Metro Times 12/07/22

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All I Can Say Is Don’t Give Up Even When It Get Rough Everybody Get A Chance . @kahnsantori thank you for covering my story. DETROIT STAND UP. —@babymoney__, Instagram

note to readers: Incision columnist Abdul El-Sayed is joining Wayne County’s Department of Health, Human, and Veterans Services as director starting in March 2023. In the meantime, he’s serving

as a consultant so he can “hit the ground running in March,” according to a message he shared last week. (You can read his full statement on metrotimes.com.) Because of this, The Incision will no longer appear regularly in these pages, though El-Sayed says he hopes to still be able to write.

“Thank you for seeing the value in this work and choosing to join this community,” El-Sayed said. “And a special thank you to all of our paid subscribers who made this project sustainable. Your time and your tender made this project possible. hope that our team has been able to offer insights and perspectives that made your investment worthwhile.”

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

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Measly increase set for minimum wage in Michigan unless courts side with workers

Workers were promised a minimum wage of $12 an hour. It never happened.

By Steve Neavling

MICHIGAN’S MINIMUM HOURLY wage is set to increase 23 cents on Jan. 1, far less than voters were promised in 2018.

The current hourly minimum wage of $9.87 is set to increase to $10.10 an hour in the new year. For tipped employees, the rate increases to just $3.84 an hour.

But if lobbyists and Republicans don’t get their way, the minimum wage could soon increase even more.

At issue is a 2018 petition initiative organized by One Fair Wage that sought to raise minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2022 and increase annually with inflation. The coalition collected hundreds of thousands of signatures to force the Legislature to either adopt it or send it to voters in the next general election ballot.

The Republican-led Legislature adopted the bills in September 2018, but

quickly weakened the legislation in a controversial switcheroo that landed in court.

Under the weakened bills, minimum wage would increase to $12 by 2030, as long as unemployment is low.

But in July 2022, the Michigan Court of Claims ruled that the Legislature violated the state constitution by weakening the initiatives.

The decision has been appealed.

If the case is not overruled, the mini mum wage will increase to $13.03 an hour and $11.73 for tipped employees.

Groups such as Save Michigan Restaurants and the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association have urged the Legislature to slow the minimum wage increase, saying a significant hike would be difficult for small busi nesses to afford.

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.

Mount Clemens boy charged with bringing knife, ‘hit list’ to school

By Steve Neavling

A 10-YEAR-OLD MOUNT Clemens boy is accused of bringing to school a knife and a “hit list” containing the names of children who bullied him.

The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office said the juvenile asked a fellow student at Prevail Academy in Mount Clemens to hold down another boy while he stabbed him with the knife. That student retrieved the knife and gave it to an adult when he was picked up from school.

The juvenile was charged with solicita tion of assault with a dangerous weapon, a felony that carries up to four years in confinement, and a misdemeanor count of having a weapon in a weapon-free school.

During the student’s arraignment in Macomb County Juvenile Court on Wednesday, Referee Linda Harrison issued a $500 personal bond. When he is released, the boy will be required to wear a GPS tether and be under house arrest. He also is prohibited from contacting wit nesses or anyone on the “hit list.”

“The juvenile who gave the knife to an adult is a hero,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said in a statement Thursday. “He saw something and said something which saved lives.”

Lucido is giving the first-ever Macomb County Prosecutor’s Hero Award to Prevail Academy for the actions of the student. The award is intended to honor schools in Macomb County where a student or staff member reports on weapons, violence, or threats to school administration or police.

Detroit is getting a direct ight to Iceland

By Randiah Camille Green

ICELAND’S HOT SPRINGS, Northern Lights, and rugged waterfalls are calling Detroit’s name.

Starting May 18, 2023, Icelandair will offer a direct flight from the Detroit Metropolitan Airport to Keflavík International Airport in Reykjavik.

The non-stop flights will leave from DTW four times a week at 8:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays through Oct. 30, 2023. Returning flights will depart Iceland at 5 p.m. and arrive in Detroit at 6:25 p.m.

Sure you can see the Northern Lights in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, but the flight from Detroit to Reykjavik is only six hours — the same amount of time it takes to drive from Detroit to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

“Thanks to Icelandair, the beauty of Iceland is now a short flight away from Detroit,” said Chad Newton, CEO of the Wayne County Airport Authority, in a press release. “At Detroit Metropolitan Airport, we know our customers have a choice when they fly. We believe nonstop flights to Iceland and the opportunity to connect to exciting cities throughout Europe are two more reasons travelers will choose DTW.”

If an Iceland adventure sounds good to you, you may want to hop on book ing a ticket soon.

SHUTTERSTOCK

Warming shelters open in Detroit as homelessness rises

By Steve Neavling

THE CITY OF Detroit has opened warming shelters for those seek ing to escape the winter weather as homelessness increases for the first time since 2016.

Three shelter are available to De troiters seeking warmth this year.

The shelters also provide hot meals, showers, sleeping accom modations, and housing assistance services.

“Winter weather creates ad ditional challenges and risks for Detroiters, and the City of Detroit and its partners are dedicated to providing not just an escape from the cold, but also housing services that can help them in the longer term,” Terra Linzner, homeless ness solutions director for the Detroit Housing & Revitalization Department, said in a statement Monday.

The shelters will be open through March 31 and are su pervised to ensure the safety of residents.

The warming centers offer an ad ditional 135 overnight shelter beds, 100 of which are for families with children.

Overall, homelessness is on the rise for the first time since 2016, when 6,643 residents stayed in Detroit’s emergency shelter system. That number dropped to 3,428 in 2021 but has reached more than 4,530 this year.

“With cold weather already

here, the City of Detroit has activated warming centers and respite locations to ensure that everyone has a safe place to stay warm,” Denise Fair Razo, the city’s chief public health officer, said in a statement. “We are once again working with our community partners across all neighborhoods so Detroiters who are experienc ing homelessness or loss of heat in their residence have a place close by to stay warm.”

The warming shelters are:

• Cass Community Social Services

Address: 11850 Woodrow Wilson St., Detroit 313-883-2277

Facility open for: Families and single women

• Detroit Rescue Mission Minis tries — Mack Warming Center

Address: 11037 Mack Ave., Detroit

Phone number: 313-331-8990 Facility open for: Families and single women

• Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries - Third Street Warming Center Address: 3535 Third Ave., Detroit Phone number: 313-993-6703 Facility open for: Single men

More information about shelters and warming centers is available by calling 313-305-0311.

Homeless cats and dogs to get new shelter in Detroit

By Steve Neavling

CONSTRUCTION OF A new $6.6 million animal control headquarters and shelter in Detroit will begin in January, city officials announced last week.

The 30,000-square-foot shelter with offices and a veterinary clinic will be located at Ferry and Russell near Wayne County’s new criminal justice complex.

The fury guests are expected to be welcomed into the facility before the end of 2023.

The building was expected to open in spring 2023, but construction was delayed due to a change in the contractor team and some design modifications, city officials said.

“The new facility reunites Animal Care and Animal Control in a com bined operations location to better serve Detroiters and their pets,” said Denise Fair Razo, Detroit’s chief public health officer. “The team is excited to move into new quarters with more than 200 kennels, a veterinary clinic, call center, adoption areas, outdoor kennels, pet exercise area, quarantine and isolation areas. This will allow us to provide enhanced service in all areas of animal welfare. We appreci ate the support of Detroiters, including rescue groups and especially our elected officials who have champi oned this effort.”

The new building will provide nearly twice the space as the current headquarters and shelter, with more

Students, parents seek class-action lawsuit status against Oxford schools

By Steve Neavling

A LAW FIRM representing 19 students from Oxford High School is seeking class-action status to include every stu dent in the district in a federal lawsuit claiming their constitutional rights to safety and education were violated.

The suit, originally filed in June, seeks to force policy changes at all schools in the Oxford Community School District that students and parents say are es sential for a safe and effective learning environment. The lawsuit does not seek monetary damages.

Sophomore Ethan Crumbley, 16, pleaded guilty on Oct. 24 to murder and terrorism charges in connection

with the shooting that killed four students and wounded seven others at Oxford High School.

Grewal Law PLLC filed a motion last week requesting class-action status. If approved, the suit would seek a federal court order requiring the district to enforce and update safety procedures and protocols at all of its schools.

“Oxford Schools shockingly failed to meet the basic expectation of a safe learning environment on November 30, 2021, and since then they have con tinued to leave students and parents completely unsure if they will encoun ter violence at school despite the mas

sive wakeup call this tragedy provided,” Grewal Law attorney Scott Weidenfeller said.

The request was filed on the same day that two former school board members said the district failed to implement its threat assessment policy that they say would have prevented the mass shooting.

“With new accusations this week by former school authorities that virtu ally no effective safety efforts had been implemented by the district, we are even more confident that our lawsuit seeking court-ordered violence preven tion plans is vital to the future protec

than 200 kennels, compared to 86 in the current facility.

The new facility will also feature larger outdoor areas for dog runs and a modernized veterinary clinic.

“No one is more eager to com plete this new facility than we are,” said Brad Dick, group executive of Detroit’s services and infrastructure.

“The new Animal Control facility will increase capacity and enable animal control officers to continue ensuring the safety of Detroit residents. It is critical that we get this right and now that we have the right contractors in place, we are ready to begin construc tion just after the holidays and honor the City’s commitment to enhance animal welfare for residents and their furry friends.”

Detroit has come under fire for the conditions of its current shelter.

“The new facility will be the culmi nation of a series of major improve ments made within Animal Care and Animal Control in recent years,” said LaJuan Counts, director of the De molition Department. “This updated expansion plan allows us to completely address the challenges the current fa cility now faces. When this new shelter is completed, the DACC staff, as well as residents and animals, will have the improved facility they deserve.”

The city provides temporary homes for cats and dogs. Still, thousands of abandoned cats and dogs roam Detroit on any given day.

tion of every student in the district,” Weidenfeller said.

In the days before the shooting, school officials failed to intervene de spite a pattern of troubling behavior by Crumbley. He told his mother he was seeing demons. A day before the shoot ing, he was caught at school searching for ammunition on his phone. And on the day of the shooting, a teacher spot ted an alarming drawing in which he depicted a person who had been shot and the words, “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me.”

Crumbley’s parents James and Jennifer Crumbley were charged with invol untary manslaughter and are awaiting trial. But on Tuesday last week, the Michigan Supreme Court sent the case back to the Court of Appeals to con sider whether there is enough evidence for the Crumbleys to stand trial.

The Incision

Michigan, Ohio State, and negative partisanship

By Abdul El-Sayed

Last month, 17 million people tuned in to watch Michigan absolutely stomp Ohio State in “the Horseshoe,” the decidedly smaller and less im pressive stadium in which Ohio State dabbles at football. It was a decisive 45-23 victory for the Wolverines, in which three big passing complemented Michigan’s potent ground games to secure victory for the second year in a row — the first in Ohio since 2000.

My love for Michigan football extends well beyond my time on campus in the mid-aughts. I’ve loved Michigan football since elementary school, a space of life when younger, more imaginative minds cast athletes as heroes and sports teams as good or evil incarnate. Which is why, for as long as I’ve loved Michigan, I’ve hated Ohio State.

