DCBRP 2015

Moroun companies pay off $156K in Detroit city fines This article appeared in the Free Press around a month ago, and I remember my supervisor had Damaris and I read it the day after it was published. Matty Moroun is a hot topic all over the city right now, especially as he attempts to acquire land […]

Wayne County to auction 30,000 homes in the fall; A third of them are still occupied The above article asks questions about the effectiveness and justness of foreclosing occupied homes. Many of these homes will sell for less than their delinquent tax owed, and those that don’t sell will almost certainly become blight, costing many

Clearing the Air: Environmental Justice in Detroit The issue of environmental justice is exceptionally prevalent in Detroit. Its success and growth founded on auto-industry plants, Detroit has some of the worst polluted air and land areas in Michigan. These areas disproportionately affect low-income and minority neighborhoods, who generally have less mobility. One fact that struck

Michigan Good Food Fund launches to promote access to healthy food throughout the state Food accessibility has been an issue that I’ve been passionate about since I first learned that it was an issue. I’ve always been fortunate enough to have easy access to fresh, healthy foods. Yes, I definitely choose pizza more often than

‘Out of Trouble, but Criminal Records Keep Men Out of work’ http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/01/business/out-of-trouble-but-criminal-records-keep-men-out-of-work.html This article relates to an issue that is very impactful on many jobseekers in Detroit and around the country. It speaks about the difficulty that people with criminal records face when looking for a job. They face systematic disfranchisement from the workforce pool.

For this week’s blog post, I will be responding to the contents of The Detroit News’ article ‘Gilbert, Quicken Loans entwined in Detroit blight’ http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/special-reports/2015/07/01/quicken-loans-blight-dilemma/29537285/ The aforementioned article takes a semi-investigative approach into Quicken Loans’ involvement in establishing the current blight-ridden status of many Detroit neighborhoods. The implicit position taken by the article seems to be one of heavy scrutiny

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2015/06/30/detroit-water-rates/29521061/ At yesterday’s city council meeting, members voted to reject the proposal to increase water rates for the next fiscal year. This is huge. The voting results were 6-2, with one council member not being present. The issue of water affordability is very important, but this decision let’s the people of Detroit know some of

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2015/06/30/patients-speak-cancer-doctor-sentencing/29534945/ “Patients to speak next week at sentencing of cancer doc” The title of this article caught my eye due to the location of my new placement. AIHFS is the polar opposite of this doctor in particular. AIHFS is filled with the most selfless health care providers I have ever met, putting patients above profit

“Detroit it the nation’s poorest, largest big city in America.” This was the one statement in the entire article that struck me. I had indifferent feelings. I know that the economy of Detroit has not been the best, but I’m sure that it has so much potential. The fact is, the truth hurts. No matter

Two Detroit Free Press articles about the city caught my eye. The first, “Detroit police chief: we are battling urban terrorism” was especially striking. The second article, “Bicyclist, 55, shot dead in Detroit” is closely related. I’ve heard a little bit about urban terrorism on NPR, but wonder how to distinguish it from otherwise “normal” crime