wants to talk about it.

They think they’re above the law.”

For decades, Grosse Pointe Park has

had a complicated and contentious relationship with the city of Detroit. Until the 1960s, the suburb to the north barred Black residents from living there. Sixty years later, people of color still complain that they are disproportionately pulled over by police and treated suspiciously.

Near the border of the two cities, a developer is bulldozing affordable housing to make way for another parking lot.

In 2014, two blocks from the proposed art center, Grosse Pointe Park began blocking off Kercheval, a main road joining the two cities, by dumping mounds of snow. For the next two years, despite opposition from the city of Detroit, Grosse Pointe

Park continued to raise blockades, from oversized planters to a farmer’s market.

Jay C. Juergensen, founding president of Jefferson East, a neighborhood organization that covers the historic district, says the handling of the project is representative of a troubling pattern of behavior.

“They really don’t have any idea about the message they are sending, and that is probably the most unfortunate part of this,” Juergensen said. “People don’t understand their privilege, so they take actions that are a little high-handed. My biggest frustration is that they are not willing to listen.”

—Steve Neavling

‘Mojo in the Morning’ co-host Spike departs show

A CO-HOST ON Michigan’s long-running Mojo in the Morning says after more than 20 years he’s no longer with the talk show.

“I am no longer on the Mojo In The Morning show,” Spike wrote on his Facebook page. “For more than 23 years, it has been a dream come true to entertain you. I never took it for granted. It’s with much love that I say THANK YOU for your support. Radio is in my blood so to say I’m going to miss it would be a massive understatement. ������ AlthoughI can’t answer questions regarding this change, you can always stay in touch with me here... and if you see me, please say hi!”

Messages sent to both Spike and the radio station were not immediately

returned. After this article was published, Tony Travatto, iHeartMedia’s division executive vice president of programming for the iHeartMedia national programming group, responded with a statement.

“As of April 3, Spike will no longer be part of the Mojo In The Morning Show,” Travatto said. “We appreciate his contributions during his time with us and wish him well. The morning show will continue as scheduled with the rest of the cast.”

Co-host Mojo addressed the departure on the show on Monday, saying it was “the hardest news that we’ve ever had to deliver on this show, aside from the horrible tragedies that we’ve had to talk about over the years,” and said

it was a personnel decision “between the company and Spike.”

Mojo declined to offer further details, though he and co-host Shannon suggested that it was a business move and a response to the broader economy, pointing to impending layoffs at McDonald’s corporate offices.

“I probably shouldn’t even be going into this level of talking, but I feel like we owe it to you,” Mojo said.

“There are so many fun things about this business, and there are so many really, just, yuck things about this business, too, that just make it tough,” co-host Shannon said. “Any job has that, this one is just unfortunately very, very public when that stuff happens.”

First launched in 2000 on Channel 955, in 2020 the show was named the longest-running FM morning program in Michigan history. It is syndicated by iHeartMedia.

It’s known for Spike’s elaborate phone scams and pranks, including on April Fool’s Day, and the show’s victims have included Donald Trump, Charlie Sheen, and the Chainsmokers. Spike was also known for his “Street Scams,” where he would prank people in person rather than on the phone.

On Monday, Mojo said the show would cancel pranks for the foreseeable future out of respect to Spike.

“Without Spike, we’re not going to do it,” he said.

—Lee DeVito

STEVE NEAVLING

Gov. Whitmer: ‘Michigan’s not a blue state’

DESPITE HOLDING A trifecta of power for the first time in 40 years, state Democrats say they aren’t taking their newfound power for granted and downplayed Michigan’s perception as a Democratic stronghold.

“No! Michigan’s not a blue state,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently told the New York Times

She added, “It would be a mistake for anyone to look at that and think Michigan is not still a tossup, very competitive, very diverse state that’s going to decide the outcome of the next national election again.”

Democrats that the NYT interviewed said their power comes thanks to changing demographics in the state but also from Republicans

Grand Rapids named one of the most ‘beautiful and affordable’ places

MICHIGAN’S NO. 2 city ranked No. 2 on a national list for its beauty and affordability.

Travel + Leisure recently named Grand Rapids one of the 10 most “beautiful and affordable” places in the United States.

The magazine based its findings on lists compiled by U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 and 2023 rankings, which took into consideration cost of living, median monthly rent, median home price in relation to the national median, and quality of life.

“Roughly an hour from the coast of Lake Michigan, Grand Rapids enjoys the benefits of a low cost of

living with an approximate median home cost of $367,000,” the magazine wrote. “Home to a growing arts and culture scene, as well as scenic parks along Grand River, Grand Rapids is ideal for those seeking an inexpensive, family-centered environment. This underrated city shines, especially in the fall when the bright foliage adorns its trees.”

Grand Rapids ranked No. 2, behind Hickory, North Carolina and ahead of Greenville, South Carolina.

Other cities included on the list are Louisville, Knoxville, St. Louis, Dallas, South Bend, and Pittsburgh.

—Lee DeVito

who think their party has gone too far to the right since the rise of Donald Trump. The Michigan GOP is now helmed by Kristina Karamo, the former secretary of state candidate who has promoted conspiracy theories such as claiming the results of the 2020 election were “a fraudulent process” and refused to concede.

“The state Republican Party is not

reflective of the average Republican in Michigan,” Whitmer said. “I don’t think that everyone’s all of a sudden become Democrats.”

That was echoed by former Republican U.S. Representative Dave Trott, who now identifies as an independent and like others in the GOP supported President Joe Biden in 2020.

“The Republican Party in Michigan is dead for the foreseeable future,” he said. “Even if the right people were in charge, the MAGA movement is such that any candidate that would be more acceptable to a general electorate can’t win the primary.”

Still, Michigan Democrats have seized on the opportunity to push a liberal agenda, including repealing Michigan’s so-called union-busting “right-to-work” laws, expanding civil rights protections for the LGBTQ community, and pushing for expanded background checks for gun purchases and striking Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban from the books.

The Democrats’ gains in Michigan have helped make Whitmer a national star and a favorite straw poll presidential candidate for 2024 or beyond, but Whitmer told the NYT that she plans to stay in the Great Lakes State for the foreseeable future.

“I have made a commitment to the people of Michigan, I’m going to do this job till the end of this term,” Whitmer said, though she seemingly kept the option open.

“I think that this country is long overdue for a strong female chief executive,” she added.

—Lee DeVito

FDA approves Narcan for over-the-counter use

A LIFE-SAVING

MEDICA-

TION that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdoses will soon become way easier to get.

The federal Food and Drug Administration has approved naloxone, or Narcan Nasal Spray, for over-thecounter use.

Naloxone has been available at most Michigan pharmacies without prescriptions since 2017, after the legislature passed a standing order to allow its sale. But the FDA’s recent approval means consumers will have more options. It allows Naloxone to be sold on shelves at grocery and drug stores, gas stations, as well as online — without having to speak to a pharmacist.

It’s not yet clear on when Michigan retailers will implement the FDA’s new

approval, but a list of a few locations where you can already receive naloxone is available at michigan.gov. You can also get naloxone mailed to you in Michigan at no cost.

The FDA’s action comes after overdose deaths reached an all-time high in 2021. Though overdose deaths have declined slightly since then, annual drug overdose deaths were still 25% higher than they were before the pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 50% from about five years before that.

—Monica Obradovic

A version of this article was published by our sister paper, the St. Louis Riverfront Times. It is republished with permission.

JOE MAROON

ARPA funds saved 4,200 occupied Detroit homes from being foreclosed

MORE THAN 4,200 homes in Detroit that were at risk of being foreclosed for delinquent property taxes won’t be seized because of an unprecedented partnership between activists and government officials.

The Michigan Homeowner Assistance Fund (MIHAF), a new federally funded state program, provided more than $12 million to Detroit homeowners who were behind on their property taxes.

As a result, only 97 owner-occupied homes in Detroit are at risk of tax foreclosure this year, according to Wayne County Treasurer Eric Sabree.

By comparison, tens of thousands of homes — or one of every four houses — were tax-foreclosed in Detroit between 2011 and 2015.

Sabree said saving thousands of homes from foreclosure would not have been possible without the help of volunteers who knocked on doors, made

thousands of phone calls, and sent out mailers notifying homeowners of MIHAF.

The Wayne Metro Community Action Agency and the Coalition for Property Tax Justice led the effort and are working to save the remaining 97 homes from foreclosure.

“These outreach efforts are making a huge, huge difference,” Louis Piszker, CEO of the Wayne Metro Community Action Agency, said at a news conference Thursday. “We’re currently processing more than 2,000 applications from Detroit residents.”

MIHAF was launched last year with $242 million from the American Rescue Protection Act (ARPA). The program expires in 2026, but officials suspect the money will run out by then.

“The funding allocations won’t last that long,” Sabree said. “That’s why where’re urging everyone who is eli-

gible to apply.”

To be eligible, homeowners must have experienced a COVID-19 hardship, such as earning less money or paying more for expenses, and earned less than 150% of the poverty level. For a family of four, that equates to a household income of $50,000 or less.

Activists and elected officials also successfully lobbied the state to allow homeowners who owe taxes from 2019 or earlier to be eligible. About 6,000 Detroiters have delinquent property taxes dating back to 2019 or earlier, Piszker said.

Activists said the funds are critical because many Detroiters with delinquent property taxes were illegally overassessed. The Michigan Constitution prohibits property from being assessed at more than 50% of its market value.

Between 2010 and 2016, the city as -

sessed properties at as much as 85% of their market value. The inflated property tax assessments resulted in an estimated 100,000 Detroiters, most of them Black, losing their homes to foreclosure.

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib said the overassessments are a significant reason why Detroiters are losing their homes and fleeing the state.

“Michigan led the nation in the loss of Black ownership,” Tlaib, D-Detroit, said. “This is something we have to look into more.”

Activists said they need to spread the word about MIHAF.

“So many Detroiters are dealing with delinquent property taxes but don’t know about the services,” Bernadette Atuahene, a member of the Coalition for Property Tax Justice, said. “It’s up to us to tell each other about these services. We have to get the word out.”

For help applying for MIHAF, homeowners are encouraged to call 313-2440274.

—Steve Neavling

Randall Robinson, an ardent advocate of human rights, dies at 81

WHEN A NOTICE appeared that Randall Robinson, the exemplary human rights activist, law professor, and man of letters had transitioned, journalists around the world recalled his unimpeachable commitment and global influence, many of their voices gathered on Journal-isms where the esteemed editor Richard Prince is at the helm.

