The Metro

Political violence has been in the news so much, it can sometimes feel exhausting. Last week, the conservative activist, Charlie Kirk, was killed.

But there’s good reason the incident has gotten so much coverage. It’s an indicator of something much bigger and more devastating than the act alone — it’s a signal that our democracy is in a fragile state. 

That’s in part because political violence has been on the rise.

President Donald Trump was shot while on the campaign trail in 2024. An arsonist set fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion in April. In June, a former Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband were assassinated. An insurrection took place at the capitol well before all that. 

And that’s all outside of Michigan. 

Here, a capital riot took place in 2020. A kidnapping was attempted on our governor, Gretchen Whitmer, that same year, in part with hopes of starting a civil war. Just last week, vandalism hit a mosque in Warren. 

But what’s troubling experts about this violence is not just these events. It’s also the reactions to them. 

Comments about Charlie Kirk’s death on social media were often ferocious. Conservatives were calling for war against liberals. Liberals were happy with Kirk’s death. 

To be sure, these are the loudest voices. That’s the way social media algorithms work. The most extreme voices get the most attention because they translate to more advertising revenue. 

But people are still choosing to express views of hate and vitriol. 

How did we get here? And how do we get to a place where our democracy is stronger — where disagreement, and the bodies that contain those various perspectives, can live side by side?

Shikha Dalmia studies authoritarianism in an effort to stop it, and make us a freer society. She’s the president of the Institute for the Study of Modern Authoritarianism, and the Founder and Editor of the Substack, The UnPopulist. She spoke with Robyn Vincent.

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

If you're looking for an R&B artist who represents the spirit and sound of Detroit, look no further than Charity Ward. Her sound, sculpted from her upbringing as a preacher's kid, inspired her debut album in 2020, "Tended Headed."

After years as a part-time musician, and after a major collaboration with rapper Snoop Dogg on her single "Cruel," she entered 2025 on a mission to commit to music full-time. 

She joined The Metro to share how transformative her total dedication to music has been and what listeners can expect from her upcoming album. 

During WDET’s on-air fundraiser, we continue to bring you the news and conversations that inform you, enrich your life, and connect you to the community. 

In this conversation, The Metro’s Tia Graham spoke with Satori Shakoor, host of The Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers. Satori talked about the importance of storytelling and the importance of strong public media. 

This particular conversation also included information about an upcoming show at The Wright on the theme of colorism. It explored the effects of colorism across cultures and how people process related experiences. 

Hosted in front of a live audience, Satori helps create a space of vulnerability, honesty and compassion. 

Take a listen to the conversation and learn more about The Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers and the impact of sharing intimate life experiences. 

What does it feel like to be a small business owner in southeast Michigan right now?

It’s hard to get a firm picture of that, but we do have some numbers to put some paint on the canvas. Right now, the broad story is that the economy is doing well despite uncertainty from high tariffs. 

Corporate profits are strong, the jobless rate is 4.3 percent, and wages are going up. 

In Detroit specifically, the unemployment rate fell to below 10 percent, dropping from 11 percent in 2024. And a new report says that gains are expected to be had here in the finance, leisure, hospitality and public administration sectors. 

But, as noted, difficulty is looming. An effective US tariff rate at almost 16 percent is expected to hamper auto-related jobs. Many have companies stockpiled goods to counteract the tariffs, and some businesses anticipate raising prices. What’s more, companies are hiring much fewer people than they were four years ago.

What does all this mean for small businesses in our area? What does it look like to own a coffee shop, a clothing store, or a small construction company in Metro Detroit?  

Mark Lee is the president and CEO of The Lee Group, where he consults for small businesses. He spoke with Robyn Vincent.

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

Morgan Hutson, known as La Cecille, is an actress, singer, songwriter, producer, and dancer who weaves ancestral knowledge into every note and performance. Her music moves from R and B to electronic, reflecting the multi-disciplinary style that defines her artistry.

La Cecille has been singing her entire life, listening and learning from Detroit’s greats. Just like her mentors and teachers, Detroit itself has become an essential character in her story.

For many, growing up in Detroit feels almost magical. For La Cecille, it truly was, shaping the artist she is today.

A quiet shift is underway in Detroit, one led by residents pushing for change inside the systems that have long excluded or marginalized Black people, people of color, and vulnerable communities.

The Detroit Equity Action Lab, directed by Asandi Conner, is at the heart of this effort.