I want Ohio State to lose almost as much as I want Michigan to win. Not just in The Game, but in every game. I even root against NFL players who went to Ohio State. I don’t feel that way about every rival. I want Michigan State to lose, sure — but only against Michigan. I root for their players after they leave East Lansing. But not Columbus.

I know my feelings aren’t logical. The fact that, by happenstance, I was born and raised in Michigan is probably the most important reason I hate Ohio State. I like to think that if I were born in Ohio, I’d have seen the light — but

probably not. Far too many Ohioans I respect are misguided in this way to think I d have been any different.

Honestly, despite our leg up on aca demics, better colors, more illustrious history, and better fight song, the two schools are similar (OK, no they’re not … but humor me). Both are large Big Ten schools in the midwest and proud football programs built on historic success.

Freud has a useful term for the rivalry: “the narcissism of small differ ences.” It’s the similarities that drive the need to distinguish between one’s self. Maybe, or maybe not. Perhaps it’s just the fact that Ohio State is lesser in every single way that drives my need to see them lose. I’m not proud of this. It’s just how I feel.

OK, of what relevance is my hatred for Ohio State to you? Because they suck. But also because sports are often a helpful metaphor for contentious zero-sum competitions that inspire strong emotions. Except for one gi gantic difference. It s possible to cover sports like an existential battle pre cisely because sports are socially and politically inert.

The outcomes don’t actually matter. If Saturday’s outcome went the other way, my day today would be — though slightly less satisfying — altogether no different. Sports offer all of the emo tion, none of the consequences. Win

or lose, we’ll do it again next year. It’s a harmless spit valve for the tribalism that seems hardwired into us — the seemingly irrepressible human tendency to organize people into us and them.

And if relatively meaningless rivalries can inspire such negative feelings against “them,” imagine what valuesdriven rivalries can do? Unlike sports, in politics, wins and losses have pro found, lasting consequences — poverty, inequality, discrimination, and war.

“Negative partisanship” — the hatred for our political “them” — has emerged as one of the most powerful forces in American politics. Pew Research Center has been comparing cross-party attitudes since 2016. They ve found massive increases in the proportion of partisans who believe that members of the other party are at least somewhat more dishonest, immoral, closedminded, lazy, and unintelligent than the average American. The proportion of both Democrats and Republicans who endorse four or more of these has nearly doubled in the last six years.

While rooting against the other team rather than for your own may be harmless in sports, it is far more caustic for our politics. It degrades the entire system. Democracy is premised on the notion that we can persuade one anoth er — that ideas can move us. Engaging in democracy with the goal of winning

people to our side implies maintaining an ability to persuade them. That requires you to believe in their ability to change. Negative partisanship is antithetical to persuasion — antithetical to democracy.

Political scientists John Sides, Chris Tausanovitch, and Lynn Vavreck have documented a phenomenon in our politics they call “calcification.” It s a state of play akin to trench warfare — a civic space where our negative partisan ship has stymied any effort at persua sion, where elections are won at the margins of turnout.

And in a calcified political environ ment, beyond rejecting the other side — it’s only a matter of time until one of the parties rejects the system itself. Unlike sports, there are no objective referees in democracy. We’re supposed to call our own fouls. Negative parti sanship leaves us equating hate for the other side as hate for the system itself. That’s already been weaponized for recruitment by Big Liars.

So what are we supposed to do?

Look, I find the modern GOP s political goals and beliefs odious — many of them don’t believe someone like me should be in this country, let alone have a platform to air my political beliefs. The issue is whether or not we allow ourselves to return hatred in kind.

And we simply cannot. Democracy itself cannot sustain it. Instead, we must stay committed to winning the future rather than punishing the past. Even if our opponents are from Ohio.

Originally published Nov. 29 in The Incision. Get more at abdulelsayed. substack.com.

While rooting against the other team may be harmless in sports, it is far more caustic for our politics.

SHUTTERSTOCK

20 things Detroit deserves

Our ideas for gifts for the Motor City

BY METRO TIMES STAFF

When it comes time for giftgiving, sometimes it helps to think of things the recipi ent actually needs. This holiday season, we got together and brainstormed a list of 20 things that we think Detroit could really use in 2023. Santa, if you’re reading this, maybe you can make some magic happen?

A winning football team

Win or lose, Detroiters are going to cheer for the Lions. We watched Calvin Johnson and Barry Sanders lay it all on the turf and retire without cham pionships of their own, and celebrated Ndamukong Suh and Matthew Stafford’s Super Bowl wins, despite both winning after leaving the team. In fact, the Lions haven’t won a championship since the 1950s. It would be nice to see the team we love so much bring a trophy home, and not just in an honorary way. —Alex Washington

More grocery stores

Inflation on food products has been a hot topic, and point of concern, in re cent months. But what’s worse than the rising cost of food is the lack of access to it. Earlier this year, WXYZ-TV reported that there are only 62 full-service gro cery stores in the city, and many big-box stores are only available in the suburbs. It was also reported that about 30% of Detroit residents do not have a car, which means many are relying on un stable public transportation or friends to obtain basic necessities. (More on that in a minute.) While Target says it will build a store in Midtown in the coming years, and the Detroit People’s Food CoOp is working to build a Black-owned grocery store in the North End, much more is needed. —Alex Washington

Better public transportation

Most major cities have some form of reliable transportation. In Detroit, we’ve got buses that arrive seemingly whenever they feel like it, a streetcar that only runs about three miles from New Center to downtown, and a rusty old People Mover that feels like a lowbudget roller coaster. The downtown area is not the center of the universe, and residents throughout the city need a reliable way of getting to work and school. Sure, Detroit is the Motor City, but not everyone who lives here has the luxury of owning their own set of wheels. —Randiah Camille Green

Cheaper parking downtown

That said, parking in Detroit sucks — there’s no way around it. Planning for a nice evening on the town shouldn’t include budgeting an extra $50 to park to go to an event. It would also help if parking areas were more clearly marked, because not everyone loves to play the “will I come back to a ticket or a tow?” game at the end of the night.

—Alex Washington

Actual affordable housing

Apartment hunting in Detroit is like walking a tightrope, with trendy $2,000 lofts on one side and “recently reno vated” flats for $1,200 surrounded by abandoned houses on the other. On top of high rent costs, Detroit is plagued by slum landlords who leave tenants in unlivable situations with frequent water shutoffs, busted boilers, and ongoing repairs in so-called historic

buildings they’ve failed to bring up to modern standards. —Randiah Camille Green

A foreclosure moratorium

Every year, thousands of low-income Detroiters lose their homes to tax fore closures. Seized homes often sit vacant until they are stripped by scrappers, leaving neighborhoods with abandoned eyesores. It doesn’t help that Detroit

admitted that it had illegally overtaxed as many as 100,000 residents by inflat ing property assessments. —Steve Neavling

More homeowners

We got some good news earlier this year — for the first time in a decade Detroit has more homeowners than renters, with 51.3% of homes in the city owner-occupied, according to the latest Census, compared to 47.8% in 2019. That’s a welcome return to the past, when Detroit once had a uniquely high rate of homeownership among U.S. cit ies. owever, the findings also showed a decline in Black homeownership, and the Detroit Land Bank is sitting on about 63,000 vacant lots and about 13,500 vacant structures. —Lee DeVito

People

More bad news from the Census — Detroit continues its 70-year population decline, with 639,111 residents recorded in 2020, down from its peak of nearly 2 million residents in 1950, and much of the drop coming from the loss of Black residents. The decline in population means a loss of tax base and federal funds. Mayor Mike Duggan, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and others have chal lenged these findings, arguing that the Census counting method was flawed, but the fact remains that Detroit has plenty of room to grow. —Lee DeVito

More public schools

Over the past two decades, about 200 public schools in Detroit have been closed, and enrollment has dropped from more than 162,000 students to nearly 49,000 students today. The state has fueled the decline by reducing funding, closing schools, and allow ing charter schools to spring up. With more than half of Detroiters living in poverty, quality public education is as important as ever. —Steve Neavling

Better recycling

Detroit offers free curbside recycling to all single-family homes if you request a blue recycling bin online. However, many Detroiters are unaware of the opt-in model, as it’s not widely publicized. Plus, the curbside recycling program doesn’t apply to apartment buildings with more than four units, so us non-homeowners have to load up our recyclables and drag them to cen ters like Recycle Here!, which can be a hassle. —Randiah Camille Green

More late-night dining options

There used to be more diners in metro Detroit that were open 24-7, where night owls could grab a late-night coney dog and a cup of coffee. Ever since the

pandemic, though, local restaurants have scaled back their hours. We compiled a list of some spots that are open later than 10 p.m., but we wish more kept later hours. And it’s not just for concert-goers and insomniacs — more late-night businesses would be good for people who work night shifts. —Lee DeVito

First-run movie theaters

While the years have not been kind to ollywood— with etflix, the pan demic, and the Marvel-Industrial Complex helping to decimate what we used to call the “movie industry” — things have been even more brutal in Detroit, where there is only one remaining first-run movie theater, the el Air Luxury Cinema on Eight Mile. That’s no knock on Detroit’s great art-house theaters like the DFT and Cinema Detroit, but you’re going to have to drive to the burbs to see, say, that new Avatar movie. A Detroit outpost of the Alamo Drafthouse chain was recently announced and then canceled, though rapper Big Sean has said he plans to open a multiplex with Emagine some time in 2024. We think Detroit could use even more movie magic, though. —Lee DeVito

Film incentives

Speaking of movies, nothing was cooler than when celebrity sightings and film crews in metro Detroit were commonplace. Back in 2008, then-Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a package of film incentives into law that were the most aggressive in the nation, ushering in an era of major Hollywood productions here, including multiple installments of the Transformers series, among other projects. That was true until Gov. Rick Snyder ended the incentives in 2015, though some state senators are hoping to bring the incentives back to Michigan, which would not only allow the charm of the Great Lakes State to be showcased, but also bring plenty of jobs back. —Alex Washington

Less surveillance

Detroit is one of the most surveilled cities in the country. igh-definition surveillance cameras saturate down town, as well as gas stations, schools, parks, health care centers, and low-in come housing complexes. Coupled with an extensive facial recognition technol ogy system, Detroit has eyes all over the place, though critics say the technology is flawed, pointing to the wrongful ar rest of several Black men. The city also recently approved expanding ShotSpot ter, a controversial technology that de tects gunshots, raising concerns about increased police presence and potential civil rights abuses. —Steve Neavling

Dispensaries

Detroit’s debacle over recreational weed is one of the great clusterfucks of the century. While municipalities in the suburbs and beyond have been successfully profiting from the flour ishing industry since Michigan voters legalized adult-use cannabis in 2018, Detroiters have been waiting for the City Council to get its shit together. And it’s not entirely the council’s fault — they tried to do something good for once, ensuring that lifelong Detroiters affected by the racist war on drugs would get the first shot at opening dispensaries, but some who felt discriminated against halted those efforts with lawsuits. After a revised ordinance and another slew of lawsuits that were eventually thrown out, the city has finally opened ap plications for adult-use dispensaries. While we continue to wait for them to become a reality, we’ll just have to continue getting our stash from nearby places like Hamtramck. —Randiah Camille Green