On Saturday, as word spread of Robinson’s demise, James Hudson of TransAfrica, the platform established by Robinson in 1977, told Journal-isms that Robinson had been hospitalized in St. Kitts where he died on Friday morning at 81. According to Hazel RossRobinson, his wife, the cause of death was aspiration pneumonia.

Given his prominence as an activist, information about him from The History Makers to Encylopedia Britannica is available, where it is noted he was born June 6, 1941 in Richmond, Virginia. After attending Norfolk State College and Virginia Union University, he was a student at Harvard University in 1970, when his older brother Max began to gain national attention as a newscaster. (He died of AIDs in 1988.) Rather than pursue a more lucrative path in corporate law, Robinson, with his law degree intact, ventured to Tanzania on a Ford Fellowship and then returned to Boston to work as a lawyer for a legal aid project.

It was here that he began to fulfill his mission to live a principled life. In 1975, he was an aide to Rep. William Clay of

Missouri, and a year later an administrative assistant to Rep. Charles C. Diggs, Jr. of Detroit, where he was critically involved in a congressional trip to South Africa. This exposed him to a more intimate view of apartheid and almost immediately began thinking of ways to extend the advocacy spirit of the Congressional Black Caucus. As executive director of the newly formed TransAfrica, Robinson instituted programs that challenged President Gerald Ford’s “policy of tolerance toward white rulers.”

Within five years the group had grown exponentially and morphed into the TransAfrica Forum, the research and educational affiliate of TransAfrica, thereby expanding its global policy of education and publications. “You don’t change policy under the presumption that you must have a majority opinion on your side,” he told Black Enterprise. “In the final analysis, you need to organize a critical mass of people, which is not necessarily the majority of the Black community.” By 1984, some elements of that critical mass were evident. That was certainly the case two years later when TransAfrica, aided by other groups, pushed the U.S. Senate to override President Ronald Reagan’s veto to pass a series of sweeping sanctions against South Africa. In effect, this launched the Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986.

Six years later, with TransAfrica applying additional pressure, was instrumental in more dramatic reforms in

South Africa, several of which led to the first free and fair multiracial elections in the spring of 1994. Bringing about change in South Africa was just one of several crucial issues on Robinson’s agenda. He planned a hunger strike in protest of President Bill Clinton’s policy on Haiti of stopping Haitian refugees at sea and returning them to their homeland. The Clinton administration vowed not to be influenced by Robinson’s defiance, but many believe Clinton finally capitulated after the activist’s nearly month-long fast, which eventually led to his hospitalization.

As Robinson struggled during the fast, the White House offered no comment on his worsening condition. Meanwhile, Robinson’s second wife was constantly at his side. “It is difficult to watch the one you love deprive himself of one of the most basic human activities to sustain life and maintain health,” she told reporters. She said she had never tried to discourage him because “I think it is a just cause.” In An Unbroken Agony, Robinson writes of this ordeal and the Haitian experience at length.

Out of the hospital, Robinson renewed his commitment to other human rights issues, particularly in Ethiopia, Kenya, Zaire, and Malawi. In 2000, reparations was a chief concern and his book The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks gave the cause additional resonance. He followed this popular publication with Reckoning: What Blacks Owe Each Other. Here

the ever insightful Robinson flipped the script as he examined crime and poverty in urban America at the same time urging Black Americans to intensify the quest for social and economic success. Other topics discussed included ramifications of the prison industrial complex.

To some extent this was a harbinger of his passing the baton of struggle to the next generation and by 2001 he relinquished his leadership of the two groups he founded. Disgusted with the persistence of racism and discrimination in America, he moved his family to the Caribbean island of St. Kitts, Hazel’s home. “America is a huge fraud, clad in narcissistic conceit and satisfied with itself, feeling unneeded of any self-examination nor responsibility to right past wrongs, of which it notices none,” he explained to reporter Ellis Cose of Essence why he left America. He elaborated on this point in 2004 in his book Quitting America: The Departure of a Black Man from His Native Land. His other books are The Emancipation of Wakefield Clay: A Noveland Defending the Spirit: A Black Life in America.

Robinson’s last book was Makeda, which Essence magazine described as a “hypnotic” novel about the bond between a remarkable Black matriarch and her grandson. It was published by Open Lens, an imprint started by three Black women who were determined to get the book published.

—Herb Boyd

Thank Trump, Michigan senators for Silicon Valley Bank collapse

AS FALLOUT FROM the March Silicon Valley Bank collapse continues to ripple through the financial sector, many industry experts and politicians are pointing to one of the likely root causes — the 2018 rollback of the Dodd-Frank law put in place during the Great Recession, which provided stricter regulation of mid-sized banks.

Then-President Donald Trump pushed a plan to shred key oversight provisions in the law, and 17 Democratic senators including Michigan’s Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters joined him. Metro Times noted in 2018 Peters defended the move, telling us “Michigan credit unions and community banks stepped up and helped keep Michigan families afloat during the financial crisis by offering credit when big banks wouldn’t.”

Stabenow called the regulations “unnecessary.”

“Our member-owned credit unions and community banks — who did not cause the crisis — are vital to small businesses and families,” she added.

Five years later, SVB, a mid-sized bank that did not cause the Great Recession and pushed for the Trump rollbacks, fell and sparked a crisis. It

had nearly quadrupled in size after the rollback, and inflation quickly devalued its assets, igniting a run on the bank in which SVB customers withdrew $42 billion in one day.

Other teetering banks were taken over by the government, and soon Switzerland’s Credit Suisse, one of the largest banks in the world, had to be rescued as it faced a collapse that could have brought down the entire banking system.

Peters and Stabenow did not respond to requests for comment.

Who could have seen this coming? Opponents to the rollback included then-House leader Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the latter of whom predicted the rollback would lead to a situation like the SVB collapse.

Metro Times outlined in 2018 how the rollbacks worked and where the risk lied:

“The broad package increases the threshold at which banks face stricter oversight, from $50 billion in assets to $250 billion in assets, allowing two dozen big-but-not-behemoth banks (think Suntrust and Fifth-Third) to make more risky moves. Other provisions include a loosening of

regulations on credit unions and community banks who argue they were unduly burdened by some elements of Dodd-Frank. Most of these banks have less than $1 billion in assets.

The downsides are that if a few mid-sized banks with more than $200 billion in assets fail, that equals a behemoth bank. Mid-sized banks can also impact the economy on their own. As was noted in a March report by The Hill, mortgage lender Countrywide Financial had $200 billion in assets when it became one of the key players in the financial crisis.

A Congressional Budget Office scoring of the bill found it would slightly increase the possibility of bank failures and would likely mean more public funding for bank bailouts.

Though the federal government took over SVB and will make whole individuals and businesses who lost money at the bank, the banking industry is on the hook for those costs, so taxpayers avoided a bailout for now, although that may be a matter of semantics. “If your definition is government intervention to prevent private losses, then this is certainly a bailout,” Neil Barofsky, who oversaw

the 2008 bailout, told NPR.

While there is some debate over whether the rolled back laws could have prevented the meltdowns, most see that move and quickly rising interest rates as part of the problem.

Still, the Biden administration does not seem eager to reinstate the rolled back Dodd-Frank provisions, which could be in part because some Democrats voted for the bill.

Metro Times in 2018 highlighted the banking industry’s campaign contributions to Stabenow and Peters. The amount Stabenow took in from the financial sector doubled in the five-year period after the vote compared to the five year period before her vote, suggesting someone has already thanked her. Her 2018-2023 haul topped $920,000.

Peters, meanwhile, has taken in $2.4 million from the sector over the last five years — up from about $175,000 in the five year period preceding his vote. That includes at least $5,000 from SVB.

In 2018, Peters said his support was “driven by what’s best for Michigan’s middle-class, working families — not campaign contributions.”

–Tom Perkins

NEWS & VIEWS

Lapointe

It’s about time: Baseball fast-forwards into the past

By Joe Lapointe

Forget, for the moment, that the Tigers’ opened the 2023 season with a wretched three-game losing streak at Tampa Bay. Imagine, instead, balmy days of mid-season, when their home games start at their new weeknight time of 6:40 p.m. under baseball’s brisk, new pace of play.

A Comerica Park game could end in two hours and 14 minutes, the way their season opener did on Thursday; or in 2:48, as the second game did on Saturday; or in 2:10, as the third did on Sunday.

If so, two of them would conclude before 9 p.m. and Detroit fans would head home from a “night” game with the summer sun still setting in the west.

This is but one positive permutation of baseball’s fresh and radical format to pick up its tempo. Despite Detroit’s problematic performance thus far, new rules are blowing through the sport like a cool breeze on a hot day.

The institution of the pitch clock and the banning of the defensive shift were at least a decade overdue, but better late than never.

By boosting the pace of play and expanding offensive opportunities, baseball is charging into the future by restoring the shape and tempo of the past, when hard bat contact was rewarded and nine-inning games rarely lasted three hours and sometimes took only two.

Remember Mark (the Bird) Fidrych, who pitched two-hour complete games while winning 19 for the Tigers in 1976? He threw every eight to 10 seconds. But he was one of a kind. Under new rules, pitchers must deliver in 15 seconds with bases empty or 20 seconds with runners on base.

Batters must reciprocate by facing the pitcher from the batters’ box with at least eight seconds remaining. Taking too much time results in the umpire charging a strike (against the batter) or a ball (against the pitcher). Additionally, a 30-second limit between batters may even cut down on “walk-up music” that pollutes ballpark ambience.

This could be a welcome change

from the recent past when batters took their sweet time to stroll to home plate and some pauses between pitches reached 45 or 50 seconds while the pitcher stepped off the pitching rubber and the batter stepped out of the batter’s box and both of them fidgeted and fussed with first this and then that (maybe gold neck chains) and checked the signs and shook off the catcher and spit here and scratched there and fixed their wrist bands and grabbed the resin bag or the pine-tar rag until bored television viewers clicked the remote to see what the hell else was on TV.

Baseball’s speedup is not only to improve the TV audience but also to rebuild live crowds. They are down considerably. In 2007, baseball attendance peaked at 79.6 million. Last season, it was 64.5 million (with COVID a factor). Comerica Park topped out in 2013 at 38,066. Last season, they averaged 19,643.

Part — not all — of the cause was the tedious tempo compared with other eras. According to Baseball Reference, a nine-inning game in 1944 took, on average, one hour and 58 minutes. The two-hour barrier fell for good the following year.

During the Tigers’ most recent World Series championship years, nine-inning MLB games averaged 2:29 (in 1968) and 2:35 (in 1984). But by 2014, the three-hour barrier fell at 3:02. The worst was 3:10 in 2021. The average fell back to 3:03 last season.

