The Metro

On Sunday, a place of worship was turned into a scene of violence. 

In Grand Blanc, a former Marine and Iraq war veteran shot and killed at least four people at a Mormon church and allegedly set the building on fire. Officials say it was an act of targeted violence, though the motive remains unclear. Some victims are being treated at a local hospital. 

It’s no secret that gun violence is a big part of our culture here in the U.S. Gun deaths have increased over the last decade by 33 percent.

The United States is the rare wealthy nation with more guns than people.

Less than 14 hours before the attack in Michigan, another former Marine, Iraq war veteran and Purple Heart recipient killed three people and wounded five others in North Carolina. 

These stories are about guns and access, but they’re also about veterans reentering civilian life, about isolation, grievance, trauma, and how people respond—or don’t—to warning signs. 

Erin Comartin is a social work professor at Wayne State University. She spoke with Robyn Vincent about the roots of gun violence and how people can try to help prevent the next possible shooting.

During the Great Depression, auto workers organized a march from Detroit to the Ford Rouge Factory in Dearborn. Thousands of people took to the streets to fight for jobs when nearly half of workers in Detroit were unemployed.

The event is now known as the Ford Hunger March, and it was one of the most significant events leading to the creation of the United Auto Workers union. 

Friends of the Rouge and the Fort Rouge Gateway Partnership joined forces to construct the Fort Street Bridge Interpretive Park to celebrate those who fought for workers rights and commemorate that pivotal moment in labor history. 

The first phase of the park project was completed in 2020 and construction for the second phase of the project started in mid-September. 

Paul Draus, a professor of sociology at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and a board member of the Friends of Rouge joined the show to discuss the importance of this park and the history it honors. 

We talk about the roads often on The Metro. From reducing truck traffic in Southwest to the impact of I-375 on Detroit’s historic Black neighborhoods, yet, who’s making sure these roads and highways are clean of trash? 

In 2022, According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, it cost taxpayers in the state nearly 8 million dollars for crews to pick up trash along state roads. And according to MDOT the price tag would be higher if it were not for programs like Adopt-A-Highway and dedicated volunteers to clean stretches of highway.

So what does it look like when a young artist gets involved and brings the community with him to clean up roads in Detroit?

All Notes is a creative and community platform blending music, social impact, and digital media founded by Detroit based musician TommyPAPI.

TommyPAPI is an Afro-Colombian musician living in Detroit for close to a decade. Through the initiative, he hosts livestream performances, neighborhood cleanups, and resource drives, connecting artists of all disciplines through support.  

Tommy received the spirit of Detroit for The Highway Cleanup project in September 2025. He joined The Metro to speak about the award and giving back to the community he calls home. 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

In Southwest Detroit, 18-wheeled vehicles frequently rumble through streets that aren’t made for them. Heavy truck traffic has been more than just an inconvenience here. 

For years, it’s meant noise, pollution, and danger for neighbors. 

Detroit is one of the country’s busiest freight hubs. Per Outlier Media reporting, about 128,000 loaded containers entered the city in July alone. 

To improve the situation, the city of Detroit is creating new truck restrictions on certain streets.

Chief of Infrastructure and Deputy Director for Public Works for the City of Detroit Samuel Krassenstein tells The Metro that next week the city plans to make some of the biggest series of truck route restrictions yet.

Krassenstein spoke with Robyn Vincent about truck traffic in Detroit, the problems it causes, and how the city is working to alleviate the problem for residents who live near it.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Colorism is defined in the Oxford dictionary as "prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group." 

It's one facet of discrimination that often goes without proper acknowledgment, and one that Professor Rogerio Pinto aims to shine a light on through his work.

Rogerio Pinto is a University Diversity Social Transformation Professor. He is a Berit Ingersoll-Dayton Collegiate Professor of Social Work and he’s a Professor of Theatre and Drama, School of Music, Theatre & Dance at The University of Michigan. 

Born in Brazil, Professor Pinto has dedicated his life to breaking the social constructs of colorism and other "-isms" that divide people. 

Earlier this year, Professor Pinto curated and hosted "Colorism," a mixed-media installation that used video, photography, tactile elements and a montage to explore colorism. "Colorism" took a look at the term from its roots to where we are today in society.

Professor Pinto also curated a Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers live event on colorism.

Professor Pinto stopped by The Metro to explore the complexities of colorism and its impact on people immigrating to the U.S., and how to tackle identity within times of division. 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Taylor has made a name for herself in art and fashion. In 2025, Taylor was named a Kresge Gilda Snowden Emerging Artist. She was also a prominent designer featured in Detroit Month of Design and a standout for the year’s Michigan Fashion Week.

Taylor graduated from the College for Creative Studies and Cranbrook Academy of Art.

The limit seemingly doesn’t exist for Taylor and what she can create. Taylor’s designs are unique in that she practices sustainable fashion.

But as Taylor would tell it, she learned how to create something out of nothing from her family, starting with her grandmother, who made sure the neighborhood was a community.

Music is a form of creative expression, but it’s also an antidote that can put you in just the right head space at the right time. It can calm you down after a stressful day or hype you up before a night out. 

Music has the power to alter or reinforce our state of being and scientists like Daniel Levitin want to harness its power to heal us.

Levitin is a neuroscientist and a musician who has spent a lot of time studying the impact music has on our brains. His most recent book is called “I Heard There Was A Secret Chord: Music As Medicine”.

He joined he show to discuss the book and explain how music can heal us.

When the Great Recession hit, homeownership in Detroit took a dive. Between 2011 and 2015, about 10,000 residents lost their homes due to illegal tax foreclosures following the city’s bankruptcy. 

Many foreclosed homes have ended up on the Wayne County auction list over the last decade. The good news is that the overall number of those homes has been shrinking, but it remains to be seen if this signals a trend. 

In this conversation, Metro producer Sam Corey spoke with Alex Alsup. He’s the author of the substack, “The Chargeback.” The two discussed what accounts for the increase in homes up for auction this year, and what can be done to stop or slow foreclosures.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

When housing costs rise, homelessness often follows. More people are priced out—relying on government and nonprofit programs to stay housed or to find a new place to live.

That’s happening in Detroit, where housing affordability is now a top concern. Surveys show 6 in 10 residents are cost-burdened by rent.

But it’s not just Detroit. In Lansing, city leaders are also confronting a rise in homelessness. Recently, officials approved the purchase of 50 temporary housing pods—small shelters meant to provide immediate relief.

But how much can these pods really help? And what bigger steps are needed to address the problem?

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor spoke with Robyn Vincent about the city's recent housing proposal.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Over the past month, Southeast Michigan has been shaken by a string of killings. A mother and her 12-year-old son, a woman fleeing an abusive relationship, and a young woman, only 20 years old, were killed with days of each other by a partner or loved one.

These tragic events force us to address hard questions: Where can people living with abuse turn for help? And are the systems that are meant to protect them actually working?

Nushrat Rahman has been covering these stories for the Detroit Free Press. She joined the show to tell us more.