Pro sports owners who don’t bill taxpayers

The billionaire owners of Detroit’s professional sports teams — the Tigers, Lions, Red Wings, and Pistons — have relied on tax dollars to build their stadiums, and public officials have been all too happy to let them. Most famously, while facing bankrupt cy, the city of Detroit gave hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks and incentives to the Ilitch family to build a new Red Wings arena and a surrounding “District” of investment. The family has yet to follow through on its promise to develop apartments, restaurants, and other businesses, however. —Steve Neavling

That RoboCop statue

In 2011, some joker tweeted at thenmayor Dave Bing saying that Detroit needed a monument honoring the star of the 1987 sci-fi action movie RoboCop, because Philadelphia had a statue of Rocky and the cyberpunk hero “would kick Rocky’s butt.” The viral tweet sparked a crowdfunding effort that raised more than $60,000 for the cause, and respected Detroit metalworker Giorgio Gikas eventually managed to build an 11-foot tall bronze sculpture all while dealing with a cancer diagnosis. More than a decade later, however, Robo still doesn’t have a home… yet. Last month, Crain’s Detroit Business reported that the statue could be displayed at Eastern Market, but the plan has not yet been finali ed. Though we find the idea of a statue of a robot cop to be a bit cringe-inducing, especially following the 2020 protests

against police brutality, Detroit needs to get this over with before they actu ally do invent real-life robot cops. (San Francisco is reportedly already working on it.) —Lee DeVito

A new story

There are a lot of things that annoy us, but this narrative about Detroit “making a comeback” makes our eyes roll to the back of our heads so hard we’re scared they may get stuck there one day. We’re not saying Detroit is without its problems, but merely investing in trendy downtown areas to attract suburbanites and tourists “back” into the city does not a comeback make. It is grossly offensive to Detroiters who have built their lives here and continued to live here through bankruptcy, emergency management, and corrupt leadership. We don’t necessarily have a problem with trendy restaurants cropping up, either, because we love a bougie brunch, too. But it’s problematic when TIME magazine names Detroit one of the “World’s Greatest Places” in 2022 for its “newfound glory” and “vibrant economic recovery.” For whom? Because Detroiters — the artists, visionaries, hard workers, hustlers, creatives, and families who fuel this city — have always been here. Detroit never left. We’re gonna say it louder for the people in the back. —Randiah Camille Green

Reparations

In 2021, a resounding 80% of Detroit voters approved a measure to set up a task force to investigate reparations to make amends for generations of systemic racism, joining other cities across the U.S. including Evanston, Illinois, and Burlington, Vermont. Detroit has a strong history with supporting reparations, with former U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr. fruitlessly introducing legislation to create a commission to explore reparations every year for nearly three decades until he retired in 2017. Detroit City Council will soon select 13 residents to serve on its new reparations task force, so it will be interesting to see what they come up with in 2023. —Lee DeVito

A break

Detroiters are praised for how resilient they are. The story of the city has been told across the world, but the other side of that reality is Detroit shouldn’t have had to fight as much. Things like education and affordable water should be basic human rights. Suburbanites and tourists now appreciate Detroit for a good time, but long left the city to fend for itself. Detroit deserves a soft era, not one that just tells the story of grit. —Alex Washington

Black-owned Detroit businesses to support this holiday season

BY ALEX WASHINGTON

Detroit is one of the Blackest cities in America, but if you look around at some of the businesses that have “Detroit” highlighted in their brand name or storefront, you’d see that those businesses don t always reflect the city s demographics.

We’ve gathered a list of Black-owned Detroit businesses that are practically guaranteed to help ease your holiday shopping this season.

Two18

1400 E. Fisher Service Dr., Detroit; 313-974-6955; two18.com

If sneakers are your thing, then you likely already know about Two18. The sister store to Royal Oak’s Burn Rubber Sneaker Boutique recently collaborated with Nike for a limited edition Detroitthemed Air Jordan 2.

Harper Ray Accessories

29139 Southfield Rd., Southfield; 248-595-7099; shopharperray.com

Kash Doll once said “Ice Me Out” and at Harper Ray, every true Detroit girl gets to live out her iciest dreams for a fraction of the cost.

The Lip Bar

1435 Farmer St., Detroit; 313-952-5198; thelipbar.com

The Lip Bar might be known for their lip products, but the brand carries a lot more. An artist at the store can help match you to their face products in cluding their 3-in-1 Tinted Moisturizer.

Glam-aholic Lifestyle

1020 Woodward Ave., Detroit; glamaholicelifestyle.com

Glam-Aholic founder Mia Ray has blessed the city with a pop-up shop this holiday season. Now through January, guests can shop the downtown pop-up and see the “G” bags in real life instead of just behind a screen.

Not Sorry Goods

22963 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; notsorrygoods.com

Not Sorry Goods is a Black-, Latinx-, and women-owned shop specializing in vintage and upcycled apparel and accessories.

Fahrenheit

313

20114 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-646-6043; fahrenheit313.com

If Wall Street were a sneaker store, it would be Fahrenheit 313. The sneaker exchange shop allows customers to not only purchase sneakers, but trade and consign them as well. If there was a drop that you missed, you might get lucky finding that special sneaker here.

Source Booksellers

4240 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-832-1155; sourcebooksellers.com

This small, independent, non-fiction bookstore carefully selects the books it carries, and they fall into one of four categories: spiritual, history and cul ture, health and wellbeing, and books by or about women.

Three Thirteen

19495 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-468-9444

If you’re looking for anything Detroit streetwear, then look no further than Three Thirteen. The store carries De troit brands and creates merchandise reflective of the culture. Want to rep your side of town ou can find a West side (or Eastside) shirt here.

TONiCO Brand

66 E. Forest St., Detroit; 313-221-5542; tonicobrand.com

If you’re looking to grow your wardrobe beyond graphic tees and skinny jeans, TONiCO Brand is the store to help you do that. The women’s clothing shop carries upgraded essentials and focuses on softer, feminine pieces.

AYV x Fresher

208 W. Eleven Mile Rd., Royal Oak; 248-607-3388; ayvlifestyle.com, thefresherbrand.com

Detroiters are a fresh people, and AYV x Fresher is where one can find the fresh est of Detroit streetwear.

Cream Blends creamblends.com

Winter is coming and no one wants dry skin. Founded in the kitchen of Yolanda Williams in 2013, Cream Blends prides itself on being a premi um skin care brand made with natural ingredients.

Haus of $y

hausofsy.com

Haus of Sy started during the pandemic with a signature round logo bag. It has since expanded to carry tote bags, belt bags, wallets, dresses, and much more.

David Vintage

davidvintage.com

David Vintage is a streetwear brand that is sourced locally. The brand recently collaborated with artist and muralist Sheefy McFly for a limited capsule collection.

Moneyball Sportswear

30215 Southfield Rd., Southfield; 248792–9558; moneyballsportswear.com

Founded by former NBA player Desmond Ferguson, Moneyball Sportswear bridges the gap between streetwear and athletic wear.

The Hoop Mobb

hoopmobb.com

Whether you’re looking for big hoops, small hoops, or Africa-shaped hoops,

the Hoop Mobb has an earring style for everybody.

House of Pure Vin

1433 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-638-2501; houseofpurevin.com

Sometimes a good bottle of wine makes everyone smile, and if you want to grab a really good bottle, check out this wine shop downtown.

Paisley Paper Co

paisleypaperco.com

If you want to wow your family and friends with a unique greeting card, look no further than Paisley Paper Co. The company carries cards for every occasion and also has notebooks and other stationary items.

Brooklyn Body Butter

brooklynbodybutter.com

If you want a body moisturizer with a really good, long-lasting scent, grab a jar of body butter from Brooklyn Body Butter.

K. Walker Collective

4161 Cass Ave., Detroit; kwalker.co

Since 2018, K. Walker Collective has been selling fashionable and high-qual ity essentials. This holiday season the brand will open its own flagship store in Midtown.

Love Travels Imports

19939 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-623-5800; lovetravelsimports.com

Love Travels Imports sells beautifully crafted artisan goods from South Af rica, Peru, Guatemala, and Haiti right here in Detroit.

Two18 owner Roland Coit.

PHOTO BY KAHN SANTORI DAVISON

Salvaged gifts

on ro t hel s etro etroit o en rebuild their li es ith reused auto arts

BY PEG BESSETTE KNIGHT

It was a couple years ago, before the pandemic, when I first came across Mend on the Move while shopping in a local store. It was the aesthetics that first caught my eye: jewelry that was modern and somewhat industrial. It turns out it was much more industrial than I could have guessed. In tiny letters at the bottom of the packag ing a message read, “jewelry created from auto parts by abuse survivors in Detroit.”

While the jewelry got my attention, it was this statement that held my at tention. I bought some pieces for close friends who I knew would appreciate not only the design, but also the cause: “helping victims become survivors.”

Mend on the Move founder Joanne Ewald started the 501 c 3 nonprofit in 2015 in order to help others find a new path after abuse, just as she did. Ewald says it wasn’t until her 30s that she was able to really confront her story of abuse.

“Shame and insecurities kept me quiet,” she explains. “And, also because I learned it was best not to discuss such things. I needed to forget and just move on. But when I had children of my own, my heart was struck by their vulnerabil ity. The thought of someone abusing them grieved me and forced me to face my own truth.”

Out of this insight came Mend on the Move, which is dedicated to helping survivors of abuse in metro Detroit by teaching them a craft, and providing them with an income while in recovery and resources toward a path forward.

“While we do sell jewelry, that s just the vehicle we use to do our real work — helping our makers feel valued, gain confidence, find independence, and grow toward healing in a caring and safe work space,” Ewald says.

he sur i ors

Sam Seelhoff runs Mend on the Move s “More Mending” program, a two-year program that starts when a survivor is hired by the nonprofit. Initially, survivors meet with Seelhoff to make plans for their life while they are in the program, and after their time with Mend on the Move is complete. These goals could relate to “living situations, employment, furthering education, and getting involved in therapy services,” says Seelhoff.

Mend also provides access to a relief

fund that assists the survivors with “emergency medical costs, gas for driving to and from work or therapy services, moving costs, legal services, furthering education, and much more.”

There is also a Sister Circle, a biweekly support group providing a forum for the women to “discuss what is on their minds, bond, and gain support from one another.”

After two years, each survivor choos es to step into a supervisory role with Mend on the Move if one is available, or graduate from the program to make room for a new member.

A survivor who asked that their name be withheld for privacy says that Mend on the Move has made a positive change in her life.

“It has always been on my heart since I was a young adult to help and serve other women in need,” she tells Metro Times. “Mend has supported me emotionally, psychologically and financially as well. I can now count on a regular paycheck, whereas my last job was un reliable and sporadic. The bonus from healing myself is to help and watch others grow and heal, as well.”

The survivor says it can often be hard for people to escape abusive relation ships. “[It] can be hard to walk away or even know you’re in one,” she says. “It can also be scary depending on

A convertible cross-body bag and backpack that, in its former life, was a headrest for a Ford Explorer.

the circumstances and usually means starting your life over. Letting go of security, family members, and [facing] the stigma of being weak is not an easy thing to do. Many women don’t ask for help or are embarrassed to share what has happened to them.”