Tedium increased in the 21st Century as action dropped and strikeouts grew in part due to defensive shifts that turned old-fashioned hits into well-struck outs thanks to modern metric scouting.

Thus, in another back-to-the-future move, all infielders now must stand within the outer lines of the infield (generally, “on the dirt”) and two must be on each side of second base. Traditionalists might like it because baseball looked like this in the 19th and 20th Centuries.

This prevents defensive formations that made baseball infielders look like a football secondary or a basketball

zone. Perhaps, now, more hitters may spray the ball to all fields instead of hoping to blast it over the shift and over the fence and striking out in the process.

The shift choked the life from the game. As for the pitch clock, traditionalists make a sincere but weak case against it because “baseball time is infinite, because it is (was) the only team sport without a clock.”

Well, cheer up. Without a limit on extra innings, a baseball game — theoretically — still might be eternal. One troubled traditionalist is Alva Noë, professor of philosophy at Berkeley.

In an essay called “Against baseball’s new pitch clock” on the web site The Conversation, the professor also criticized the razzmatazz in modern ball parks.

“Your typical MLB game is drowned out in distracting bright lights, earsplitting music, sideline games and giveaways,” he wrote. “Roving cameras urge fans to dance for the public or make out with the person next to them . . . No wonder the game seems boring beside all that.”

Approving change is Thomas Boswell, who wrote in the Washington Post:

“Baseball has been saved. By the pitch clock. For decades, I screamed ‘Speed up the game before you kill it!’ Now, I can’t believe what I’m seeing . . . We’re about to witness MLB games at close to the same pace as they were played in the 1950s . . . the 1960s . . . and the 1970s.”

Other sports have tweaked their rules to survive and thrive. Why not

the national pastime? Basketball created the shot clock and the threepoint field goal. Hockey liberalized its off-side rule to stop the “neutral-zone trap” that turned games to mush.

And it is not accurate to argue that baseball has never changed radically until now. They added a “live ball” in 1920 to spur offense. In the 1960s, they installed artificial turf. In 1969, they lowered the pitching mound from 15 inches to 10 to help batters.

Then came the designated hitter, inter-league play, extensive rounds of playoffs, and video appeals challenging the calls of umpires. These electronic reviews, although time-consuming, have greatly reduced arguments, which also wasted time. Some traditionalists might even miss them.

Still, every half-inning, broadcasters get 2:15 for commercials. This adds up to at least 38 minutes per game, plus extra breaks for pitching changes. Plus commercials before the first pitch.

Oh, and a tip to TV and radio announcers in this new tempo: Trim back those long back-and-forth conversations.

In the new rhythm, try talking directly to your audience instead of to your partner. And “color analysts” must learn to jump in and out with observations directed to the audience, not to the broadcasting partner. Reduce the empty platitudes and happy talk.

After making quick points, let the play-by-play guy call the next pitch and narrate the game directly to the listener, the way Vin Scully and Ernie Harwell did so well back when baseball was so traditional.

Under new rules, Detroit Tigers games at Comerica Park could end before 9 p.m. SHUTTERSTOCK

FEATURE

The Book of

Skilla Baby and his manager Nique are sitting on the fourth floor of Detroit’s Capitol Square Building relaxed and chill. Nique is scrolling on his phone while Skilla is on FaceTime with fellow emcee (and cousin) Tay-B talking about who can beat who on the basketball court. Skilla’s apparel is video-shoot ready — jeans, Timbs, and a blue Rhude varsity jacket (which happens to be the same one worn in his video “Icky Vicky Vibes”). A diamond-encrusted link hangs around his neck with two charms also covered in diamonds. One says “WETM” and the other is in the shape of a tent with a tree behind it.

“That’s my logo and it represents me and the group of people with me,” Skilla says. “I got a label called ‘We Eat The Most’ and it just represents us. If you look in your phone you can find that tent emoji. It’s the same thing. I even got it tatted on me.”

Born Trevon Gardner, Skilla Baby, 24, has quickly become one of Detroit’s biggest hip-hop stars. He has eight YouTube videos with at least 2 million views each. He has standouts verses on both Kash Doll’s “Oh Boy” and Peezy’s “2 Million Up” remix.

A large part of his fanbase is women. “I ain’t gon lie, everybody that come to my shows be like, ‘Yo front row is full of girls!’ I thought that’s how everybody’s front row look,” Skilla says with a smirk. “I don’t know where that came from

though. I don’t get that part, I just be living my regular life.”

Skilla’s first motivation to start writing came when he was a child, he says. In fifth grade he was assigned to memorize the Langston Hughes poem “Mother to Son,” and a spark was lit.

“We had to study this poem in school, we had to recite it in school,” Skilla says. “My mom had helped me study it. And then something about my mom just helping me recite this poem just resonated with me.” He then recites

Kahn santori Davison

the first line of the poem:

“Well, son, I’ll tell you:

Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.”

“[Langston] just tore it up in the beginning,” Skilla says. “I just listened to the imagery and everything, it just reminded me of me.”

Around that same time Skilla’s mom moved to Toledo. Skilla wasn’t a fan of the home of the Mud Hens and opted to stay with his dad in Detroit instead. He admits he was a “troubled kid but not a troublemaker,” the kind of kid who’s inherently smart but was a magnet for mischief. Moving in with his dad was a bit of a culture shift as he was much older (his dad was 52 when Skilla was born), and much more of a disciplinarian.

“He made me write a 31-page essay on Thurgood Marshall,” Skilla says. “It really was a handwriting thing. I had to write the essay in 31 pages, then he was like, ‘After you write that, then you gotta type it.’”

However, growing up around his dad expanded his music taste. Skilla knows just as many Luther Vandross and Anita Baker songs as he does Lil Wayne and Meek Mill.

“I’m influenced by a lot,” Skilla says.

“My dad grew up in the Motown era, he would tell me stuff about Graystone Ballroom where all Motown singers and stuff used to go… he was a big influence on my music. He would watch TV and play the radio, so music was just always in me.”

After behavioral issues caused Skilla to bounce around a few high schools, he eventually landed at Oak Park High School. Like many parents, Skilla’s dad figured keeping his son busy would equate into keeping him out of trouble. Skilla’s primary passion at the time was basketball, a sport which he excelled at. It’s actually the origin of his rap moniker, and he even befriended fellow emcee Baby Money at Joe Dumars Fieldhouse during a pick-up game at 12 years old.

“I started hooping in second grade, that’s how I got my original nickname, ‘Skillz,’” he says. “I had told my coach, it was a 5th grade team, ‘Let me play, I got skills.’”

But like everything else in his life, Skilla’s dad wanted him to have a strict discipline toward basketball. As much as that irritated Skilla, he understands why he demanded it. “I couldn’t even have fun with it no more because he didn’t even want me to talk in practice,” Skilla adds.

Skilla Baby, 24, has become one of Detroit’s biggest hip-hop stars. KAHN SANTORI DAVISON

Detroit’s newest hip-hop star on overcoming hardships, having The BesT record deal in the city, anD his new album with Tee Grizzley by

The advice paid off: if you click around Oak Park’s 2015-2016 basketball stats, you’ll find a plethora of double-digit scoring games from Skilla. However, midway through high school his life drastically changed when his dad passed away. Skilla was only 15.

“It forced me to be more mature, and then I just had to fend for myself,” Skilla says. “I’m one of those people that I learn from bumping my head sometimes. I learn from trial and error.”

At first he moved back in with his mother, but that living arrangement was short lived. By 2016 Skilla found himself in a crux he didn’t ask to be in.

“I really needed some money,” Skilla says. “I was staying place-to-place, I was damn near homeless. I had got kicked out the crib at like 16. My mamma had her husband. I didn’t like him and he didn’t like me.”

By this time Skilla was still in the early stages of his hip-hop career. He released a song called “Crazy” in January of that same year that earned him some respect among his classmates, but not much else. Skilla kept writing and dropping music, but he was still finding his voice and blowing up off rap was still years away.

“I didn’t want to go to college, I didn’t have no [basketball] offers,” he says. “I didn’t have no offers because I kept getting in trouble. And I wasn’t one of the best players in the nation. I was the best on my team and all that, but I just

knew I wanted to get some money.”

With basketball off the table, his focus shifted to funding his music career. Beats, video production, and studio time weren’t cheap as Skilla was still struggling to take care of himself. He worked a full-time job and dabbled in a few street hustles.

“I worked a job, people thought I was corny for that but I always had more money than people,” he says through a laugh. “I can’t be in the streets because I had a job. And then I didn’t even look up to the streets, it’s just something I had to do. I don’t look up to the streets. … I don’t want to be labeled no ‘street guy,’ forreal forreal,” he adds.

Skilla’s job history is almost as long as his song catalog. He’s worked at Bucharest grill, McDonald’s, Walmart, and Red Lobster. There was even a period where he walked two miles daily to the studio after his shift at Captain Jay’s Fish & Chicken ended. And when he wasn’t in the studio, he was trying to get stage time anywhere he could.

He started going to the showcase put on Hot 107.5’s DJBJ. “I was paying my last money,” Skilla says. “Everything I made at work to do those. … You had to pay $150 to be a part of the showcase … Every week I kept losing. I went for like a year straight nonstop.”

By the end of 2017 Skilla’s work ethic and dedication caught the eye of Detroit rapper Sada Baby. The “Bloxk Party” emcee took the 19-year-old

Skilla under his wing for an informal mentorship.

“He found out I was walking to the studio, he made me quit my job,” Skilla says. “Then I met Juan, who’s Sada manager, and he helped me to the utmost extent. I had stayed with him for a little minute. And Sada was taking me everywhere, to all the shows. Being around Sada did help me.”

By 2019 Skilla’s music was starting to resonate and his fanbase began to grow. He dropped the project Push That Shit Out Skilla, his most complete and diverse body to that point, which saw him spit socially conscious lyrics about the politics of street life and racism in the first single “Trevon”: “They wanna see me work ‘till I break down/ come home from work, sell work that I break down,” Skilla raps.

He followed that up with the street centered single “Mystical.”

“I put it down for the hood just because/ ’cause I know how it feels when you live in the slums,” he raps. “Stacking every dollar I remember we was buzz/ Ls feel the worst when you building it from crumbs.”

“They was like, ‘Yeah, dawg can really rap’ after that,” Skilla says.

Once 2021 rolled in, Skilla could see his life progressing. He was done couch-surfing and moved back in with his mother for a bit. His follow-up projects “Crack Music,” “Carmelo Bryant,” and “Standing on Business” were

well-received, and he was considered one of the most talented young emcees in the city. All that came to a halt when he was arrested in Ionia County for assault. After careful consideration of Ionia county’s 91% white population, he figured it would be best to take a 30-day sentence for pleading no contest rather than risking a lengthy jail sentence from a jury trial. Skilla reported to jail January 28, 2022 and was released in April of that same year.

