Beauty for your twenties, thirties and beyond
DPSCD students working the farm Page B1
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POWERED BY REAL TIMES MEDIA
Volume 80 – Number 43
michiganchronicle.com
Michael Goodin, former Michigan Chronicle editor, remembered
Weed isn’t just for smoking
By Steve Holsey Michael Goodin was unique, to say the least. Outstanding writer. Insightful interviewer. And not many people were or are as well connected as he was. He had an amazing Rolodex (remember those?), jampacked with names and phone numbers. No matter who he or you needed to talk to or what the subject matter was, Mike had a contact number.
By Keith A. Owens Senior Editor
Michael Goodin, an excellent writer, with Vanessa Williams. He was also a good photographer, particularly interested in photographing the singer-actress and former Miss America. Michael A. Goodin, who passed away last week, was hired by the Michigan Chronicle in 1979, working primarily in the production department, but later transitioning to the news department as a gener-
See GOODIN page A-4
Michigan Chronicle's Keith Owens receives Michigan International Institute Professionals Award
July 5-11, 2017
Detroit needs to wake up and smell the weeds — yes, as in marijuana — because that’s where the money is. But the way things are going, this city could find itself missing out on millions of dollars in tax revenue over the coming years that we quite seriously cannot afford to be missing out on.
COMMENTARY
But the suburbs? Many of them are set up to profit from the coming green wave just fine. More on that a little later. Meanwhile, you should probably know that out of an estimated 154 medical marijuana dispensaries currently operating in the city, no more than five of them are black owned, according to Ron Jones of Sons of Hemp, a Detroit-based activist organization focused on educating Detroiters about the seriousness of the marijuana legalization issue and what it could mean for Detroit. In a nutshell, the way Detroit’s ordinance governing medical marijuana inside the city is currently set up, Detroiters are
It’s for rebuilding broken economies like Detroit’s
potentially being set up to allow themselves to only be consumers of marijuana once it almost inevitably becomes legal throughout the state, while those outside the city limits will control all the aspects of the business that provide the jobs and make all the real money. We’re about to get screwed, in other words. “So at the moment money is just flowing out of our city and it’s not serving our citizens, and why it’s so important is that according to the ACLU, black people are 3.73 times more likely to be criminalized over marijuana possession,” said Ingrid LaFleur, a local artist and activist who is also actively campaigning for legalization. “There’s a lot of money they’re making, the incarceration system, off of
black bodies. And so since we’ve been targeted by the war on drugs, I think this is imperative for our city that is 85 percent black that we be really strategic about how this industry is showing up in our city. They’re predicting that by 2021 the cannabis industry will reach about $50 billion.” Here’s the thing: We need to keep in mind that just because Detroit got out from under bankruptcy doesn’t mean we now have tons of revenue pouring into our coffers. It just means we cleared the debt off our deck. The revenue-generating part of the equation hasn’t quite been worked out yet. According to the 2015 City of Detroit Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference draft report, “The
See DISPENSARIES page A-4
The International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit, a United Way organization, is proud to have served the community in immigration, social services and education since 1919. Each year, the IIMD hosts several celebratory events and festivals commemorating cultural diversity, and this July they honor the many civic achievements of the New American. They encourage you to join us in recognizing and saluting those who continuously make America great. The Michigan International Professionals Award is one of such celebrations where the organization is proud to identify distinguished professionals in our community from over 24 different cultural backgrounds contributing to the image of our nation. (The
See AWARD page A-4
WHAT’S INSIDE
Jail proposals in final stages, nearing decision Evans administration to pursue best option as part of dual track strategy Chronicle Staff Reports
Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan honors donors at reception Page B-1
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Wayne County has received two final proposals as part of Executive Warren C. Evans’ dual track strategy to resolve the unfinished jail project. Walsh Construction submitted its response to the county’s Request for Proposal (RFP) to complete the unfinished jail at Gratiot while Rock Ventures submitted its comprehensive enhanced proposal to construct a new Criminal Justice Center on land currently owned by the City of Detroit and adjacent to the original East Forest location proposed by Rock. Following Evans’ dual track strategy, the County Commission previously approved a number of due diligence contracts, which allowed Walsh to complete its response to the RFP while the ad-
ministration vetted Rock’s initial proposal. While awaiting Walsh’s response, the county worked diligently with key stakeholders to provide Rock with input on what is needed in a new Criminal Justice Center to adequately meet the county’s needs resulting in the enhanced proposal just received. “The goal was to provide the county with alternative solutions to the jail project and we’ve done that. We’re finally able to fully evaluate the proposals and pursue what’s best for Wayne County,” Evans said. “We’ll work diligently to move this forward as quickly as we can. Just like everyone else in Wayne County, I’m tired of talk. I want the jail project resolved.” Walsh’s proposal includes two jail options at Gratiot, with approximately 1,608 beds at $269 million and 2,200 beds at the cost of $317.6 million. Rock Ventures’ proposal offers to build
the county a new Criminal Justice Center with a 2,280 bed jail, criminal courthouse, prosecutor offices, sheriff administrative offices and a juvenile detention facility at an approximate cost of $520.3 million with the county responsible for $380 million plus the cost of acquiring the land and Rock responsible for cost overruns. The proposed site of the Criminal Justice Center is on approximately 13 acres of land owned by the City of Detroit bounded by the I-75 Service Drive, E. Warren, E. Ferry, Russell and Frederick. After evaluating the two proposals, Evans will recommend which one the county moves forward with. That recommendation is expected by late July. Whichever proposal is selected will require extensive negotiations to determine if a final contract can be reached. If a contract is reached, it must be submitted to the Wayne County Commission and Wayne County Building Au-
thority for approval. “The logic has always been clear to me. It’s not about soccer and it’s not about politics. It’s about a county with very real fiscal limitations, financing a desperately needed jail which has already cost taxpayers millions,” Evans said. “This decision is solely about what’s best for Wayne County.” Rock’s initial proposal was to build the county a 1,600 bed jail, criminal courthouse, prosecutor offices, sheriff administrative offices and a juvenile detention facility on an alternative site, if the county paid the first $300 million and an undetermined amount for operational savings. Rock estimated the cost of the project at $420 million and promised to cover any cost overruns. Rock’s initial proposal included an option to increase the jail to 2,000 beds, but required the county spend an additional
See PROPOSALS page A-4