The survivor says she found out about the program through a chance meeting with Ewald.

“I met Joanne, the founder of Mend before it came to be, at a church art show called Free Spirit,” she says. “We became friends at a time when both of our lives were transitioning. I soon learned of her abuse and her desire to do more in helping other survivors overcome their victimhood. This is where we discovered we had similar experiences and goals.”

Eventually, the survivor started work ing for Mend on the Move, and says she enjoyed the artistic process.

“The creative process at Mend can be as simple or more complicated as you’d like it to be,” she says. “We often use power tools, like drills, saws, and dremels. Overcoming the fear of us ing these tools can be liberating and

metaphorically empowering. For me, repurposing unusual auto parts that would normally be thrown out gets my creative juices flowing. Looking at shapes, combining parts or manipulat ing objects can be exciting.”

She says she is most proud of watch ing the organization develop over the years.

“Since I was privileged to watch Mend grow from a seed, I walked and learned right alongside Joanne and many other women survivors,” she says. “There are many things I am proud of at Mend like seeing people change and overcome their fears, making positive changes in their life, and fulfilling their life dreams. For me personally it has given me self-worth. I have dealt with insecurities most of my life and I have gained more self confidence over the last couple years.”

An unli el dia ond in the rough

Automakers like General Motors, Ford, Lear’s Eagle Ottawa Leather, and other companies donate automotive scrap and leather to the group. In the Motor City, it couldn’t really be anything other than automotive scraps that would help to tell this story. But it takes more than hustle to pull this off. It takes true creativity.

Mend on the Move’s catalog includes earrings and bracelets made from powertrain shims, bushing material, brass washers, aluminum discs, and flattened car seat component scrap. There are also bracelets made from windshield washer tubing and copper brake line, as well as purses, throw pillows, table runners, dog leashes, wallets, and key chains all made from salvaged car seat leather. The group has also collaborated with Detroit’s College for Creative Studies.

As Mend on the Move notes on its website, items are sustainably handcrafted by abuse survivors, and 100% of proceeds support the nonprofit, “providing fair wages, safe work envi ronment, empowerment, [and] healing.” Every piece tells a story about the parts it was made from and bears the signature of the maker on its packag ing. This kind of intention permeates the organization and the pieces that its makers create. At a time of year when we’re surrounded by box store shelves piled high with mass-produced items, this perspective is refreshing. Instead, these works are intentional, handmade, and personal.

More information is available at mendonthemove.org, where people can purchase products, find local stores that carry them, learn how to host a “Mending Party” event, or donate to the organization.

things to do in metro Detroit that will put you in the holiday spirit

BY METRO TIMES STAFF

We may have had to bring out the heavier coats and wool hats, but that doesn’t mean Detroiters have turned completely cold as the holiday season approaches. From photos with some Santa Claus to dazzling Christmas light displays, the metro Detroit area has a lot to offer this holiday season.

Wayne County’s annual light display

Take a spin through Hines Park as the Wayne County Lightfest will host over 50 animated displays with more than 100,000 lights. For more information, see waynecounty.com.

Relive Hudson’s at the Detroit Historical Museum

The holiday season wasn’t the holiday season in Detroit without the magic of the former J. L. Hudson Department Store. The Detroit Historical Museum taps into that nostalgia with the return of its Hudson’s Holiday exhibit. For more information, see detroithistorical.org.

Shop in Cadillac Square

Downtown Detroit Market has returned to Cadillac Square, where visitors can shop local businesses while staying warm in the heated booths. For more in formation and a complete list of vendors, see downtowndetroitparks.com.

20Take a festive walk at Meadow Brook Hall’s Holiday Walk

If poinsettias and twinkling lights mark the holiday season, there’s plenty of cheer at Meadow Brook Hall. Enjoy a stroll through and experience the displays set for the season. For more information, see meadowbrookhall.org.

Take a cool slide at Monroe Street Midway

For the first time, Detroit s Monroe Street Midway is going to be filled with winter activities. Gone are the drivein and roller rink that ruled over the summer. The Bedrock-owned space now has bumper cars, an arctic slide, and more. For more information visit deckedoutdetroit.com.

Support a local vendor at Eastern Market’s holiday markets

This holiday season, Eastern Market is making your holiday shopping easier. The market on Tuesdays is focused on food vendors allowing you to get all the ingredients and edible gifts for the holidays, while the weekend market is more general. For dates and times, see easternmarket.org.

Check out the lights at the Detroit Zoo

now through March. For hours and pricing, see downtowndetroitparks.com.

Listen to the DSO play your favorite holiday carols

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is not only bringing Home Alone alive this season by performing the entire score, they are also performing a weekend full of carols and songs to get you in the spirit. For a complete list of events, see dso.org.

Drive through holiday lights at Pine Knob

Take a cruise through Pine Knob for Magic of the Lights, a display of LED and animated lights. For tickets and hours, see magicoflights.com.

Let your pup take a pic with Saint Nick Santa Claus gets a lot of love this time of year, but what about Santa paws?

Malls like Oakland Mall and Twelve Oaks Mall are having special days for your furry friends to take pictures with Santa Claus. You can also check your local PetSmart for Santa photos as well.

Grab a bottle and take a Christmas Light Trolley Tour

What better way to view lights than a BYOB Christmas light tour on a trolley through the city? Journey by trolley viewing light displays in Rochester, the Detroit Zoo, and downtown Detroit. For tickets and trolley information, see eventbrite.com.

Have

breakfast with Santa at the Ford House

Christmas may be a few weeks away, but you can chow down with Santa at the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe. Each ticket includes breakfast and a visit from Santa to your table. For tickets and more information, see fordhouse.org.

Visit the world’s largest Christmas store

When it comes to Christmas in Michigan, Frankenmuth does it best. It helps when one of the largest Christmas-themed stores just so hap pens to be located there. At Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland, it’s Christ mas all year round.

Go wild at the Detroit Zoo when it’s transformed into a festive display of lights. While none of the animal exhibits will be open, visitors can check out the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit. For hours and pricing, see detroitzoo.org.

Visit Holiday Nights at reen eld illage

Take a wintry spin in a Model T, ride in a carriage, listen to the carolers, or enjoy all the other holiday activity happening in Dearborn s Greenfield Village. For more information, see thehenryford.org.

Head to the mall for photos with Santa

Stroll through a lighted winter wonderland at Glenlore Trails

Glenlore Trails were spooky for Hal loween, and now they re offering a little bit of festive cheer this holiday season. The mile-long trail has been transformed into a winter wonderland. For more information and tickets, see glenloretrails.com.

Drink and pedal your way through the Holiday Lights Beer Bike Bar Crawl

It may be cooler outside, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a ride on a pedal bike bar through downtown Detroit. This bar crawl combines a drinking tour at a few popular bars and the sights of downtown. For more information and tickets, see eventbrite.com.

Take

a carriage ride through downtown Detroit

Hallmark movies always make carriage rides through the city look like the ide al setting for a wintry romantic night. Fortunately for us, we can try it out our selves right in the heart of downtown. For more information, including pricing, see downtowndetroitparks.com.

Nothing says Christmas like a cheesy mall photo with Santa Claus. Sure, some sets keep Saint Nick socially distant from you, but the sentiment is the same. Santa is making appearances at Fairlane Town Center, Oakland Mall, Laurel Park Place, Great Lakes Crossing, Twelve Oaks Mall, The Somerset Collection, and The Mall at Partridge Creek.

Ice skate in Campus Martius Park

Is it even a Detroit holiday season with out a spin around the rink in Campus Martius? The rink is open for skating

Check out the Cirque Du Soleil Christmas show

There’s nothing like a good holiday performance during the holiday season. Cirque Du Soleil has brought its first Christmas show, Twas the Night Before, to the Fox Theatre. For more information visit, including showtimes and tickets, see 313presents.com.

Carriage rides in downtown Detroit.

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. available).

Wednesday, Dec. 7

Live/Concert

20th Anniversary of Mclusky Do Dallas 7 p.m.; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $25.

Hollywood Casino Greektown Presents Dave Koz and Friends 8 p.m.; The Music Hall, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit; $35-$75.

Old Nation Tap Takeover + Indie/Punk Show, All-vinyl DJs 7-11:30 p.m.; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; free.

A Songwriter Scramble: Jackie Pappas, Carmel Liburdi, Tom Alter 7-9 p.m. erkley Coffee, 14661 West 11 Mile Rd, Ste 50o, Oak Park; $10 suggested.

Switchfoot 7:30 p.m.; Sound Board, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit; $39-$52.

THEATER

Performance Musical

TINA Dec. 7, 8 p.m., Dec. 8, 8 p.m., Dec. 9, 8 p.m., 2 & 8 p.m., 2 & 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Cadillac Cafe, 1526 Broadway, Detroit; $35-$140.

Stand-up Opening

Pontiac Little Art Theatre ‘Eyes Up Here’ comedy show with Camila Bal lario, T. Barb, Kara Coraci, Ann Duke and Melanie Hearn. $15 Dec. 7, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 8

Live/Concert

Amy Grant & Michael W. Smith 7:30 p.m.; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $25-$120.

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

Chest Fever 7 p.m.-midnight; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; $25.

Farmington Swing Band: Swing into the Holidays 7:30 p.m.; The Hawk - Farmington Hills Community Center, 29995 Twelve Mile Rd., Farming ton Hills; $15 in advance, $20 at the door.

Greet Death, Outside, Normal 7 p.m. Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck; $15.

Harp Twins Rockin’ Christmas

Concert 8-10 p.m.; 20 Front Street, 20 Front St., Lake Orion; $25.

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

The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show 7 p.m.; Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; $49+.

P.S.

Words Matter... Poetry

Slam at the Leon Loft pm; Leon Speakers, 715 W. Ellsworth Rd, Ann Arbor; $5.

Thursday Night Live Music Series At Three Cats Restaurant

6-9 pm; Three Cats Cafe, 116 West 14 Mile Road, Clawson; Free.

DJ/Dance

Incredible Songs Only with Nick Speed Dec. 8, 10 pm-2 am; Willis Show Bar, 4156 Third St., Detroit; $10.

THEATER

Performance

Harmonie Club The Immersive Nutcracker - Detroit Dec. 8, 1, 2 & 3 p.m., Dec. 9, 1, 2 & 3 p.m., 11 a.m., 12, 1, 2 & 3 p.m. and 11 a.m., 12, 1, 2 & 3 p.m.

Meadow Brook Theatre A Christ mas Carol $42 Dec. 8, 7 p.m., Dec. 9, 8 p.m., 2 & 6:30 p.m. and 2 & 6:30 p.m.

Musical TINA Dec. 7, 8 p.m., Dec. 8, 8 p.m., Dec. 9, 8 p.m., 2 & 8 p.m., 2 & 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Cadillac Cafe, 1526 Broadway St., Detroit; $35-$140.

COMEDY

Improv

Ant Hall Thursday Night Live! A com edy variety show! Featuring a new lineup of comedy sketch revues, stand-up, improv, video, & more, every Thursday night in the Ant Hall! $5.00 8-10 p.m.