“I felt like some big stuff was happening that I wasn’t there for but when I got out, I had gained some more momentum. Something about jail and rappers people just think you about that life,” he says with a laughing shrug.

Around the same time he was getting out of jail, his single “Tay B Style” had become his hottest song to date. The MIA JAYC-produced track became a surprise spring banger. “Tay B Style” and a remix that was released shortly after have a combined 11 million YouTube views. But just as his career was reaching a new level, he was shot that July. The gunshot wound didn’t do any major physical damage, and Skilla Baby’s popularity unexpectedly soared.

“I got shot, they thought I was 50 Cent,” he says. “I get shot, a whole bunch of stuff happened in the streets, and boom, people started listening to my music out of nowhere. I’m at home eating Doritos, listening to people going crazy on the internet. They thought I was 50 Cent because I got shot one day and the next day I was in the club partying.”

“That bullet changed him,” says his manager Nique. “He didn’t listen prior to that bullet. That bullet changed his mental, his whole outlook on life. He just got a better value and perspective on life. He’s always been a smart kid, he’s just a renegade.”

“It just made me respect life and how I move more,” Skilla adds. “And I take everything for face value, I don’t take nothing lightly.”

Although Skilla makes light of his street misfortunes, he’s correct in his assessment at how going to jail and getting shot unexpectedly boosted his popularity. Hip-hop is fickle like that. And to be even more straightforward, either one of those situations could have ended with much worse outcomes. Detention facilities and graveyards are both filled with hundreds of talented emcees. But Skilla refusing to accept any agglomeration of street cred from fans is a rare sign of transparency and a bit of assurance that he won’t put himself in those situations again.

By that fall Skilla says about a dozen record labels reached out to him about signing him to a deal, including, Atlantic, Def Jam, Columbia, and United

Skilla Baby and Tee Grizzley perform in Detroit on 313 Day .

KAHN SANTORI DAVISON

Matters just to name a few. He weighed all his offers and chose Geffen Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music and Interscope.

“It just turned into a bidding war,” Skilla says. “So I just went with the most family-oriented one and they had the best deal. I talked to Tay B, Nique, Juan. They matter, but the most important part was having great representation. The lawyer mattered the most. The lawyer gone tell them what you want, and it was stuff that I could absolutely deal with and stuff that I could absolutely not deal with.”

He adds, “People think I got the best deal in Detroit as far as money. But I got the best deal as far as percentages, as far as what I got to give up. I’m a new artist and I’m a priority at my label. That’s my biggest thing. I don’t need all the money, but I want priority.”

Skilla’s first official release on Geffen was the We Eat The Most EP in December of 2022. The lead single “Man Down” was a notable Detroit banger, but the next single “Icky Vicky Vibes,” a clever lyrical song with a video full of Fairly OddParents overtones. The song highlights Skilla’s Swiss army knife-like diversity toward his music: Skilla can rap about any subject on any kind of beat.

“Every time they see me elevatin’, they get teary eyed/ Could’ve lost my life a couple times, it was clearly God,” he raps. “Niggas fear the guys, only thing I fеar is God/ Only thing I hear is God when I’m in my Fear of Gods.”

“Certain beats, when I hear them, I gotta write to them,” he says. “When I write I got this certain flow, like you can tell when I write because the flow is just crazy. I got this non-stop flow when I’m writing my stuff that it just don't stop.”

“Marty McFly” is a Back to the Future-inspired sentimental song in which Skilla goes back in time to the year 2006 in the video.

“I live in a world where niggas hide behind a screen/ I can’t believe these niggas makin’ it okay to be a fiend,” he raps. “Niggas really’ll look at you strange ’cause you say you clean.”

Skilla claims he isn’t just talking shit those lyrics. He made a conscious decision to no longer get inebriated in any way a couple of years ago.

“I don’t do anything,” he says. “If I drink, it’s socially and I’ll have the same cup all night. … I never did hard drugs. I smoked weed and I drank before, but I analyzed my life. I really didn’t care, I was too nonchalant, and I didn’t have anything going on. I was a good artist but I wasn’t motivated. Without none of that I’m motivated.”

Skilla’s next project is a collaboration between him and hometown hero Tee Grizzley that drops on April 14.

“We worked together a couple of times,” Skilla says. “We liked how we worked together and we felt it made sense if we did a project together.”

The video for their single “Gucci Coat” was shot in Detroit this past winter, which set the comments section on Instagram ablaze. It seemed to be an odd pairing because Tee Grizzley and Skilla’s mentor and friend Sada Baby had a very public feud with Tee in 2020. Fans wondered how Skilla was able to circumvent that while keeping his relationship with Sada intact.

Skilla maintains that Sada and Tee’s conflict predates him, and it’s no different than having two relatives that have beef.

“At the end of the day this is my business, and nobody gonna run my business or put money in my pocket that I don’t respect their opinion,” he says, adding, “We don’t have any awkward energy because me and Sada have our own understanding. We didn’t even talk about it.”

Skilla says the biggest misconception about him is that he’s just some “young dumb kid.” That perception is fading away rapidly. As his celebrity status keeps ascending, so does his maturity and willingness to help those who were in similar situations as he was. This prom season, Skilla says he’s inviting Detroit high school honor roll students to write an essay on how music affected their lives. The top five essays will be selected, and Skilla is going to pay for them and their dates to go to prom.

“I didn’t want to make it about less fortunate kids, because I didn’t want to expose some kids who were less fortunate,” he says. “So I provided an incentive for being good in school because that’s what I think prom should be.”

Ultimately, Skilla is the sum of his father’s work ethic and that Langston Hughes poem his mother helped him recite. He was able to find that same dedication in music his father wanted him to have in basketball and life. Moving forward, he says that a project with him, Tay B, and Baby Money may drop this year along with another solo project. He boasts he’ll have features no one expects him to have, and possibly a tour. When asked about what advice he would give other aspiring hip-hop artists, he talks about not giving up and identifying your fanbase.

“Some people don’t like my music, and I don’t like other people’s music. What we got in common is that we kept going,” he says. “I tell people all the time it’s about finding your target audience. Whatever you are selling, keep knocking at the same door and it’s going to open. Find you a target audience and keep going.”

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

Live/Concert

MAGIC GIANT April 5, 7 p.m.; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $20.

Shayfer James, Sarah and the Safe Word, Endless Mike and the Beagle Club April 5, 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck; $15.

The Well, Firebreather, Temple of the Fuzz Witch, Bubak April 6, 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck; $15.

VV / Neon Noir Tour 2023 April 6, 7 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $45.

Bass Drum of Death: Say I Won’t Tour April 7, 8 p.m.; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $20.

Blaze Ya Dead Homie / ABK April 7, 6 p.m.; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $15.

Chicago April 7, 9 p.m.; Caesars Palace Windsor - Augustus Ballroom, 377 E. Riverside Dr., Windsor; $40-$100.

Destroyer of Light, Temptress April 7, 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck; $15.

Dirt Monkey April 7, 9:30 p.m.; Elektricity Nightclub, 15 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac;

DIRT MONKEY x JANTSEN: FULL

CIRCLE TOUR April 7, 9:30 p.m.; Elektricity Nightclub, 15 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac; $15.

Hollywood Casino Greektown

Presents Keith Sweat April 7, 8 p.m.; The Music Hall, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit; $74.50-$110.

JUMP America’s Van Halen Experience April 7, 7 p.m.; District 142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte; $18.

The Best of BILLY JOEL & ELTON

JOHN Tribute / PETTY THIEVES

- Tribute to Tom Petty April 7, 7:30 p.m.; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; $15-$120.

The Ferdy Mayne, Chris Bathgate, Remnose, Jeremy Waun April 7, 7 p.m.; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $12.

Top 8: myspace era dance party

+ singalong April 7, 8 p.m.; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; $8-$15.

Aretha’s Jazz Cafe Present

Chembo Corniel Quintet April 8, 8 p.m.; 3Fifty Terrace, 350 Madison St., Detroit; $35.

Broadway Rave (18+) April 8, 9 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $15.

Easter Weekend Extravaganza

April 8, 7 p.m.; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $49.99-$199.99.

Escape Plan, Heat Above, Mickey Shorr and The Radio Shacks, Career Funeral April 8, 6 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck; $12.

Jaime Drake April 8, 8 p.m.; 20 Front Street, 20 Front St., Lake Orion; $18.

Screw w/ Hairy Queen + DJ Tony Drake April 8, 8 p.m.; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; FREE.

The English Beat April 8, 8 p.m.; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $40.

THE FRESH KIDS OF BEL AIRMost Epic ‘90s and 2000s Party! April 8, 8 p.m.; District 142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte; $18.

TRUTH April 8, 8 p.m.; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; $25.

Enslaved & Insomnium 6 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $28.50.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra 7 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $29.50.

Lil Wayne 7 p.m.; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $79.95-$149.95.

Selwyn Birchwood 7:30 pm; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; $15-$80.

Singers In the Round 7 p.m.; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $10.

Spencer Sutherland - The In His Mania Tour 7 p.m.; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $22.

DJ/Dance

Black V Neck Friday April 7, 9 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $15.

DEEPFAKE with Raedy Lex + Metawav. + Deeper Waters Saturday April 8, 9 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $10-$15.

Emo Skate Night Wednesday April 5, 8:30-11:59 p.m.; Lexus Velodrome, 601

5-11, 2023 | metrotimes.com

Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre announces 2023 concert lineup

A CONCERT AT the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre (formerly Chene Park) is one of those things that defines summer in Detroit.

The venue has announced its 2023 concert lineup and the return of its mid-week concert series Jazzy Nights.

“It’s going to be another great summer in Detroit, and we’re excited to bring some of the world’s best [artists] to The Aretha,” said Shahida Mausi, the manager of the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, in a press release. “There’s simply no better entertainment venue destination in Detroit to enjoy live music than on the beautiful banks of the Detroit River at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre.”

Jazzy Nights will kick off the season with Incognito and Mike Phillips on Wednesday, June 7. Tickets for Jazzy Nights start at $20 for lawn seating, and season passes are still available.

