Daily Detroit

Friend of the Daily Detroit podcast Dr. Paul Thomas of Plum Health joins Jer on today's show to talk all about the health and medical risks of tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets, which it turns out mostly aren't made of rubber. It's a timely topic, given the use of these things by heavy-handed police departments across the country in response to the Black Lives Matter protests.

Also, we discuss the cancellation of the 2020 Mackinac Policy Conference, after it was postponed to August, Macomb County setting a possible end date to its emergency declation over the coronavirus, and news about the Detroit City FC women's team and the 2020 season being canceled.

Thanks for listening to Daily Detroit. If you like what you're hearing, tell a friend about us, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or support us by becoming a Patreon member.

Donald Trump turns 74 on Sunday, and local supporters of the president plan a boat parade in celebration. No, that's not a joke. Meanwhile, I report on a big Black Lives Matter march that took place in Ferndale over the weekend.

The Michigan MAGA Boat Parade is planned to kick off Saturday afternoon at a marina in Harrison Township on Lake St. Clair and wrap up at 4 p.m. near the Ambassador Bridge on the Detroit River. It comes as public opinion polls reflect dismal views of the job the president is doing handling the now-multiple crises roiling America. That was also the backdrop of the protest in Ferndale Saturday, which police estimated drew between 1,500 and 2,000 people.

On today's show, we discuss the daily coronavirus figures. There were just 129 new cases in Michigan and 17 fatalities. That brings the confirmed case total to nearly 59,000 and the death total over 5,600.

There's new guidance for reopening Detroit's three gambling casinos, but not an opening date.

A new poll from the Michigan Education Association suggests nearly a third of teachers could opt to retire, partly out of concern over their health and safety amid the coronavirus outbreak. What does that mean for districts that are already facing a looming fiscal crisis?

Here's something to look forward to: Detroit City FC and the National Independent Soccer Association have announced the details of the fall season, set to begin Aug. 8. No word yet on whether it will involve allowing fans inside stadiums, but even live-streamed action at this point is a plus.

Lastly, we give a shout to Buena Fe, a Mexican and Salvadoran restaurant in Oak Park that deserves your business.

Thanks for listening to Daily Detroit. If you like what you're hearing, tell a friend about us, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or support us by becoming a Patreon member.

You might have heard of the Detroit Justice Center and The Bail Project on social media the last week or so.

But what do they do? It turns out, quite a lot.

Eric Williams and Erin Keith join us to talk about the changes on the ground their organization is working on. We also tackle the topic of cash bail and its role in American society.

https://www.detroitjustice.org/

Then, three things you should know around town.

Marches and protests were peaceful over the weekend as police are not enforcing curfews.

The 36th District Court is running an amnesty program around fees until July 10th on misdemeanor and civil cases.

Plus, bars and restaurants open up today. If you're going, tip your server.

Thanks to Dave and SJ for supporting our work: http://www.patreon.com/dailydetroit

On today's show:

Haircuts are coming back, and a bunch of stuff is reopening in northern Michigan

Michigan's Coronavirus numbers are trending in the right direction

The Chief of Police in Shelby Township is in trouble for saying terrible things about protestors under a pseudonym; while a member of their city's board of trustees is worried about the Chief's first amendment rights. Shelby Township is almost 90% white and one of the fastest-growing suburbs.

The former president of the UAW, Gary Jones, pleads guilty to embezzlement.

MoGo, the bike sharing service, has new pricing.

Meanwhile, bike sharing shuts down (temporarily) in Dearborn as their for-profit vendor, Zagster, pulls out. They're looking for a new vendor.

Sanders closes four of six company retail stores as it realigns to the new normal focused on experiences and online sales.

More details on the shutdown of the Detroit Institute of Music Education.

4,600+ RC helicopter drones from China were seized at the Detroit border for being mislabeled and undervalued.

The first Chipotle in Detroit could come – on the border of Grosse Pointe.

The Ford Bronco is coming back. Sven has more.

The Detroit Zoo is reopening for members, with distancing guidelines. Some people aren't happy they have to wear masks.

And the DNR is opening up campgrounds. Here's the DNR's info.

On today's show, we bring you the latest news about ongoing protests in the city and region, and we discuss the ramifications of new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that say unemployment in Detroit proper is at 51% right now, third worst in the nation behind Las Vegas and North Las Vegas. What does this mean for Detroit's much-vaunted "comeback"?

Also making waves across Michigan today: The parent company of HopCat, the craft beer-focused restaurant chain, has declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It says it intends to open its Michigan HopCat locations on June 13 while it works out a financial restructuring under bankruptcy protection. We also hear from Trevor Staples of the Tony Hawk Foundation about a key funding hurdle in getting a new skatepark built at Chandler Park on Detroit's east side.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has rescinded three coronavirus-related orders, while Oakland County has rescinded its order closing outdoor playgrounds and playground equipment — further good news for those of us with kids! (But bring hand sanitzer — sven).