Stand-up Opening

Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle Co median Dave Landau with Trevor Tress and JeCorey Hawkins. $25. Dec. 8, 7:30-9 p.m., Dec. 9, 7:15-8:45 & 9:45-11:15 p.m. and 7-8:30 & 9:30-11 pm.

Friday, Dec. 9

Live/Concert

Battlecross 7 p.m.; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; $15+.

Ben Portsmouth 8 p.m.; Andiamo Celebrity Showroom, 7096 E. 14 Mile Rd., Warren; $32-$72.

Bitch Kraft + slizZ 8-11:30 pm; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge

24 December 7-13, 2022 | metrotimes.com

Electric Forest announces its initial 2023 lineup — and

IT MIGHT BE a little chilly out side now, but Electric Forest has us dreaming of summer as the festival has announced its initial 2023 lineup.

This year saw the return of the festival in Sherwood Forest after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of the 2023 performers include eds Dead, Sofi Tucker,

Hwy., Royal Oak; Free.

Dominic Fike 6:30 & 7 p.m.; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $25-$75.

DSC 10: Celebrating a Decade of Detroit Sound Conservancy 8 p.m.; UFO Factory, 2110 Trumbull Ave., Detroit; $20 suggested donation.

Gary Hoey: Ho Ho Hoey Rockin’ Holiday Tour 8 p.m.; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $40.

GRiZ 8 p.m.; Detroit Masonic Temple Library, 500 Temple St., Detroit; $49.95.

GRiZMAS Afterparty with GRiZ

DJ Set 10 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Wood ward Ave., Detroit; $49.95.

Celtic Woman 8 p.m.; The Music Hall, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit; $59.50-$95.

Home Free 7 p.m.; Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; $39.50+.

KPop Night 7 p.m.; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; $15.

Max 7 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $27.50.

Stephen Kellogg 8-10 p.m.; 20 Front Street, 20 Front St., Lake Orion; $35.

The Beatles Album Club: The Beatles (The White Album) 7 p.m.; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $10.

it’s packed

Jamie xx, Ganja White Night, and fest regulars the String Cheese Incident, who will perform two sets.

Wristband sales for loyalty mem bers begins at noon on Monday, Dec. 5 with general admission wristband sales beginning at noon on Friday, Dec. 9. More information is available at electricforest.com.

—Alex Washington

DJ/Dance

Fast & Loose, DJ Nervous Recs 9 p.m.-2 a.m.; Second Best, 42 Watson St., Detroit; Free.

Revival: A Tribute to The Allman Brothers. 7-11:30 p.m.; The Parliament Room at Otus Supply, 345 E Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale; $15.

THEATER Performance

Harmonie Club The Immersive Nutcracker - Detroit Dec. 8, 1, 2 & 3 p.m., Dec. 9, 1, 2 & 3 p.m., 11 a.m., 12, 1, 2 & 3 p.m.. and 11 a.m., 12, 1, 2 & 3 p.m.

Meadow Brook Theatre A Christ mas Carol $42 Dec. 8, 7 p.m., Dec. 9, 8 p.m., 2 & 6:30 p.m. and 2 & 6:30 p.m.

The Music Box Detroit Symphony Orchestra Dec. 9, 10:45 a.m., 8 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Planet Ant Theatre Trouble Don’t Last - Poetic Play. $30 Dec. 9-10, 8-10 p.m. and 3-5 & 8-10 p.m.

Musical

TINA Dec. 7, 8 p.m., Dec. 8, 8 p.m., Dec. 9, 8 p.m., 2 & 8 p.m., 2 & 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Cadillac Cafe, 1526 Broadway St., Detroit; $35-$140.

COMEDY Improv

Go Comedy! Improv Theater Name This Show $20 8 & 10 pm.; Free 11:45 pm.

Stand-up Opening

Fox Theatre Louis C.K. $55-$125. Dec. 9, 7:30 p.m.

Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle Dave Landau with Trevor Tress and JeCorey Hawkins. $25.Dec. 8, 7:30-9 p.m., Dec. 9, 7:15-8:45 p.m. & 9:45-11:15 p.m. and 7-8:30 p.m. & 9:30-11 p.m.

Saturday Dec., 10

Live/Concert

GRiZ 8 p.m.; Detroit Masonic Temple Library, 500 Temple St., Detroit; $49.9.

Ace Frehley 7 p.m.; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; $50.

Dirk Kroll Band 8-10 p.m.; Berkley Coffee, 14661 West 11 Mile Rd., Oak Park $10 suggested.

End Prejudice presents The Jingle Jam 8-10 p.m.; 20 Front Street, 20 Front St., Lake Orion; $15.

The Fourth Annual Wreck The Halls 7 p.m.; PJ’s Lager House, 1254 Michigan Ave., Detroit; $10.

Itzhak Perlman and Friends 7:30 p.m.; Hill Auditorium, 825 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor; $14+.

Jeff Rosenstock & Laura Stevenson 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., amtramck.

Jingle Ballz 12 7 p.m.; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac; $15.

Mannheim Steamroller 8 p.m.; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $25-$85.

Nae Nae Entertainment R & B Explosion 8 p.m.; The Music Hall, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit; $69-$120.

Raising The Dead 7:30-11:30 p.m.; The Parliament Room at Otus Supply, 345 E Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale; $15.

Ruby Waters pm; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $17.

The Ruiners, The Mydols 8-11:30 pm; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; FREE. Son Little 7 pm; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $20.

Sunday, Dec. 11

Live/Concert

Horse Cave Trio, The Memphis Thrillbillies, DJ Del Villarreal 5 p.m.; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; $15-$30.

Sheila E 7:30 p.m.; Sound Board, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit; $45-$57.

The Lemonheads 6:30 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., De troit; $25.

Local buzz

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

Waajeed drops new album: Master sampler and soulful techno musi cian Waajeed has released his latest full-length, this time on the legend ary German techno label Tresor Memoirs of Hi-Tech Jazz is “inspired by revolutionary efforts against oppressive hegemonies in Detroit,” according to the album’s Bandcamp page. Waajeed also states that “the al bum is undoubtedly best experienced while driving,” and says the record is perfectly timed for a round-trip drive from the North End to Belle Isle. This route is particularly significant to the spirit of Waajeed’s music, driving from the neighborhood of the Techno Museum and Submerge (3000 E. Grand Blvd.) all the way to a long time destination for Black Detroiters to cook out, enjoy the outdoors, and listen to local music pumping from car stereos. The album is available digitally and on vinyl via Waajeed’s Bandcamp, as well as his recent “Acts of Love” mixtapes (be sure to check out acts one, two and three). All sales from the mixtapes benefit the nder ground Music Academy.

Detroit Sound Conservancy celebrates 10 years: Local grassroots nonprofit Detroit Sound Conservancy has spent the past 10 years with one mission in mind: preserving the “Detroit sound.” This preservation has taken on many forms over the

past decade, including purchasing the historic Blue Bird Inn to begin rehabilitating it, erecting a historic marker at United Sounds Studios to protect it from demolition, and show casing artifacts like the Club Heaven sound system at the Detroit Historical Society and other venues. Through these initiatives plus archival prac tices, DSC aims to prove that Detroit is the most influential musical city in the world. To celebrate its 10-year milestone, the organization is hosting a night of intergenerational perfor mances on Dec. 9, hosted at the UFO Factory. Performers include Duality/ Detroit (Ian Finkelstein), My Detroit Players (too many dope artists to list), and very special guest DJs (the Detroit Sound Conservancy board). Tickets available here for a donation of $20 (or more, if you feel so inclined).

Body Worx welcomes Ashton Swinton to Temple Bar: Dretraxx has been holding down his residency at Temple Bar for quite some time, bringing everything from minimal acid slammers to high-intensity jungle and more. For the next iteration of his Body Worx party on Saturday, Dec. 10, Dre will be joined by the inimitable Ashton Swinton, a staple in Detroit music playing frequently at TV Lounge, Marble Bar, and others. Dre always has a way of bringing the right angle of his own musical taste to suit the inclinations

of his guests, so expect a high-octane back-to-back set that is sure to keep the dance floor pumping all night long. And hey, if you ever get tired or need a break, there’s always the pool table in the back and a nice new back patio to cool down at. At a price of $5 all night long, the party might be the best value in dance music on Saturday night, which will give you plenty of extra money to spend on Jell-O shots at the bar.

An intergenerational celebration at TV Lounge: In Detroit’s electronic music scene, it’s not often that multiple generations of talent can combine in a cohesive and mutually-respectful way. ou can find great examples of course: Rick Wilhite playing with Deon Jamar at Motor City Wine, AK opening up for AMX at Boiler Room Detroit, and so forth. But with all that said, impressive feats of intergenerational collaboration are always worth celebrating, and The Culture x Freaquency’s party at TV Lounge on Friday, Dec. 2 was just that. Featuring the likes of DJ Cent and DJ Righteous in the front room, as well as artists such as Stardust, Hi-Tech, DJ Killa $quid, and Blackmoonchild in the big room, the vibe was so dif ferent across the two stages while still somehow remaining cohesive. The two rooms could have almost been marketed as two separate parties, and indeed in some cases they were, one can only hope that a few people trick led between the two spaces, curious about what the other side had to offer. Cross-pollination, baby

Waajeed.

COURTESY PHOTO

By Broccoli and Joe Zimmer

MUSIC

‘It’s fun to play dress up’

Nikki Lane brings a rock ’n’roll edge to country with the help of Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme

By L. Kent Wolgamottt, Last Word Features

Nikki Lane knows exactly where she wants her music to be — right between rock ’n’ roll and country.

And that’s exactly where it winds up on Denim Diamonds, the album she released in September, and in her, at times, raucous shows.

“That’s the spot for me throughout my career,” she says in a recent phone in terview. “I ve finally gotten there on this record. I listened to rock ’n’ roll. When I talk, it sounds country. I tell stories in my songs, so that’s it (country) too. But I want to have an edge to it.”

Told that when she’s hitting the sweet spot between rock ’n’ roll and country, she’s in the same place as Elvis Presley, when he tore up the South with his mid- 50s rockabilly, Lane was flat tered by the comparison.

“I don’t deserve it, but to hear my name in any sentence that has Elvis in it is an honor,” she says. “That’s kind of like Homme.”

Homme would be Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, who pro duced Denim Diamonds, Lane’s

fourth album.So how did she get Homme, who collaborated with Iggy Pop a few years back, to work on her record?

“My previous manager had the idea, he was kind of a music fan first I was kind of like, ‘bullshit, if you think you can get that guy on the phone, fine, ” Lane says. “I felt really lucky to get him during a time when we had so much time off and so little time. I got to have an edgier push to my music.”

That desire to be edgier emerged months before she teamed up with Homme.

After recovering from a too-long stint on the road that was ended by CO VID-19, the “Highway Queen” (“After touring so long, I realized that wasn’t just my most popular song, it was me,” she says) Lane started writing new songs, among them, the pulsing, hookfilled, Stones-riff driven, Springsteen name-dropping rocker “First High.”

But she said Homme inspired her to take closer to the rock ’n’ roll edge.