The 2023 weekend concert lineup includes:

• June 10: Anthony Hamilton & Marsha Ambrosius

• June 14: Patrice Rushen & Lin Roundtree

• June 16: Michael Franti

• June 17: Rodrigo y Gabriela

• June 21: Eric Roberson & Rahsaan Patterson

• June 28: Spyro Gyra & Bob Baldwin

• June 30: Kool & The Gang, SOS Band & Atlantic Starr

• July 5: Will Downing

• July 22: Lalah Hathaway, Boney James & Damien Escobar

• July 28: Maxwell

• August 9: Najee

• August 12: Southern Soul on the River

• August 16: PJ Morton

• August 23: Avery*Sunshine

• August 30: Kelly Price (this is a date change from July 26, 2023)

• September 6: Raheem Devaughn

The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre box office will open for the season at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 7, and tickets will be available for purchase online at ticketmaster.comat the same time.

—Alex Washington

Mack Ave., Detroit; $5.

MARAUDA Presents “Rage

Room” With Support From Jessica Audiffred and Executioner

Saturday April 8, 8 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $25-$27.50.

THEATER

Performance

Fisher Theatre T.J. Hemphill’s Perilous Times. $70-$150. Thursday April 6, 8

p.m., Friday April 7, 8 p.m., and Saturday April 8, 8 p.m.

Meadow Brook Theatre Harry Townsend’s Last Stand. $37. Wednesday April 5, 2 & 8 p.m., Thursday April 6, 8 p.m., Friday April 7, 8 p.m., Saturday April 8, 6 p.m., and Sunday April 9, 2 & 6:30 p.m.

MGM Grand Detroit Thunder from Down Under. Starting at $49 Saturday April 8, 8 p.m.

Open Book Theatre Company

For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday. $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and $15 for students Friday April 7, 8-10 p.m. and Saturday April 8, 8-10 p.m.

Pontiac Little Art Theatre Love and Information by Caryl Churchill. Directed by Carolyn Gillespie. $20 general, $10 students .Thursday April 6, 8 p.m., Friday April 7, 8 p.m. and Saturday April 8, 2 & 8 p.m.

Musical

Cabaret Friday April 7, 8-10 p.m. and Saturday April 8, 2-4 & 8-10 p.m.; Hilberry Gateway.

COMEDY

Improv

Go Comedy! Improv Theater

Fresh Sauce. $20. Every other Friday, 8 & 10 p.m.; $20 Fridays, Saturdays, 8 & 10 p.m.; A highly interactive improvised game show one part “Whose Line is it Anyway,” and one part “Match Game PM.” $20. Saturdays, 10-11:30 p.m.; $10 Sundays, 7 p.m.; Free Sundays, 9 pm.

Planet Ant Theatre Ants In the Hall present “Tales from the Hamtramcrypt.”

Thursday April 6, 8-9 p.m.

Detroit House of Comedy T.Barb and Friends. $25. Wednesday April 5, 7:30-10 p.m.

The Independent Comedy Club at Planet Ant Patrick Hastie live album recording. $20 advance, $25 at the door. Friday April 7, 9-10:30 p.m and Saturday April 8, 9-10:30 p.m.7, 7 pm.

Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle Jay Jurden with Matt Conn and Moni Valentini. $20. Thursday April 6, 7:30-9 p.m., Friday April 7, 7:15-8:45 & 9:45-11:15 p.m. and Saturday April 8, 7-8:30 & 9:30-11 pm. Sound Board Chelcie Lynn $45-$59 Friday April 7, 8 pm.

ART Photography

Lynn Goldsmith: The Inner Voice Thursday April 6, 5:30 pm; Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor; Free.

Artist talk

2023 Annual Swanson Lecture: Mel Dodd Monday 6-7 p.m.; Cranbrook Art Museum, 39221 N. Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills; free.

Art Exhibition Opening

Cranbrook Art Museum 2023

Graduate Degree Exhibition of Cranbrook Academy of Art. Opens to the public on Sunday, April 9, with a special ArtMembers’ Preview Day on Saturday, April 8. The show will close on Sunday, May 14, 2023.

Local buzz

By Broccoli and Joe Zimmer

2Lanes goes deep: Detroit’s hardgroove cowboy 2Lanes is warming up record store shelves with some fresh heat this week via his new 12-inch Sid Ranger Redux. “I am very excited to share my most raw and personal music I have ever released,” says the producer. “It harkens back to my original drum-driven textures of my earliest music, but with a newfound workflow and honed sonic exploration.” Leading up to his debut set at Movement Music Festival this summer, 2Lanes’s discography has been building with each passing month. He released one of my 2022 favorites with the Jonah Baseball collaboration Overtone Series back in December, and his Diamond Rain EP kept me chugging through the Michigan winter in dubbed-out bliss. Sid Ranger goes even deeper, with eerie synths sweeping in and out over tribal percussion, topped off with an 8-minute-plus stand-up bass solo seemingly emitting from the black lagoon. “I would like to dedicate this record to the memory of my good friend Jonathan Aylward, who performs on the final track ‘Rabbit’s Foot,’” 2Lanes adds. “I am proud to be able to honor his spirit in the music.” You can stream the lead single “Sid Ranger Redux” now on his Bandcamp page, and also pre-order a hard copy via nascent label Psychic Relief Records. Copies will be available locally via the usual spots, and a portion of proceeds will be donated to edibletrails.org in remembrance of Aylward, who died in 2022 at age 31.

Heavy Mental packs a punch: Two upcoming bangers in Hamtramck for purveyors of hard rock and heavy metal. This Thursday and Friday, April 6 and 7, a mix of local heavyweights and touring acts will descend upon two lovingly divey venues (April 6 at Small’s, April 7 at Outer Limits) for a mini-marathon of all things heavy. Headlined by touring acts Obscene and Portland, Oregon, legends Danava, you can grab tickets to both shows for the nice price of $25. Physical tickets are available via Heavy & Beyond; you can DM them on Instagram for more information. Otherwise, tickets are available online via Eventbrite for both the Thursday and Friday shows individually. Local faves Timmy’s Organism also make an appearance, kicking off a tour for their new album

Lone Lizard

—Joe

Benefit for Delano Smith: There is a deep sense of community within Detroit dance music that goes beyond throwing parties and having a good time. When the public recently learned that legendary Detroit DJ and producer Delano Smith had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, his longtime collaborators and supporters stepped right into action. “All Hands on Decks!”, a benefit show to raise money for Smith’s medical expenses, will take place on Wednesday, April 19 at the Magic Stick and features an unreasonably stacked lineup for $20 on a weeknight. You can support the cause and learn more about the show by visiting the Majestic Detroit website, or you can donate directly to the GoFundMe on the event page. While we all still live in a country where we are not guaranteed health care despite being one of the wealthiest nations in the world, it’s times like these where we find hope and strength in caring for one another.

—Broccoli

Lager House keeps the music flowing (for now): I would imagine that I was not alone in worrying that the venue formerly known as PJ’s Lager House might look very different after it was sold last year. But to my pleasant surprise, apart from some minor changes to operations, menus, and the like, when I attend events at the space it still feels like it did before. They still primarily host grungy, scrappy shows with your favorite local bands, but they have also continued to branch out to host notable acts from out of state (I saw a great show there the other night with Razor Braids with local support from Zilched and Toeheads, for example). While it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, Lager House has been an important staple in Detroit’s local music scene for quite some time, and Corktown would be worse off without it. So let’s hope that things can continue this way, so we all have a place to eat B.L.A.T.’s and grab a beer while checking the pulse of Detroit’s local live music scene.

—Broccoli

2Lanes. COURTESY PHOTO

FOOD

Praise to the chashu masters

While bao buns function as a slightly sweet but mostly plain flavor backdrop for whichever meats and vegetables they’re stuffed with, it’s the steamed buns’ soft, pillowy texture that really enhances the small packages, which are effectively sandwiches.

For that reason, bao buns are one of the universe’s best vessels for pork belly, or chashu, which is often flavored with some combo of soy, mirin, sake, ginger, garlic, and more. At Ann Arbor’s Bao Boys food truck, the slight touch of sweetness in the buns perfectly complements the fat, salt, and depth in the small pork belly slab, which owners say is braised in its jus for four hours, then quickly seared before it’s served. Bao Boys adds mayo and quick pickled cucumbers for fresh and crunchy contrast to the squishy bun and tender pork, and the pickles’ acid cuts across the pig fat.

It’s textbook bao, and the chashu is a good baseline, but there’s not a dud

By Tom Perkins

in the mix among the five we tried. Bao Boys got up running nearly three years ago and now calls the lot behind the York cafe in Ann Arbor home. Los Angeles transplants Steven Choi and Brian Kim had no formal culinary training prior to launching the truck, but are avid home cooks who saw an opening in the market.

Bao Boys offers five buns each day, as well as rice bowls, or dons, and fries.

The chashu is perhaps the most familiar, Choi says, but venture beyond the pork belly to the spicy pork, which is composed of thinly sliced pig rendered a tad sweet with a light touch of heat from the liberal use of garlic and gochujang sauce. It’s a bit of a take on a Korean barbecue plate, and wrapped with a vinegar cabbage slaw that provides a sweet and sour element, mayo that balances, and crispy onion that provides more depth in flavor and texture.

One can also get the spicy pork in a bowl with rice. It’s served with a dashi

broth, a common base that is typically made with bonito flakes and kombu, and at Bao Boys is extremely deep and umami-heavy. Bao Boys loads it with onions giving it a French onion soup vibe at moments, and it’s one of the most intense things I’ve eaten in recent memory.

The Shorty centers on Bao Boys take on galbijjim, a braised Korean short rib dish that is typically reserved for special occasions in Korea, Choi says. They shred it instead of cubing, as is traditional, and it’s sweet and savory, popping with soy, sesame, pineapple, and other flavors, and coated with an enlivening, acidic cilantro-mayo sauce.

Bao Boys’ vegetarian options are not just an afterthought. The Shroomy is composed of thin sliced white button mushrooms and is basically the same marinade as the spicy pork. It’s also folded with mayo, the slaw and the onion crisps, which work particularly well in this setting, and it’s all a bit earthy

Bao Boys

1928 Packard St., Ann Arbor 734-802-1811

eatbaoboys.com

Wheelchair accessible

and funky with plenty of gochujang

The “bao mi” is a mash up of bao and the Vietnamese banh mi sandwich with marinated tofu, cilantro, jalapeño, and a vinegary daikon-carrot slaw that makes the package.

If there was one minor complaint it was the lack of beverage options. There were only Jarritos soft drinks on a recent visit, and no bottled water. One can take food to go or eat at a nearby dining area composed of picnic tables. Choi says only about 40% of customers they encounter have previously tried bao. For the uninitiated, Bao Boys is an excellent place to start.

Baos from Ann Arbor’s Bao Boys food truck.

