Reparations now: ‘Regards from Black America’

Last week, City Council postponed a vote on city-owned seawall improvements on Detroit’s lower eastside . This week, councilmembers voted to send the item back to committee. The goal is to remove the area’s federal floodplain designation by making significant enough improvements to keep the Detroit River out of the neighborhood. Homeowners with a mortgage living in these floodplains must carry costly flood insurance that’s financially out of reach for many residents.

The Detroit Economic Development Corp. set itself on course for the next fiscal year, sailing through budget approval and contract renewals with its umbrella corporation and the city.

And in crossover news, Dorian Tyus , a member of Detroit’s Reparations Task Force, has been hired as executive manager of policy by the Board of Police Commissioners. Keep reading for more on what went down at both of those public bodies last week.

Politics

At Saturday’s Reparations Task Force meeting, members of the public stood waiting in the hallway until the doors opened five minutes before the public session began. A public commenter later complained that having to wait was “upsetting to those that have disabilities.” The task force’s project manager Emberly Vick said the team was setting up and testing its audio equipment. Previous meetings have had many technical issues , but the audio sounded good this time.

Public commenters also pointed out that minutes from the May 4 meeting were not available. Task force member Cidney Calloway, who chaired the meeting, said the minutes would be available at the July meeting.

Most of the session consisted of a facilitated discussion where comments were written on sheets of paper sorted into three categories: harms, recommendations for repair and “beautiful things about Black people in Detroit.”

Several participants said they’d like to see assets lost under the city’s emergency management recovered, specifically water, which Detroit now gets from the Great Lakes Water Authority. Commenters described exorbitant and predatory drainage fees that placed a disproportionate burden on Detroiters, while neighboring suburban residents benefit from infrastructure they don’t pay for.

There were also a few remarks about aligning local goals with priorities for federal reparations. One man passed out postcards addressed to Joe Biden, urging the president to commit to reparatory justice in order to earn votes. Task force members encouraged attendees to participate in the effort to “write the White House.”

Throughout the meeting, residents were invited to contact the task force on social media, submit feedback via email and complete a community survey .

6/1/2024 Detroit Reparations Task Force Public Session, documented by Autumn Jackson-Hines and Nathaniel Eichenhorn

5/28/2024 Detroit City Council Formal Session: Councilmembers postponed a vote on an ordinance that would allow non-Detroit residents to be honored with secondary street signs in certain circumstances. A vote on a $2.7 million contract to improve city seawalls for flood mitigation on the lower eastside was also postponed for one week.

Documented by Karen Lemmons and Sherrie Smith

For more on City Council, check out the City Council Notebook at BridgeDetroit.

Development

5/28/2024 Detroit Economic Development Corp. Board of Directors: The board approved the corporation’s annual budget, renewed its contracts with both the city and the private nonprofit Detroit Economic Growth Corp., and re-elected officers — all in less than 30 minutes.

Documented by Gina McPherson and Perry Sylvester

Policing

5/30/2024 Detroit Board of Police Commissioners: Commissioners hired Reparations Task Force member Dorian Tyus as the board’s executive manager of policy, updated policies regarding facial recognition and police lineups, and removed the suspended Lt. Brandon Cole — the police officer who told a protester to “go back to Mexico” — from the police department’s payroll.

Documented by Nathaniel Eichenhorn and Shiva Shahmir

For more on the Board of Police Commissioners, check out the latest BOPC Watch .

This story was written by Outlier Media’s Lynelle Herndon and Noah Kincade, and Detroit Documenters Nathaniel Eichenhorn and Perry Sylvester.

Reparations now: ‘Regards from Black America’ · Outlier Media