“You’ve just got to lean into it more

and more,” Lane says. “That’s fun to be able to find inspiration in someone s art as a muse for the new project. It was really fun to work with a bunch of artists I didn’t know — ‘Will they like me? I like me.’ I’ve been really lucky with my producers Dan (Auerbach), Dave Cobb, and Josh, they pick the right people and the key is to go for it.”

Many of the Denim Diamonds songs rock even harder live than they do on record — songs, like the countrytinged “Born Tough,” the Stones-ish “Black Widow,” and the swaggering title cut, a song of independence with the chorus “I can by my own damn denim and diamonds.”

But there’s some quieter, more coun try-ish material, like the gently rocking, inspirational “Try a Little Harder” and “Good Enough,” a sweet song based on Lane’s grandparents’ lifelong relation ship — “I decided I should write at least two love songs in my career,” she quips.

That song is, obviously, taken from Lane’s life. So are many of the rest of

her compositions, even though they don’t immediately sound autobio graphical.

“The thing I’ve seen is a lot of songs start from my standpoint, then shift to the people who are going through it, what they’re doing,” Lane says. “It’s like the movie ‘Big Fish,’ which is one of my favorites, telling a big story through real stuff.

“In my family that’s kind of what our life has been, a little over the top,” she says. “Nikki Lane is the character that came from being a real girl who couldn’t control all these little things but found a way through. I use it to my advantage.”

Lane’s been called the Queen of Outlaw Country and is an annual hit at the Americana Music Awards and Festival. But, she says she only uses the words, “outlaw” and “Americana” to help people get a bead on where her music is coming from.

“My dad’s friends listen to the radio,” she says. “They haven’t even made it to Sirius M When I go to Montana and the fishing guides are listening to Cody Jinks and (Chris) Stapleton, which they’ve heard on the radio, it gives you a bridge to them, that I’m similar. What I know is I’m not pop country. Outlaw or Americana helps tell people that.”

On a tour that will take her through the end of the year, Lane says she was planning to drive herself, separate from her band, so she can roll into a city and “buy up all your antiques.”

And, she says, the band likes it because “it s the first time we ve been to sound check on time in years, which is probably true.”

Some of those purchases will end up in High Class Hillbilly, the Nashville shop she’s run for a decade that handles vintage clothing and Americana, in cluding items she’s picked up on tour.

Lane has kept HCH going, even though she’s spending less and less time in Music City.

“I really like being able to put my heart into something good,” she says. “I know the store’s good. The music career, I felt a lot of uncertainty. I kept the store just in case. Now I keep it just because.”

Other purchases can end up on stage as Lane dresses in eye-catching vintage outfits during her shows.

“I got to do some modeling early on because I m tall and I try to find things that look cool,” she says. “It’s fun to play dress up. Now it’s part of Nikki Lane, I lean into it and into the character.”

Nikki Lane performs on Monday, Dec. 12 at El Club; 4114 Vernor Hwy., Detroit; elclubdetroit.com. With support from Jaime Wyatt. Tickets are $26. Event starts at p.m.

Country singer Nikki Lane performs at Detroit’s El Club on Monday.

JODY DOMINGUE

Perfecting the dumpling

By Tom Perkins

The first thing one will note at Gajiza Dumplins, the resident dump ling pop-up at the Lost River tiki bar in Detroit’s east side, is the commit ment to quality noodles. All too often, gyoza are made with frozen wrappers encasing fro en filling, and it shows in the somewhat mushy textures. What a dumpling noodle should be is fresh and bouncy, even slightly chewy — evidence that it was made recently in a small batch. When dumpling noodles are done this way, there are few better foods under the sun, and one would have to travel to Noodletopia in Madi son Heights or Kung Fu Brothers in Westland to find dumpling wrappers of this caliber.

The fillings, like an excellent sweet and savory longanisa, are also noteworthy, as are the Chinese barbecue staples like char siu chicken and lap cheong that Gajiza implemented elsewhere in its menu.

Owner Jasmine Haskins is a grandma who previously worked at Johnny Noodle King and started popping up with Gajiza at spots like Motor City Wine in 2018. It’s been a hit, and now

effectively functions as the kitchen at Lost River, where it serves up changing weekly menus built off a mishmash of Asian flavors the menu during our visit prominently featured ingredients and preparation elements of Japanese, Filipino, and Chinese cuisines.

Of course, the noodle shells mean nothing if the fillings inside don t work. The best of the three we tried was the longanisa, a traditional Filipino sausage Haskins packs in house with ground pork that’s cured for several weeks, paprika, ginger, palm sugar, chili pep per, garlic, and fried shallot — a bit sweet but more savory, and the package is paired with a sriracha sauce. Again here, not a lot of longanisa floating around Detroit these days, and the fusion dish is a bit of a rarity altogether. Haskins said she has several FilipinoAmerican chefs who said they never would have dreamt up a longanisa dumpling, but, folks, it’s a perfect marriage.

Also solid were the shrimp and chive dumplings. Haskins said she uses highquality shrimp that’s minced with Chinese garlic chives and ginger, and the

package is topped with a bit of scallion oil. Simple and it sings. Meanwhile, the curry roasted vegetable dumpling is Haskin’s take on an Indian samosa and is stuffed with potatoes, carrots, celery, sweet yam, and butternut squash, all of which is enhanced with a tamarind dip ping sauce. If one orders the dumplings spicy, then Gajiza will add homemade chili paste to the ponzu sauce. Or order them “dressed up spicy” and the restau rant will include a sauce of housemade chili paste, housemade chili crunch, scallion oil, and sriracha with the ponzu.

The lap cheong and char siu chicken each came in bits tossed in separate yakisoba noodle dishes. The char siu is frequently made with pork, but Gajiza’s bird is marinated in a sauce of fermented tofu, soy sauce, palm sugar, Chinese five spice, and beet to give it a fiery red color. That renders the chicken sweet, smokey, and salty with a distinct flavor from the fermented tofu. Lap cheong is a dried sausage that I’ve heard de scribed as “Chinese bacon,” and is sweet and salty. It’s one of the few processed components not made in house be-

cause it takes months to dry, and Gajiza doesn’t have the facility to do so.

The noodles are wet with Haskin’s version of a teriyaki sauce made with Worcestershire, hoisin, soy sauce, oys ter sauce, palm sugar, and pineapple juice that she cooks down to thicken. Though I enjoyed it, I found myself re ally wanting a plate of the lap cheong and char siu by themselves, though that’s not really how they’re served.

The food is served in Lost River, so there is a long list of tropical drinks, and the server recommended several excellent runs I had never tried before. Gajiza also sells frozen dumplings, and Haskins is planning on opening a brick and mortar spot on the east side in late 2023, so stay tuned for those details.

Yakisoba noodle, Cocomama gyoza, Goat Daddi gyoza, and Coconut rice. TOM PERKINS

Black Coffee Cafe is the North End’s newest coffee shop. Well, sort of.

By Randiah Camille Green

BLACK COFFEE IS a simple pleasure. It’s also a clever name for a Black-owned coffee shop in Detroit s orth End neigh borhood.

lack Coffee Cafe is a co y new-ish spot for coffee and coworking with Afrocentric sweets and decor. We say new-ish because it opened at the corner of John R and Kenilworth St. around a year ago, was open for six months, then closed for a few months when one of the partners got sick and they couldn t keep the place staffed.

ack then it was called Kenilworth Cafe, though owner Steven arris always wanted to use the lack Coffee name.

“I partnered with someone who thought it may have been offensive,” he says about the name. “So I said OK, let s just call it Kenilworth Cafe since it s on the corner of Kenilworth. ut then I teamed up with some other people they were like no, that s perfect — people like their coffee black and it s good for marketing, so that s when I went back to lack Coffee.”

arris describes lack Coffee Cafe as a “hardcore coffee shop with very high-end coffee” sourced from Africa. While the main offering is a pour-over with beans from Kenya, Ethiopia, and ganda, the shop has all the typical lattes yes, even pumpkin spice in the fall and is working with local businesses aobab Fare and Konjo Me to sell their coffee as well.

African art, masks, and mud cloths decorate the quaint shop, making the seating area feel like a warm living room, and the display case is filled with pastries, vegan samosas, and Kanya, a

gluten-free West African cookie made from rice flour and nuts. The cafe also serves breakfast croissants and deli sandwiches.

arris partnered with Godwin Ihen tuge of um illage fame to reopen the shop under its original moniker.

“We ve had some Afro-Caribbean style frittatas and teff muffins. We re just kinda experimenting and trying stuff out,” Ihentuge says. “Our focus is to be a coffee shop with elements like Rose s Fine Food where you can come and get a deli-style sandwich or salad with an AfroCaribbean lens. In the spring we re gonna start to do more brunch.”

ehind the shop is a large green space the pair hope to activate with live con certs, poetry nights, and other communi ty events in the warmer months. arris, who is an architect, plans to outfit the space with around 35 shipping containers arranged in a horseshoe around a stage.

Along the edges of the grassy area is a row of co-working cubbies fashioned

inside storm drains that arris designed with murals from Detroit artist Demien De onte. Their open-air design doesn t allow for winter use, but WiFi is available if you wanna get some work done in the summer sunshine.

lack Coffee Cafe adds to the com munity feel of the surrounding neigh borhood where several Detroiters are working toward independence, food sovereignty, and equity.

Oakland Avenue rban Farm, which runs Detroit s first community land trust and co-facilitates the Detroit lack Farm er Land Fund is down the street. arris owns the whole block of restaurant and retail space where lack Coffee Cafe is located, some of which he runs himself and others he rents out to local tenants. The block is wired with free community internet via the orth End Woodward Community Coalition s Equitable Inter net Initiative.

arris s other businesses on the cor ridor include yrd Social Lounge and

New Order Coffee reopens with new location and owner

AFTER CLOSING DURING the pandemic, ew Order Coffee Cafe has made its return to metro Detroit by way of St. Clair Shores.

ew Order Coffee s “cereal milk lattes,” cold brews, and electricroasted coffee are being served at a new location at 25107 Jefferson St. The company originally opened stores in Detroit in 2017 and in Royal Oak in 2019 before shuttering in 2020.

The cafe s original owner, Li Rose, has passed the ownership baton to Patrick Seeney, who has been part

of the company since its inception. Seeney has continued to sell the cafe s roasted beans at local farmer’s markets and online after the physical shops closed.

“Since ew Order first came to frui tion, it has built such a fiercely loyal customer base. I m so thankful we ve been able to keep the business going by selling our custom roasted coffee beans,” Seeney said in a press release. “I m even more thrilled to bring back the in-person ew Order experience back to Metro Detroit this winter.”

The new St. Clair Shores location features walk-up coffee service and patio seating, in partnership with its neighbor affin rewing. In addition to lattes, espresso, and fresh-roasted coffee, the cafe features pastries by lo cal baker Kristen erger Martine and Detroit Cookie Co.

ew Order Coffee is open from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. from Tuesday-Sunday and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. More info is available at newordercof fee.com.

—Randiah Camille Green

Rosemary s Kitchen, which he s opening with the help of Chef Max ardy from Coop Detroit.

yrd s is a members-only hangout, but arris plans to open it to the public as a cigar lounge by next year.