TOM PERKINS

FOOD

The Red Hook is finally open in Midtown

THE COFFEE SHOP on the corner of Woodward and Alexandrine in Detroit is moving on to its next chapter.

The Red Hook has finally opened its Midtown location, in the former Great Lakes Coffee space at 3965 Woodward Ave.

The Red Hook announced plans to take over the space following a Noel Night pop-up last December. Now the wait is over.

Food trucks return downtown earlier than usual

ORGANIZERS SAY DETROIT’S Downtown Street Eats food truck rally is returning one month earlier in order to meet lunchtime demand.

The program kicks off on Monday, April 10 this year and runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays through October. More than 80 food trucks will be parked on a rotating basis along Cadillac Square and the Woodward Esplanade.

The Downtown Detroit Partnership says the program has drawn more than 2,500 people per day in recent years.

“It’s an exciting and electric time of year when the various food trucks line the streets and Detroiters and visitors line up themselves to support these small businesses with big ambitions,” Laura Dean, senior manager, parks and public spaces for the DDP, said in a statement. “We are proud to offer a platform for local food truck owners

while also creating a lunchtime destination worth visiting.”

Newcomers to the program include Belly It, a food truck specializing in Asian-inspired sandwiches and rice bowls. Launched last year, it’s a new effort by Anthony Redman, the former chef de cuisine at Corktown’s popular Takoi restaurant. The truck is wrapped in colorful designs by the Detroit artist Art Nuttz.

“This is our first full season and I’m excited to get the full experience and our name out there,” Redman said. “I’ve worked at restaurants in other cities, such as San Francisco, Nantucket and Portland, but I always knew I would come back to Detroit and do my own thing. Being part of Downtown Street Eats in the center of the city will help catapult us one step closer to our goal of opening a brick-and-mortar location.”

Stix and Stone Wood Fired Pizza, which has participated in the program since it launched in 2017, is one of the food trucks returning this year.

“We’ve gained a lot of followers who have been great to us,” Stix and Stone owner Angelo Faggiano said. “We’ve made connections with not only the customers, but also with the other food trucks. It’s an incredible opportunity to be part of the city’s comeback.”

The DDP has also announced a number of events and activities to coincide with Downtown Street Eats, including a Battle of the Burgers on Thursday, Aug. 24, or National Burger Day.

There will also be a preview event during a Detroit Tigers Opening Day Tailgate Party from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 6.

More information is available at downtowndetroit.org/events.

—Lee DeVito

YumVillage is taking over El Club’s kitchen

YUMVILLAGE IS COMING to Southwest Detroit by way of El Club starting April 1.

The Detroit-born Afro-Caribbean restaurant is taking over the music venue’s kitchen for the next six months.

You won’t find YumVillage’s popular rice bowls on offer, however. Instead, owner and chef Godwin Ihentuge is planning to trick out the menu with curry chicken cheese fries and jerk chicken nachos with a cheese sauce made of cheddar, chili peppers, and puréed peaches and apricots.

He’s calling the partnership “YumVillage Southwest x YumVillage PopParty” and promises us the menu is “insane

and very delicious.”

“We’re doing more of like an AfroCaribbean bar menu,” Ihentuge tells Metro Times. “We’re doing the fry bar, so you can still come and get our afro fries, and we’re doing quesadillas: curry chicken quesadillas, a plantain and bean quesadilla, and an akara quesadilla. It’s some of our same food, just tweaked differently for a bar setting. We broke it down to be more relatable, which we’ve been doing based on our pop-ups at Little Caesars Arena and Comerica Park.”

Ihentuge also plans to use El Club’s brick pizza oven to make YumVillage flatbreads like plantain, bean, and

cheese on naan bread. Other menu items include AfroShawarma with yam hummus and smoked chicken, and suya dipped chicken burgers.

It seems like every time we talk to Ihentuge, he’s getting ready to set up shop somewhere new. This is YumVillage’s fourth outpost including Detroit’s New Center flagship, West Village, and a Cleveland location.

On top of the three restaurants and the El Club kitchen, Yum Village will also have a concession stand at Comerica Park again this year.

“I’m driven by the want to not be in debt,” Ihentuge says about his nonstop business ventures. “I’ve been homeless

This is the local chain’s fourth metro Detroit location, including its Ferndale flagship, a West Village outpost, and a Detroit “Greenway” cafe on East Jefferson.

The Midtown shop features the company’s cookies, galettes, and other pastries made at the Ferndale location and delivered fresh daily.

It’s been a strange time for coffee shops in Detroit. The Red Hook’s Greenway spot temporarily closed last year after a car plowed through its front window and has since reopened. Then two coffee shops in the LGBT community were targeted with a bizarre threatening letter, causing them to close for a few days out of caution.

Great Lakes Coffee Co. shut down the Midtown store where The Red Hook is now located following a heated labor dispute. The store initially closed after staff say the management’s carelessness led to a COVID-19 outbreak, and workers went on strike demanding better working conditions and pay. Great Lakes Coffee Co. also closed its shops inside Meijer stores in Detroit and Royal Oak.

Hopefully, The Red Hook treats its staff better.

—Randiah Camille Green

before. I’ve been without power for six months. I’ve gone through some pretty trying times in my life and I don’t ever want to go through those things again. If it’s a matter of me having to do a little extra work or not doing recreational activities, then that’s what I do. I’ve been doing YumVillage as a business since 2013.”

He adds, “I just had a baby in December. My baby was born on Christmas Day, so I’m driven by that too.”

YumVillage will be at El Club until the end of September and Ihentuge says they may extend the partnership if things go well.

—Randiah Camille Green

COURTESY PHOTO

EMPLOYMENT

Controls Design Engineer - Vehicle Motion Embedded Controls (VMEC), Milford, MI, General Motors. Engr, define, dvlp, implement &validate math-based &physics-based algorithms for current &next generation BEV charge estimation in embedded VICM optimization techniques in embedded On Board Control Module (OBCM) for global electric vehicles, using MATLAB &Simulink models, C prgrmg language, &Git, Gerrit, Jenkins, PacMan, &Artifactory tools, in SAFe methodology, for future model yr vehicle prgrms, &global markets (N.A., Europe, Japan, &China). Design, validate, debug, &release control strategies related to V2H (Vehicle 2 Home), V1G/V2G (Vehicle to Grid), &time of day charging. Define reqmts, &design &dvlp SW for OBCM, following MISRA CERT C standards, to select the most efficient &optimal vehicle operation to meet battery charging &discharging using advanced control algorithms incl. linear &nonlinear Sys, Feedback &FeedForward, Adaptive, Optimal, Robust, Stochastic Controls, Artificial Intelligence, steady state optimization, &state estimation techniques incl. numerical methods &optimization techniques, in Embedded C prgrmg language, using Eclipse IDE, MATLAB, Simulink, Stateflow, ETAS INCA, ETAS MDA, Vector CANalyzer, CANape, &CANoe tools. Master, Mechanical, Automotive Systems, Electrical, Aerospace Engrg, or related. 12 mos exp as Engr, designing or dvlpg SW for electronic control unit to select optimal vehicle operation to meet battery charging &discharging using control algorithms incl. Sys Control, Adaptive Control, steady state optimization, &state estimation techniques, or related. Mail resume to Ref#21605, GM Global Mobility, 300 Renaissance Center, MC:482-C32-C66, Detroit, MI 48265.

EMPLOYMENT

Threaded Fastening Technology Specialist, Brose North America, Auburn Hills, MI. Plan, review, set up, & support threaded fastening eqpmnt technologies on specialized threaded fastening eqpmnt to join components using threaded fasteners (screws, nuts & bolts made of steel/ aluminum/plastic, cold forged according to drawing, ready-to- install, galvanized & coated) & ensure high quality, high volume production of window regulators, full door modules, seat structures w/ seat adjuster syss, & motors (actuators), at high volume mechatronics mfg plants in NA Region. Guide & train Mfg Technologists (Maintenance team) - threaded fastening key users at Brose production plants in U.S./CAN/MEX on threaded fastening eqpmnt & processes, & products utilizing new materials in steel, aluminum, plastics, & 3D printing technology. Ensure training, production process instructions & troubleshooting to yield high quality, low weight, & low scrap fastening mfg at high volume Brose mechatronics mfg plants. Provide support for customer projects for series production, incl. guidance w/ regard to threaded fastening mechanical eqpmnt & PLC-based eqpmnt for threaded fastening incl. screw guns, PLC- based robotic bowl feeders, gantry syss, new threaded fastening processes, & threaded fastening eqpmnt procurement. Required travel to Brose plants in MI, AL, SC, IL, ON CAN, QUE/PUE MEX to evaluate technical requirements, to train plant personnel in threaded fastening technologies, & to obtain lessons learned for future technologies; to production line eqpmnt builders & threaded fastening suppliers (US/MEX) to verify designs & ensure compliance w/ eqpmnt specs & agreements, & assess technical & organizational capabilities, ~10 wks PA. 60 mos’ exp as Automated or Threaded Fastening Technology Technician, Technologist, Plant Lead, or Specialist, Industrial Engineer, or related, setting up or supporting customized threaded fastening eqpmnt to join components using threaded fasteners (screws, nuts & bolts made of steel/aluminum/ plastic, cold forged, ready-to-install, galvanized & coated) & ensuring high volume production at mfg plant, or related. Mail resume to Ref#99, Brose, Human Resources, 3933 Automation Ave, Auburn Hills, MI 48326.

EMPLOYMENT

Over the Air (OTA) - Systems Integration Engineer, Milford, MI, General Motors. Integrate SW feature sets & controls at full vehicle & bench levels. Dvlp & integrate new OTA SW features into GM psgr vehicles. Utilize bench & in vehicle tests to ensure critical & complex features are properly developed & integrated into vehicles throughout major Global Vehicle Dvlpmt Process milestones. Analyze & collect CAN, LIN & Automot Ethernet logs using Vehicle Spy tool, & neoVI FIRE 2, RAD-Moon, & RAD- Galaxy HW. Integrate OTA features & functions across multiple ECUs. Verify operation of OTA features on ECUs such as CAN, LIN, & Automot Ethernet. Ensure launches are on time & w/ qlty. Create & maintain integration plans for OTA of multiple subsys cmpts for multiple projects for different Vehicle Intelligence Platform prgrms. Bachelor, Electrical Engrg, Cptr Engrg, Electrical Engrg Technology, Electronics Engrg, or related. 24 mos exp as Engineer, performing sys integration of ECUs connected to CAN & preparing SW reqmts, or related. Mail resume to Ref#24845-202, GM Global Mobility, 300 Renaissance Center, MC:482C32-C66, Detroit, MI 48265.

