Understanding Detroit in a Dynamic Way

Deadline Detroit has recently been covering the Black Lives Matter protests, as well as the calls for the divestment/defunding of the police. I feel as though I have been able to intimately come to understand Detroit as it was, and as the residents hope to see it. My boss, Violet Ikonomova, interviewed activists such as Tristan Taylor and Eric Williams, to better understand the demands specific to the Detroit community. Within these interviews, I learned about Project Greenlight, a policing initiative within Detroit. This initiative cost millions of dollars, and aimed to shift old school policing tactics into the new era of digital policing. In order to do so, the Detroit Police partnered with local businesses to install  high-definition camera, and associated green light, installed outside their building which sends real-time video footage to police monitoring sites. Ultimately, this million-dollar initiative only aided in the solving of around 40 cases within the last three years. I have also heard similar requests of community members to stop the over-policing of predominantly black neighborhoods in Detroit. The pandemic has ultimately made it more difficult to get into contact with people, as well as safely report on various city events and protests. In understanding Detroit, I feel as though I am coming to understand a Detroit to aspire for through the interviews of various activists.