Rosemary was slated to open this year but also had difficulty keeping staff like most restaurants post-pandemic. arris plans for the elevated soul joint with steaks, hot honey fried chicken, turkey chops, and burgers to be fully operating by January 2023.

lac offee a e is located at ohn etroit. ore in o is available at blac coffee.ca e.

The Red Hook to officially move into Midtown

OUR DREAMS CAME true!

After teasing a oel ight pop-up in Midtown s former Great Lakes Coffee Company space, local chain The Red ook says it plans to per manently move into the building in 2023. It will be the company s fourth location in metro Detroit.

In an email, owner Sandi easel grave says the location at 3965 Woodward Ave. will partner with Parlor Coffee Roasters, and also feature a rotating selection of guest roasters and offer retail whole cof fee beans for sale.

aked goods made at the com pany s flagship store in downtown Ferndale will also be sold at the Midtown store, delivered fresh daily.

Like Great Lakes Coffee Com pany, the Red ook Midtown also plans to get a liquor license and will offer wine and beer.

Aside from Midtown and Ferndale, The Red ook also has locations in the West illage and downtown Detroit, though that location has been closed after a car crashed into it. The company says it plans to reopen it in December.

The Great Lakes Coffee Company permanently closed this year amid a labor dispute. It also closed two outposts in Meijer stores in Detroit and Royal Oak.

The Red ook says each of its four locations are managed by long-time employees and pays sustainable wages with benefits to full-time workers.

—Lee DeVito

RANDIAH CAMILLE GREEN

Michigan gets another new Cookies dispensary

By Alex Washington

CANNABIS COMPANY COOKIES has announced an other Michigan dispensary.

Now, the brand founded by California rapper Berner has opened a new location in Jackson.

“Michigan cannabis consumers are educated connois seurs just like Californians,” said Berner in a press release. “I’m a big fan of the vibes and distinctive cannabis culture in Michigan, and I’m looking forward to bringing more of our celebrated cannabis cultivars and unique Cookies customer experiences to one of the biggest up-and-coming markets in the country.”

The dispensary, located at 118 N. Columbus St., will be operated by Gage Cannabis, and carry the full Cookies line including Runtz, Lemonnade, Minntz, and of course, Cookies.

“Gage is excited to bring the acclaimed Cookies experi ence to more cannabis enthusiasts in the Midwest,” said Gage’s president Mike Finos in a press release. “This expansion reiterates the strength of our partnership with Berner and Cookies, the most recognized names in cannabis.”

In October, Cookies announced it was opening its fourth Michigan dispensary in Grand Rapids, following other locations opened in recent years in Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Kalamazoo.

Waterford finally has a cannabis dispensary

WATERFORD TOWNSHIP FINALLY joined the weed party when its first can nabis dispensary opened last month.

Planet59, named after its location off the M-59 highway, is a mom-and-pop provisioning center at 4641 Highland Rd.

Since Waterford only allows medical cannabis, you will need a medical card if you plan on getting your weed here.

“We’re making history. That’s what we love about this,” says creative director for Planet59 Mo Boulianne. “We’ve been open for about a week and the response has been amazing. Almost all of our ownership group is from Waterford.”

The shop is running a Toys for Tots giveaway this holiday season where patients can get a free preroll, hash rosin gummies, one gram cartridge, or an eighth of flower with a toy donation.

Planet59 also has a $250 mystery box giveaway that patients can enter by follow ing the store on Instagram or leaving a review on WeedMaps or Google. All firsttime visitors to the pot shop will get a free preroll or edible, too.

Boulianne says they are anticipating welcoming recreational buyers as soon as Waterford allows adult-use cannabis sales. For now, the shop is offering $20 off your first three purchases of $60 if you get a medical card through its recom mended doctor.

More information is available at planet59.com.

—Randiah Camille Green

Cannabis brand Cookies has partnered with Gage Cannabis to open a new location in Jackson. COURTESY PHOTO

Planet59 is a medical cannabis only dispensary for now. COURTESY OF MO BOULIANNE

CULTURE

Artist of the week

Cydney Camp debuts series of portraits and still life paintings in latest

exhibit ‘Passages’

By Randiah Camille Green

When God or whoever is out there made Detroiters, they sprinkled ingenuity on top of heaping amounts of creativity, grit, and talent. Our city is abundant with artists who fuel the city’s creative undertow, from painters to poets and performance artists and everything in between.

This revitalized Metro Times feature will highlight a different artist each week. Got someone in mind you think deserves the spotlight? Hit us up at arts@metrotimes.com.

Cydney Camp is a relative newcomer to Detroit’s art scene, but she knows

exactly what she’s doing.

The 28-year-old artist is working on her master’s degree in painting at Cranbrook Academy of Art. Despite sketching most of her life, Camp started painting in 2017 and was mostly self-taught until deciding to take a few art classes and eventually work toward her master’s. Before pursuing her passion as a full-time artist, she was working in project management, which she still occasionally freelances for on the side.

Her still-life paintings in muted pastel earth tones often feature sub

jects with distorted disproportions. A woman faces away from the viewer with exaggerated back muscles bulging off the canvas in one piece. Another features a woman with one eye turned sideways, while yet another has an oversized leg.

Nothing about Camp’s paintings is perfect, but there’s nothing pictureperfect about the human experience, either. Artists can take the liberty of creating something beautiful and aesthetically pleasing on canvas, but it doesn t always reflect the messy and sometimes down-right fucked up jour

ney of life we’re all on.

Camp s figurative paintings do reflect this, while incorporating elements of the abstract along the way.

Camp, who was born in Detroit and now lives in Hamtramck, has shown her work at venues like Norwest Gallery, Ann Arbor Art Center, Detroit Fiber Works, and M Contemporary Art, where she’s exhibiting her latest body of work.

In the M Contemporary Art show called Passages, Camp debuts a series of self-portraits interspersed with paintings of green landscapes and colorful flowers. The mixed-media col lection sees the artist draw from all the tools in her toolbox, including oil and acrylic paint, charcoal, and swatches of fabric that add texture to her cooltoned color palette.

Passages is on view at M Contemporary Art until Dec. 17; 205 E. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale; 347-665-7011; mcontemporary art.com.

CJ BENNINGER

‘Burn X’ follows a decade of struggle for Detroit re ghters

By George Elkind

One function of filmmaking is archival: the medium always serves to record, whether through documen tary or narrative, the feeling, style, and atmosphere emanating from a par ticular time. Following a decade from the release of 2012 s Burn, which aptly captured the notoriously overextended Detroit Fire Department in the years before the city declared bankruptcy, co-directors Tom Putnam and renna Sanche have returned with a follow-up in Burn X. The filmfollows a di y ing stretch of work that s remained extremely perilous — in part due to underfunding amid variously visible signs of an evolving urban landscape.

In anticipation of the film s release this week, Putnam volunteered for a phone interview with the Metro Times, presented in condensed form here for both clarity and concision.

Metro Times: What made you want to do a sequel

Tom Putnam: So we started filming the first Burn film 12 years ago. It was released 10 years ago, almost to the day. And with the first film, we started out filming about a do en and a half different Detroit firefighters and family members, not knowing who the main characters of the film were gonna be. The film ultimately ended up be ing about three people, two of whom

weren t even in that initial group.

So we met all these ama ing people, and filmed about 1,000 hours for the 86-minute movie.

And I couldn t believe there were so many incredible stories that we couldn t have in the movie — people we filmed for like a year, and they had maybe two lines and the finished film. So I wanted to create something that kind of expanded world that people got introduced to in the first film.

MT: ow did you go about structuring this, given all you decided to shoot Putnam: This is definitely the hard est project I ve ever worked on. Editing credit is shared with myself and Sam ook, who started out on this about eight years ago as an assistant editor, and has basically been editing this movie for most of the last decade. So it was just a lot of trial and error, probably 30 or 40 different edits of the movie, all of them dramatically differ ent, before we settled on what people will see now.

MT: What kind of shooting schedule did you have over the decade or so of work and how often were you in Detroit

Putnam: asically, when we knew something big was gonna happen in Detroit, we would come on film for a

few days. So we ended up there a couple of times during the bankruptcy, when different people graduated at the height of the pandemic... Luckily, we know so many people in Detroit now. There were times where we would get a phone call in Los Angeles, where I live right now, and find out something s gonna happen the next day — and have to call a crew, get a camera, and jump on a plane to catch it.

MT: What s your relationship to De troit — both before and during work on Burn, but also through the duration of working on the Burn Putnam: So I d never been in the city before the first Burn film, and renna kind of grew up in the city at Grand River and Lahser, and so we came to it from two really different places. For me, coming to Detroit and seeing the volume of fire fires and what these guys were doing everyday to try and stave off the destruction of entire neighbor hoods was jaw-dropping. For renna, the surprise was that every city wasn t like that. I think for people who grew up in Detroit, that level of arson and destruction is really normali ed. So I like to think both films have the knowl edge of an insider while at the same time knowing what s gonna be surpris ing or what people outside the city may not know.

MT: The time in which you ve been shooting has been a period of really intense and often overstated change in Detroit. What was it like observing and figuring out how to frame that moment of transition, particularly with regard to the sort of “renaissance” narrative

Putnam: eah, I don t think I ve ever had a single trip to Detroit where somebody doesn t use that word. So for us, we tried to present the audience with what it was like to be in-the-mo ment, where all these different things happen. There were times when a year or two would go by without anything happening, so it was a challenge to kind of drop people into these mo ments. ou know, there s a moment in time where the guys are watching T and find out that a bunch of them are gonna be laid off, even though those guys have been there for years.

So when different issues happened — I mean, it starts on our very first shoot, where we asked a lot of ques tions that we then are able to answer 10 years later. We found that it made sense to kind of jump back and forth on each of these issues, to remind peo ple about what things were like back when we started filming, and then jump forward to see these moments in time. It was kind of a once-in-a-life time opportunity to be able to spend this long with people. So rather than just tell a really linear story — even though it s somewhat linear — it was a really unique situation to be able to jump back 10 years and then jump forward and see how people s perspec tives changed.

MT: ow did you kind of see the film s relationship to a sort of negative, “parachuting” sort of journalistic coverage

Putnam: I think if you ve had two fla vors of Detroit documentaries the last few years. One is the sort of “ruin porn” that probably everybody in America is familiar with. And the other one, I think, tends to be a very “cheerleader” kind of film that focuses on the positive and ignores the challenges. I tried to land somewhere between those. ou can certainly see your share of ruined buildings in the film. ut I like to think those have a point. We see a lot of them from years ago, and a lot of them from the same camera angles today. In some cases they re the same, in many cases, they re very different. opefully, the city and those buildings and things are just kind of the backdrop to see the hu man drama unfold.

urn is available for streaming on most plat orms and detroit re lm.org.

Released 10 years after Burn, Burn X covers a period of change in Detroit.

COURTESY PHOTO

CULTURE

Savage Love Quickies

By Dan Savage

There is more to this week’s Savage Love. To read the entire column, go to Savage.Love.