Rivian, the electric vehicle startup, has let go 40 employees but hired a new chief operating officer.

Oakland County has hired its first-ever chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer.

Sales of cocktails-to-go got a boost when the proposal passed unanimously out of a Michigan House committee. We spoke about that with Robyn Cleveland of Norden Aquavit here: http://www.dailydetroit.com/2020/05/26/podcast-to-go-cocktails-proposal-makes-progress-bike-share-ridership-steady/

And lastly, Star Line, one of two ferry operators serving Mackinac Island, has announced a new Mackinac Pirate Adventure Tour. They've outfitted a ferry boat, called the Good Fortune and shown in the photo above, to look like a pirate galleon. You'll be able to take it to the island, or on an evening booze cruise under the Mackinac Bridge, starting June 19.

Thanks for listening to Daily Detroit. If you like what you're hearing, tell a friend about us, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or support us by becoming a Patreon member.

Our feature stories include a conversation with Wayne State Police Chief Anthony Holt on a new de-escalation training center here in Detroit, plus Eater's Brenna Houck tells us about a popcorn company that's gotten burned thanks to some comments online.

But first - Protests have spread in the suburbs.

Pools are opening back up around the region.

Auto insurance companies are going to have to pay you back some money.

A local PTO Treasurer allegedly embezzled an eye-popping amount of cash

And finally, we close with some thoughts from Sven about how it seems nothing changes.

Some good news mixed with all the heaviness of late.

On Monday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced she was rescinding her Safer At Home order and moving the state to Phase 4 of its reopening plan. That will allow bars and restaurants to reopen at half capacity, with social distancing and other safety precautions in place. It also allows for gatherings of up to 100 people, plus many more things we run down for you.

We're staying on the fallout of the protests that have rocked Detroit and other U.S. cities in the wake of the death of George Floyd, another unarmed black man who died in police custody.

We talk about a weekend of protests and violence in the city, and we hear from City Councilman James Tate. He's the former Deputy Police Chief who says what happened in Minneapolis last month was clearly murder. And he shares some thoughts about what's happened on the streets of Detroit.

Finally, we discuss the closures of the Detroit Institute of Music Education, or DIME, and the Midtown location of New Order Coffee; as well as the re-opening of Street Beet.

Thanks for listening to Daily Detroit. If you like what you're hearing, tell a friend about us, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or support us by becoming a Patreon member.

Today's episode is a step toward providing context and history around the events of the weekend that captured the attention of the nation and Detroit.

Historian Ken Coleman joins us to talk about the long history of racial strife in Detroit that goes far beyond 1967, how that relates to the nation, and protesting in the spaces that make an impact.

Here's Ken's most recent piece in Michigan Advance, "Use your passion in your backyard. Detroiters got Detroit covered." https://www.michiganadvance.com/2020/06/01/ken-coleman-use-your-passion-in-your-backyard-detroiters-got-detroit-covered/

And you can follow Ken on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/HistoryLivesDet and here: https://twitter.com/KenMIAdvance

Today's show is in three acts.

First, we'll update you on some quick stories to know around Metro Detroit and the state.

There's a $3B estimated revenue hole in Michigan. A lot of people hope the Feds step in to help, but Jer's not too sure that's going to happen.

The Woodward Dream Cruise is canceled.

Public pools across the three counties are closed indefinitely.

Dan Gilbert's Bedrock is doing an interesting deal to keep their retail and restaurant tenants in business.

Then, Karen Dybis joins me to talk about how local hotels - businesses that were planning to have a banner year in 2020 before the Coronavirus - are making changes and adjusting.

And finally, some of the most well-known brand names in Metro Detroit are what's called -mid-market businesses. And they're at real risk here, falling into the gap between the Paycheck Protection Program and large corporations. Sven Gustafson chats with Christoper Letts, the chairman of the Detroit chapter of the Association of Corporate Growth.

Yes, it sounds super wonky. And it kinda is. But it's interesting as a large number of people are employed by those companies right here in Southeast Michigan.

We're supported by our members: http://www.patreon.com/dailydetroit

On today's show, we dive into the news about the bankruptcy filing at car-rental giant Hertz. Analyst Michelle Krebs joins Sven to talk about the impact to the auto industry.

And Jer speaks with Eater Detroit editor Brenna Houck about HopCat shutting down its downtown Royal Oak location.

There's news about the Detroit Red Wings and the Ford-Wyoming Drive-In movie theater.

Plus, we offer the latest updates on COVID-19 numbers from the state and city of Detroit, and more.