Thurs 04/06

OPEN @11AM COME PARTY WITH US TIGER’S OPENING DAY!

GAME TIME 1:10 PM VS. BOSTON RED SOX PATIO BAR OPEN!

DRINK SPECIALS & LIQUOR PROMOS! Happy Birthday, jim murphy!

Fri 04/07 beach day/twin deer/ adj alright/animal scream/ zack keim Doors@9pm/$5 Cover

FIREBALL FRIDAY’S! $5 FIREBALL SHOTS ALL DAY!

Sat 04/08

BANGERZ & JAMZ (MONTHLY) DANCE PARTY WITH LADY DJS AIMZ & EM Doors@9pm/$5 Cover

Sun 04/09

HAPPY EASTER!

WE ARE OPEN NOON-2AM Happy Birthday, ERICA PIETRZYK!

Mon 04/10

FREE POOL ALL DAY

Happy Birthday, RYAN HOOPER!

Tues 04/11

B.Y.O.R. BRING YOUR OWN RECORDS (WEEKLY)

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

Coming Up: 4/14 DJ SKEEZ & DJ BET

4/15 QUASI KINGS: ONE WAY SPRING TOUR + WSG LEAVING LIFTED

4/19 DANNY OVERSTREET DAY

4/21 NICOLE BOGGS & THE REEL (NASHVILLE)

Stoners toke up at Ann Arbor’s Hash Bash

ON SATURDAY, CANNABIS enthusiasts celebrated the sweet leaf at Ann Arbor’s annual Hash Bash. Started in 1972 to protest the arrest of activist John Sinclair for possessing two joints, the Hash Bash has grown into a political rally, a festival with the adjacent Monroe Street Fair, and a celebration of the end of cannabis prohibition in Michigan. Here are some photos by contributor Mo

Williams.

—Lee DeVito

Detroit’s JARS Cannabis rebrands as adult-use dispensary

JARS CANNABIS CELEBRATED the launch of adult-use sales at its Detroit flagship store with a “grand re-opening celebration” on Friday.

The party featured food trucks, swag giveaways, and deals including a 31.3% discount.

The store opened in 2020 for medical marijuana patients only.

In a statement, JARS Cannabis general manager Monty Kattula said the store was a part of the Detroit community.

“At our core, JARS is a communitydriven organization first, and cannabis retailer second,” Kattula said. “Uniting the community to celebrate recreational sales at JARS East Detroit is truly a dream come true, and we look forward to serving the residents of Detroit for many years to come.”

The 3,500-square-foot facility is located at 11400 Eight Mile Rd., Detroit. The multi-state company has its headquarters in Troy in metro Detroit and 25 storefronts across Michigan, Colorado, and Arizona.

—Lee DeVito

CULTURE

Zoe Beaudry is deeply dissatisfied with the lack of connection between human beings in our conscious state.

“On every level — an interpersonal level but also a systemic level — the way that our society works reinforces separation,” she says. “The way that our lives are structured is very much ego-driven and I feel deeply sad about that and the way that it harms people.”

The young painter’s solution to fostering the interrelatedness she finds the world lacking is through her photorealistic figurative work of naked subjects. By centering their vulnerability, she hopes to draw a visceral response from the viewer that roots them in their energetic bodies.

The paintings in her latest exhibit And And And And at Playground Detroit are an invitation for openness as her subjects personify the seven chakras and what it might look like

Artist of the Week

Zoe Beaudry wants to open your chakras

By Randiah Camille Green

when those energy centers are aligned. In one piece, a woman crosses her arms across her chest as a halo radiates behind her head. A blue light Beaudry installed behind the painting glows at the subject’s third eye. Her stance is protective but her eyes are warm and loving. It’s appropriately titled, “To Be Seen.”

“It’s about being in your own body and feeling more embodied… or not, you know?” Beaudry explains. “One really good way to feel more connected to your life is grounding in the body because if you aren’t able to do that in the present moment, the natural state of the world is going to cause you to put up a lot of armor. Being able to at least have moments or spaces where those defenses can come down is what allows for opening up.”

Two versions of a young man face each other surrounded by an ethereal yellow aura in Beaudry’s “To Be Safe”

painting. His eyes are closed on one side and open with an-all knowing smile on the other. This is solar plexus energy, the third chakra.

“I wanted to make something that felt a bit more overt about being present with oneself,” she says about the piece. “I think of the solar plexus as the center of self-regard, self-esteem, and trusting intuitive guidance. It’s the egoic self and then the higher self smirking at them a little like a ‘don’t worry, you’re fine’ kinda thing.”

And then there’s the painting of a dead bird, who looks oddly peaceful despite having had its heart ripped from its chest.

“It’s a metaphor for the violence that is imposed on or done to people by some sort of unseen or unknowable force,” Beaudry says.

The Lansing-born, Detroit-based artist obtained her Masters of Fine Art from the Glasgow School of Art

in 2018 and has shown work throughout the Midwest and internationally in Israel, the UK, Australia, London, and Chicago. She has facilitated youth workshops in Tulkarem, Palestine, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and Kalamazoo, and has done residencies at Kriti Gallery in Varanasi, India, and The Forge in Detroit.

She’s one of Playground Detroit’s 2022 Emerging Artist Fellows.

Where to see her work: And And And And is on display at Playground Detroit; 2845 Gratiot Ave., Detroit; playgrounddetroit.com. Runs through April 29. She will also be participating in a group show at Highland Park’s 333 Midland Gallery in July.

This feature highlights a different local artist each week. Got someone in mind you think deserves the spotlight? Hit us up at arts@metrotimes.com.

Zoe Beaudry in the studio.

COURTESY OF MICHAEL CHRISTIE PHOTOGRAPHY

CULTURE

Savage Love Sister, Wife

By Dan Savage

: Q I married my high school girlfriend after college. We were happy, and the sex was fantastic. Then she fell in love with a woman and came out — just to me — as bisexual or possibly a lesbian. Our relationship somehow survived this tumult, and we decided to start a family. We are now in our 50s, our children are grown, and I have not had sex for approximately two decades. My wife long ago lost any desire for intimacy with me or anyone else. My sex drive is as strong as ever but limited to strictly solo activities. My wife remains mostly closeted in terms of not being out to her friends and family, with one exception: one of her sisters, who is single. My wife is overseas currently (for work), and we’ve been geographically separated for four years now.

That’s the background. I’m writing to you about the bizarre event that took place over the weekend: I was texting with my wife’s sister and out of the blue she writes that she has my wife’s permission to sleep with me. This was totally unexpected and caused a panic attack on my part. It felt wrong. I was at a loss as to what to say. She assured me, still via text, that this was OK with my wife, and it would be a safe “sister-in-law with benefits” arrangement. She also has physical needs that are unmet, as she is single, so we’d be helping each other. My wife and I had discussed having an “open” marriage, with each of us seeking “girlfriends.” My wife has said she is OK with this, but I am not, as I fear having a girlfriend — I fear either of us having a girlfriend — could throw our home and family life into chaos and potentially result in divorce, which wouldn’t be fair to the children. Believing my sister-in-law actually had my wife’s permission to at least raise the subject, I went a bit down the road with her via text (things got explicit) and I experienced something I haven’t for 20 years: the elation of an imminent sexual encounter.

Of course, I needed reassurance that my wife was actually OK with this, so I asked her. Well, it seems there was a major misunderstanding. My wife was appalled, utterly so. According to my wife, her sister “joked” about sleeping with me when the two of them were discussing the details of their relationships and their sexualities, and my wife only jokingly agreed. Now I feel guilty that I even considered having sex

with my wife’s sister, to say nothing of the guilt I feel about the wedge this has driven into a close sisterly relationship. My wife doesn’t want to discuss this any further. I get that it is weird, especially if it were to be condoned by all parties. But I want to share more about how I feel with my wife. I don’t think she understands how depressing it is to feel that you’ll never be intimate with anyone ever again. That may not be a struggle for my wife, who says she feels no sexual urges at all, but it is for me. I’ve been told by both my wife and my sister-in-law to forget this conversation ever happened, so we can all move on. But I find I can’t move on. So, what do I do?

—Seeking Insight Somewhere

: A First, I’m not the Supreme Court. I can’t overrule your wife and order her to discuss something she refuses to discuss, SIS, much less order your wife to allow you the husband she doesn’t wanna fuck to go and fuck her sister, who, despite having raised the subject, to disastrous effect, also doesn’t want to discuss the matter further. If you need to talk about this at length with someone, SIS, confide in a friend and/or talk to a therapist.

Second, you haven’t had sex in 20 years, SIS, and it’s understandable that you entertained the first serious offer you’d gotten in decades. Your wife’s sister essentially offered a cheeseburger to a starving man. That you took a tiny little bite out of that cheeseburger before thinking to ask your vegan spouse if it was OK for you to have a cheeseburger… albeit a cheeseburger made with ground sister meat… isn’t something your wife should hold against you for the rest of your life, even if she’d rather not discuss it.

Third, you have your wife’s permission to fuck other women — even date other women — so long as you aren’t dating and/or fucking one of her relatives. So, instead of grieving the pussy you’re never gonna get again (your wife’s) or allowing yourself to obsess about the pussy you never should’ve been offered (your sister-in-law’s), SIS, I would encourage you to get some pussy that doesn’t share quite so much of its DNA with your wife. Prioritizing stability when your kids were young was completely commendable, SIS, but your kids are grown now. And if you’re so starved for sex that you find yourself jumping at highly inappropriate offers and “sister-in-law with benefits” more than meets that threshold —you would be well-advised to seek sex with a more appropriate potential partner than to wait for the next inappropriate offer that comes along. Yes, sex can create chaos. Hell, sometimes I think sex is chaos. But controlled chaos > uncontrolled chaos.

Fourth and finally, SIS, your wife tells you she’s asexual and does not experience desire… and while that may be true… there’s a chance it’s not. While asexuality is both real and valid and vice-versa, people have been known to lie to their spouses about important things no one should lie about. And maybe I’m old and jaded, and maybe I should keep my mouth shut, but I could see someone who married her cis male high school sweetheart before realizing she was maybe/probably/most likely a lesbian claiming to be asexual — not just to get her off the hook of having to fuck her husband, whom she may actually love, but to spare her husband’s feelings. It’s not that she doesn’t want to have sex with you, but that she doesn’t want to have sex with anyone. And that may be true. Your wife could be asexual. Or she could have a girlfriend on the side of the world that you don’t know about.