: Q I recently split from a committed, monogamous, extremely longterm relationship. I’m now exploring the dating scene as someone who has never dated online prior to this year. I’m a woman with kids, and I’m not looking for another parent. I want to keep things casual. I haven’t had any boyfriends yet, just a couple of regular dicks. I keep getting pissed at my regular dicks for making me feel like I’m not the most important thing in their lives, which is kind of the whole point of keeping things casual. Do you have any slutting advice?

—Divorced And Meeting People

: A Do I have any slutting advice? Oh, honey. There’s thirty years’ worth of advice for sluts in the archives of Sav age Love and the Savage Lovecast. But here’s a little slutty advice just for you…

Casual relationships are still rela tionships, DAMP. So, even if you’re not the most important thing in the life of some man whose dick you’re sitting on regularly — and you know it and you’re keeping your expectations and demands in check — you shouldn’t be made to feel like the least important thing in his life either. If a guy can’t be considerate, if he can’t be respectful (of your time) and grateful (for your pussy), stop sitting on that dick . Even if the dick is spectacular, DAMP, go find another seat. Because being kind to a sex partner — casual or committed, regular or irregular — is a very low bar, DAMP, and you shouldn’t put up with men who can’t be bothered to clear it.

That said, DAMP, sometimes a person needs a nudge. Some people worry a casual sex partner will mis take kindness for romantic interest and are performatively inconsiderate to avoid confusion (instead of using their words); others have actually had casual sex partners mistake kindness for romantic interest and are overcor recting (instead of using their words).

So, if one of your regular dicks is being ungrateful or unkind, use your words Make it clear to him that you wanna keep things casual but that you expect to be treated with kindness and consid eration. Good (or good enough) guys will show you more consideration going forward, DAMP, and guys who aren’t good (or aren’t good enough) will show you their asses — they’ll make no effort to be more considerate — and you shouldn’t put up with (or sit down on) those dicks.

Finally, DAMP, while kindness and consideration are perfectly reasonable expectations where casual sex part ners are concerned, endless conversa tions to process your feelings are not. So, I would advise you to confide in a trusted friend or two about your frustrations before you confront one of your regular dicks about something that’s bothering you. Are you pissed about something that you, as a casual sex partner, have a right to be pissed about? Or are you pissed about some thing that you don’t have a right to be pissed about If he s flaking on you at the last minute or treating you like a cum dump (no small talk, no after care), you have a right to be pissed. Those are things you can confront a dick about. If he hasn’t been able to see you for a while because he’s busy (one of the top reasons people seek ca sual sex partners) or if he ended things because you wanted to keep things casual and he wanted something seri ous, you don’t have a right to be pissed about that. Those are things you vent to a friend about.

P.S. Get tested regularly, insist on condoms, make sure these dicks know your kids are your first priority, make sure kids are your first priority, don t take it personally when a casual sex partner moves on, be the kind of casual sex partner you want to see in the world (be kind and considerate yourself), and when you’re ready for a relationship again, DAMP, don’t rule out guys you’ve been seeing casually.

: Q I don’t know if you’re watching the second season of The White Lotus, Dan, but you’ll get this reference if you are: I’m a married straight woman who recently got herself a personal trainer. h sband cheated on me on and off or the rst decade o o r marriage. e agreed to see a marriage counselor with me, and he pretended that the cheating was tied to a deep-seated psychological iss e. e ma have believed that. r counselor certainly believed it, and for

a while I did too. But the cheating never stopped. It’s been a few years since I’ve had sex with him, but I don’t want to leave him because we have kids, and our relationship is actually pretty loving and lo con ict no that e re not ghting abo t cheating. t also helps that I don’t have to worry about getting gonorrhea from him ever again.) The kids need me less these days, so I got a personal trainer about a year ago. I don’t feel guilty or bad about it. But I somehow feel both guilty and bad for not feeling guilty or bad. What is that about?

—Abundant Personal Training

: A First and most importantly, APT of course I’m watching the second sea son of The White Lotus. Mike White is a genius, I can t wait for the finale, but I never want it to end. (Here’s hoping Cameron and Ethan at least make out before one or both or neither of them dies.) Moving on…

You shouldn’t feel bad about seeking sex elsewhere — excuse me, for seeking personal training elsewhere — but you already know that. And if you’re feeling bad about not feeling bad… well, that’s most likely because sessions with your personal trainer aren’t just about personal training. They’re about that, of course, but they’re also about your marriage. Your marriage isn’t what you expected it would be, APT, and now you aren’t someone you expected to be — you know, the kind of woman who has a personal trainer. So, I don’t think you’re feeling guilty and bad for not feeling guilty or bad. I think you’re feeling grief (for what your marriage was supposed to be) and relief (at making peace with your marriage as it is) Enjoy those sessions, APT, you’ve earned them.

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

CULTURE Free Will Astrology

By Rob Brezsny

ARIES: March 21 – April 19

Aries filmmaker Andrei Tar kovsky wrote, “To be free, you simply have to be so, without asking permis sion. ou must have your own hypoth esis about what you are called to do, and follow it, not giving in to circum stances or complying with them. ut that sort of freedom demands powerful inner resources, a high degree of selfawareness, and a consciousness of your responsibility to yourself and therefore to other people.” That last element is where some freedom-seekers falter. They neglect their obligation to care for and serve their fellow humans. I want to make sure you don t do that, Aries, as you launch a new phase of your liberation process. Authentic freedom is conscientious.

TA R S: April 20 May 20

The term “neurodiversity” refers to the fact that the human brain func tions in a wide variety of ways. There are not just a few versions of mental health and learning styles that are bet ter than all the others. Taurus musician David yrne believes he is neurodiverse because he is on the autism spectrum. That s an advantage, he feels, giving

him the power to focus with extra intensity on his creative pursuits. I consider myself neurodiverse because my life in the imaginal realm is just as important to me as my life in the material world. I suspect that most of us are neurodiverse in some sense — deviating from “normal” mental functioning. What about you, Taurus The coming months will be an excellent time to explore and celebrate your own neurodiversity.

GEMINI: May 21 – June 20

Poet Jane irshfield says that en uddhism is built on three principles: 1. Everything changes. 2. Ev erything is connected. 3. Pay attention. Even if you are not a en practitioner, Gemini, I hope you will focus on the last two precepts in the coming weeks. If I had to summari e the formula that will bring you the most interesting experiences and feelings, it would be, “Pay attention to how everything is connected.” I hope you will intensify your intention to see how all the appar ent fragments are interwoven. ere s my secret agenda: I think it will help you register the truth that your life has a higher purpose than you re usually aware of — and that the whole world is conspiring to help you fulfill that purpose.

CA CER: June 21 July 22

Author Flannery O Connor wrote, “ ou have to cherish the world at the same time that you struggle to endure it.” I will add a further thought: “ ou have to cherish the world at the same time that you struggle to endure it and strive to transform it into a better place.” Let s make this one of your in spirational meditations in the coming months, Cancerian. I suspect you will have more power than usual to trans form the world into a better place. Get started P.S.: Doing so will enhance your ability to endure and cherish.

LEO: July 23 – August 22

Many sports journalists will tell you that while they may root for their favorite teams, they also “root for the story.” They want a compelling tale to tell. They yearn for dramatic plot twists that reveal entertaining details about interesting characters performing unique feats. That s how I m going to be in the coming months Leo, at least in relation to you. I hope to see you engaged in epic sagas, creating yourself with verve as you weave your way through fun challenges and intriguing adventures. I predict my hope will be reali ed.

VIRGO: August 23 – Sept. 22 enus is too hot and dry for

SAGITTARIUS: Nov. 22 – Dec. 21

JAMES NOELLERT

humans to live on. ut if travelers from Earth could figure out a way to feel comfortable there, they would enjoy a marvelous perk. The planet rotates very slowly. One complete day and night lasts for 243 Earth days and nights. That means you and a special friend could take a romantic stroll toward the sunset for as long as you wanted, and never see the sun go down. I invite you to dream up equally lyrical adventures in togetherness here on Earth dur ing the coming months, irgo. our intimate alliances will thrive as you get imaginative and creative about nurtur ing togetherness.

LIBRA: Sept. 23 – Oct. 22

As far as I m concerned, Libran uddhist monk and author Thích hất ạnh was one of the finest humans who ever lived. “Where do you seek the spiritual ” he asked. is answer: “ ou seek the spiritual in every ordinary thing that you do every day. Sweeping the floor, watering the vegetables, and washing the dishes become sacred if mindfulness is there.” In the coming weeks, Libra, you will have exceptional power to live like this: to regard every event, however mundane or routine, as an opportunity to express your soulful love and gratitude for the privilege of being alive. Act as if the whole world is your precious sanctuary.

SCORPIO: Oct. 23 – Nov. 21

A reader named Elisa Jean tells me, “We Scorpio allies admire how Scorpios can be so solicitous and welcoming: the best party hosts. They know how to foster social situations that bring out the best in everyone and provide convivial entertainment. et Scorpios also know everyone s secrets. They are connoisseurs of the skeletons in the closets. So they have the power to spawn discordant commotions and wreak havoc on people s reputa tions. ut they rarely do. Instead, they keep the secrets. They use their covert knowledge to weave deep connections.” Everything Ella Jean described will be your specialties in the coming weeks, Scorpio.

Of all the signs in the odiac, you Sagittarians are least likely to stay in one location for extended periods. Many of you enjoy the need to move around from place to place. Doing so may be crucial in satisfying your quest for ever-fresh knowledge and stimula tion. ou understand that it s risky to get too fixed in your habits and too dogmatic in your beliefs. So you feel an imperative to keep disrupting rou tines before they become deadening. When you are successful in this en deavor, it s often due to a special talent you have: your capacity for creating an inner sense of home that enables you to feel stable and grounded as you ramble free. I believe this superpower will be extra strong during the coming months.

CAPRICORN: Dec. 22 – Jan. 19

Capricorn author Edgar Allan Poe made this mysterious statement: “We can, at any time, double the true beauty of an actual landscape by half closing our eyes as we look at it.” What did he mean e was referring to how crucial it is to see life “through the veil of the soul.” Merely using our physical vision gives us only half the story. To be receptive to the full glory of the world, our deepest self must also participate in the vision. Of course, this is always true. ut it s even more extra especially true than usual for you right now.

AQUARIUS: Jan. 20 – Feb. 18

Aquarian theologian enri ouwen wrote, “I have discovered that the gifts of life are often hidden in the places that hurt most.” ikes Really I don t like that idea. ut I will say this: If ouwen s theory has a grain of truth, you will capitali e on that fact in the coming weeks. Ama ingly enough, a wound or pain you experienced in the past could reveal a redemptive possibil ity that inspires and heals you.

PISCES: Feb.19 – March 20

Piscean novelist iet Thanh guyen says it s wise to talk to your self. o other conversational partner is more fascinating. o one else listens as well. I offer you his advice in the hope of encouraging you to upgrade the intensity and frequency of your dialogs with yourself. It s an excellent astrologi cal time to go deeper with the questions you pose and to be braver in formulat ing your responses. Make the coming weeks be the time when you find out much more about what you truly think and feel.

This week’s homework: What action could you take to rouse unexpected joy in a person you care about?

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