Conner trains and supports a network of fellows working in Detroit's schools, hospitals, nonprofits, and arts organizations. Their mission is to bring equity into the institutions where it is often resisted.

For Conner, this is justice work. It is about shifting how organizations make decisions, whose voices get heard, and what accountability looks like. She says protests wield power and capture public attention, but lasting change often happens in the daily grind of strategy and persistence.

That approach feels especially urgent now, as political support for diversity, equity, and inclusion shrinks nationwide under the Trump administration. 

In a separate conversation, Conner’s colleague Angel McKissic spoke about restorative justice circles that repair harm and build trust at the community level. Together, their approaches speak to Detroit's vast justice landscape. McKissic works to heal relationships between people, while Conner challenges inequity inside traditional systems of power.

Over the decades, the city of Detroit gained an identity of being a dangerous place where beautiful things did not happen. The image of the city being blighted with eyesores and vacant lots often overshadowed the residents trying to maintain those communities. 

There are some in the city who have pushed against that narrative and have worked to showcase Detroit in all of its facets. A lot of those folks are artists. From painters to weavers and knitters to muralists, all have found ways to use their work to uplift the city that raised them. 

It's beyond beautifying neighborhoods and business walls, it's creating paths for economic growth as well. 

One of those people making a statement through art is Sydney James. You know her work very well, from the Girl with a D earring located on the Chroma building in Detroit off W. Grand Blvd.

Sydney is a visual artist, painter and muralist and co-founder of BLCKOUT Walls. The free block party is a celebration of Detroit and the powerful impact art can have on culture. 

The Metro’s Tia Graham spoke with Sydney James about BLCKOUT Walls and the economic power of creatives in Detroit. 

Under the Trump administration, the space for diversity, equity, and inclusion is shrinking. Federal dollars are drying up, and programs that once opened doors are disappearing. In some places, even the idea of equity is depicted as a problem.

Practitioners of restorative practices say that's why it matters so much right now. But restorative justice is not DEI. It does not sit in a binder or hide inside a grant report. It lives in people — survivors and those who have caused harm sitting together, telling the truth, trying to mend what was broken. It is harder to measure, but also harder to erase, because it is built on relationships.

While restorative justice is not the same as DEI, both often speak to the same communities — those historically marginalized by race, class, or circumstance. Where DEI seeks to create fairer systems, restorative justice offers a way to repair harm when those systems fall short.

Angel McKissic has been doing this work for years. She is a psychotherapist, a researcher, and the founder of the Metro Detroit Restorative Justice Network. Now, as director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State Law, she trains Detroiters to bring these practices into schools, courtrooms, and neighborhoods. Her work reminds us that justice is not just punishment. It can also be healing and accountability.

She joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to demystify some of the haze around restorative justice and why she believes it could transform Detroit communities and the criminal justice system more broadly.

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

September is Suicide Prevention Month, a time to bring attention to a crisis that touches far too many families.

This month is a reminder that life can feel overwhelming as we juggle family, work, friends, and everything in between. Too often, what gets left behind is our own well-being. And when mental health goes unaddressed, the consequences can be devastating.

Suicide rates in the U.S. climbed between 2000 and 2018, dipped briefly, and remain elevated today. On average, one person dies by suicide every 11 minutes. Behind those numbers are real people—neighbors, loved ones, friends—whose struggles too often remain invisible until it’s too late.

Lori Edelson, a psychotherapist and the owner of Birmingham Maple Clinic, joined the show to raise awareness and share how we can spot the warning signs.  

When who we are and what we believe in conflicts with the traditions that we’re raised in, life broadly leaves us three choices: we can change who we are to fit the tradition, we can leave the tradition behind, or we can try to change the tradition to fit our ideals.

That last choice requires courage. Change is not easy, and when it comes to a tradition like religion, many become upset when people start tinkering with how things are done. 

But that’s exactly what Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie has been doing. The rabbi who runs an alternative Jewish synagogue in New York City came up in Israel under a lineage of orthodox rabbis. But Rabbi Lau-Lavie and his congregation don’t practice orthodox Judaism, they’re doing something unique. 

The new documentary, “Sabbath Queen” explores the life of Rabbi Lau-Lavie and more. Tomorrow, the rabbi will be at an event at the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in Detroit. The film will be screening Sunday at the DIA. 

Sandi DuBowski is the filmmaker. He spoke with Cary Junior II.

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