P.S. Maybe I’m jaded and maybe my sample is skewed (definitely my sample is skewed), but something about the conversation your wife had with her sister the disastrous conversation that led to this whole mess has my spidey senses tinkling. Seeing as your wife is asexual and decades into a loving but sexless marriage and she and her sister were close… she wouldn’t have much to say to her sister during a conversation about their relationships and their sexualities? Besides “still asexual,” and, “still married,” of course, but I can’t imagine those two statements would elicit the joke your sister-in-law made and the misunderstanding it led to.

P.P.S. Now go get laid.

: Q My hub and I enjoy your columns and it’s opened our minds about sex a lot. We recently gave each other the OK to try to fulfill our monogamish fantasies IRL but haven’t acted on them yet. But I did meet a guy online, who is also married, and we’ve been having the most incredible cybersex. It’s turned into regular chats, and we’ve talked about meeting up in person. Why am I feeling kind of guilty about this? The hub knows I’m fucking around online with this guy, and it even turns him on! I find myself thinking about this other guy all of the time. Should I end it? Or keep having fantastic orgasms without the hub?

—Wife And Naughty Tease

: A Seeing as you brought this question to me, WANT, and not a priest or an uptight monogamy fetishist posing as a couples’ counselor, I’m gonna go ahead and tell you what you wanted to hear: keep fucking around with this guy online and IRL, if you get a good feeling from him after you meet up in person. New relationship energy (NRE), which is what you’re feeling for this guy, can be intense, but it’s always temporary; so, go ahead and enjoy it as long as it lasts. As for the guilt, well, people who do and enjoy things they’ve been told

for no legitimate reason — they’re not supposed to do or enjoy, e.g., gay sex, extramarital sex, kinky sex, seeing a sex worker, etc., they sometimes convince themselves that having the decency to feel bad about what they’ve done (at least during their refractory period) means they’re still good and moral people. I’m here from the future I’m here from your future — to tell you that you don’t have to feel bad about what you’re doing with your husband’s permission, WANT, and to his delight. Unless feeling bad about it turns you on, of course, in which case… you can enjoy that and enjoy feeling bad about that, too.

: Q We splurge on a housecleaner a couple times a month while we’re at work. We always make sure to tidy up our personal items before she comes, but this week I accidentally left not one but TWO vibrators by the bathroom sink. I had forgotten to put them away after I washed them, and I was in a rush! Total accident! When I returned home to a clean house, the vibes were neatly laid on the bathroom counter. I am not a person with shame around sex, but this made me feel SO embarrassed! She should not have had to see/touch those! Should we apologize? If so, how to bring it up in a way that’s not awkward? Should we pay her extra for that session? I’m so embarrassed and don’t want her to feel demeaned.

—Very Intense Blushing-Enhanced Situation

: A What does your housecleaner know now that she didn’t know before? Assuming she’s never spotted one of your sex toys before — an assumption I would classify as semi-reasonable (at best!) — she now knows, thanks to your shocking carelessness, that you have sex and that you, like millions of other adults (and surely one or two of her other clients), sometimes use sex toys. Even if she was shocked and mortified and disappointed in you, VIBES, I think you should follow your housekeeper’s lead: she didn’t make a big deal about it, and you shouldn’t make a big deal about it. Just like your hole, VIBES, the memory hole is there to be used.

P.S. Once after we very specifically asked that our room not be made up during a week-long stay at a hotel, we came back after breakfast — on the very first morning we were there — to find the two dozen sex toys and fifty pounds of bondage gear we’d left strewn all over the room neatly arranged on the shelves of our walk-in closet. If we could look the little old Slovenian lady who cleaned our room in the eye every day for the rest of that week, you can look your housecleaner in the eye, too.

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

CULTURE Free Will Astrology

ARIES: March 21 – April 19

Aries-born René Descartes (1596–1650) was instrumental in developing modern science and philosophy. His famous motto, “I think, therefore I am” is an assertion that the analytical component of intelligence is primary and foremost. And yet, few history books mention the supernatural intervention that was pivotal in his evolution as a supreme rationalist. On the night of November 10, 1619, he had three mystical dreams that changed his life, revealing the contours of the quest to discern the “miraculous science” that would occupy him for the next 30 years. I suspect you are in store for a comparable experience or two, Aries. Brilliant ideas and marvelous solutions to your dilemmas will visit you as you bask in unusual and magical states of awareness.

TAURUS: April 20 – May 20

The dirty work is becoming milder and easier. It’s still a bit dirty, but is growing progressively less grungy and more rewarding. The command to “adjust, adjust, and adjust some more, you beast of burden” is giving way to “refine, refine, and refine some more,

you beautiful animal.” At this pivotal moment, it’s crucial to remain consummately conscientious. If you stay in close touch with your shadowy side, it will never commandeer more than ten percent of your total personality. In other words, a bit of healthy distrust for your own motives will keep you trustworthy. (P.S.: Groaning and grousing, if done in righteous and constructive causes, will continue to be good therapy for now.)

GEMINI: May 21 – June 20

“‘Tis the good reader that makes the good book,” wrote Gemini philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson. “In every book, he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakably meant for his ear.” In the coming weeks, a similar principle will apply to everything you encounter, Gemini — not just books. You will find rich meaning and entertainment wherever you go. From seemingly ordinary experiences, you’ll notice and pluck clues that will be wildly useful for you personally. For inspiration, read this quote from author Sam Keen: “Enter each day with the expectation that the happenings of the day may contain a clandestine message addressed to you personally. Expect omens, epiphanies, casual blessings, and teachers who unknowingly speak to your condition.”

CANCER: June 21 – July 22

Traditional astrologers don’t regard the planet Mars as being a natural ally of you Crabs. But I suspect you will enjoy an invigorating relationship with the red planet during the next six weeks. For best results, tap into its rigorous vigor in the following ways: 1. Gather new wisdom about how to fight tenderly and fiercely for what’s yours.

As far as bad sweets are concerned, there is nothing worse than a hollow milk chocolate Easter bunny!! You know who hates hollow chocolate, of any kind?? Everyone, including Jesus, you think about that! Dark solid chocolate only; otherwise, that’s all the more time you’ll spend in Purgatory.

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2. Refine and energize your ambitions so they become more ingenious and beautiful. 3. Find out more about how to provide your physical body with exactly what it needs to be strong and lively on an ongoing basis. 4. Mediate on how to activate a boost in your willpower.

LEO: July 23 – August 22

I won’t ask you to start heading back toward your comfort zone yet, Leo. I’d love to see you keep wandering out in the frontiers for a while longer. It’s healthy and wise to be extra fanciful, improvisatory, and imaginative. The more rigorous and daring your experiments, the better. Possible bonus: If you are willing to question at least some of your fixed opinions and dogmatic beliefs, you could very well outgrow the part of the Old You that has finished its mission.

JAMES NOELLERT

VIRGO: August 23 – Sept. 22

The Supreme Deity with the most power may not be Jehovah or Allah or Brahman or Jesus’s Dad. There’s a good chance it’s actually Mammon, the God of Money. The devoted worship that humans offer to Mammon far surpasses the loyalty offered to all the other gods combined. His values and commandments rule civilization. I bring this to your attention, Virgo, because now is an excellent time for you to deliver extra intense prayers to Mammon. From what I can determine, this formidable Lord of Lords is far more likely to favor you than usual. (P.S.: I’m only half-kidding. I really do believe your financial luck will peak in the coming weeks.)

LIBRA: Sept. 23 – Oct. 22

It’s an excellent time to give up depleted, used-up obsessions so you have plenty of room and energy to embrace fresh, succulent passions. I hope you will take advantage of the cosmic help that’s available as you try this fun experiment. You will get in touch with previously untapped resources as you wind down your attachments to old pleasures that have dissipated. You will activate dormant reserves of energy as you phase out connections that take more than they give.

SCORPIO: Oct. 23 – Nov. 21:

“The best revenge is not to be like your enemy,” said ancient Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius. I’m tempted to advise every Scorpio to get a tattoo of that motto. That way, you will forever keep in mind this excellent advice: As fun as it may initially feel to retaliate against those who have crossed you, it rarely generates redemptive grace or glorious rebirth, which are key Scorpio birthrights. I believe these thoughts should be prime meditations for you in the coming weeks.

SAGITTARIUS: Nov. 22 – Dec. 21

Sometimes love can be boring. We may become overly accustomed to feeling affection and tenderness for a special person or animal. What blazed like a fiery fountain in the early stages of our attraction might have subsided into a routine sensation of mild fondness. But here’s the good news,

By Rob Brezsny

Sagittarius: Even if you have been ensconced in bland sweetness, I suspect you will soon transition into a phase of enhanced zeal. Are you ready to be immersed in a luscious lusty bloom of heartful yearning and adventure?

CAPRICORN: Dec. 22 – Jan. 19

What shall we call this latest chapter of your life story? How about “Stealthy Triumph over Lonely Fear” or maybe “Creating Rapport with the Holy Darkness.” Other choices might be “As Far Down into the Wild Rich Depths That I Dare to Go” or “My Roots Are Stronger and Deeper Than I Ever Imagined.” Congratulations on this quiet but amazing work you’ve been attending to. Some other possible descriptors: “I Didn’t Have to Slay the Dragon Because I Figured Out How to Harness It” or “The Unexpected Wealth I Discovered Amidst the Confusing Chaos.”

AQUARIUS: Jan. 20 – Feb. 18

It’s sway-swirl-swivel time for you, Aquarius — a phase when you will be wise to gyrate and rollick and zigzag. This is a bouncy, shimmering interlude that will hopefully clean and clear your mind as it provides you with an abundance of reasons to utter “whee!” and “yahoo!” and “hooray!” My advice: Don’t expect the straight-and-narrow version of anything. Be sure you get more than minimal doses of twirling and swooping and cavorting. Your brain needs to be teased and tickled, and your heart requires regular encounters with improvised fun.

PISCES: Feb.19 – March 20

When I was growing up in suburban America, way back in the 20th century, many adults told me that I was wrong and bad to grow my hair really long. Really! It’s hard to believe now, but I endured ongoing assaults of criticism, ridicule, and threats because of how I shaped my physical appearance. Teachers, relatives, baseball coaches, neighbors, strangers in the grocery store — literally hundreds of people — warned me that sporting a big head of hair would cause the whole world to be prejudiced against me and sabotage my success. Decades later, I can safely say that all those critics were resoundingly wrong. My hair is still long, has always been so, and my ability to live the life I love has not been obstructed by it in the least. Telling you this story is my way of encouraging you to keep being who you really are, even in the face of people telling you that’s not who you really are. The astrological omens say it’s time for you to take a stand.

Homework: What do you love most about yourself?

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