As of this writing, the project is only a few hundred dollars away from the $8,000 goal. It’s clear that the goal will be reached before the deadline (19 days from now). Let’s try to push them over their goal today. If you watch the video, you’ll agree that this book must exist. Christmas is around the corner. I’m thinking this will be the perfect gift for those Detroit-ers who have “everything”. (See the update below)

** UPDATE – Oct 25 **  We’re so incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support for this project.  Thanks to your generosity we have reached our original funding goal more quickly than we ever dreamed!  Thank you to everyone who has pre-ordered copies of the guide and backed the campaign so far – for your generosity, kindness, and for your interest in the guide and in Detroit!

Since beginning this project, it has been our hope to be able to donate copies of the book to libraries throughout Metro Detroit and Michigan to make the information more widely-available and to encourage visitors to come explore the city fully.  Now that we have reached our original goal, we’d like to continue the momentum of this campaign to be able to afford to donate these library copies.

There are 691 public libraries in Michigan. For every additional $25 pledged above our original goal, we will be able to donate a copy to another library (in addition to sending out the rewards listed for individual pledge amounts).

Thank you for all your support! – Emily, Andy and Rob

Denver Film Society presents…Detropia!

I saw Detropia last week. It is a gut and tear wrenching look into some of the residents and remnants of Detroit. Produced and directed by Heidi Ewing (herself a Detroit native) and Rachel Grady, Detropia is the result of two years of filming “on the ground”. Before discussing the film, I’d like to use a few lines to bring up a subject that may help communicate my perspective.

Anthropology is the academic study of humanity. My undergraduate professor told us that any anthropologist worth his/her salt needs to be “in the field” for no less than one year. Seasons change and humans must adapt. Anyone studying humans needs to understand how they adapt to this very basic condition. Understanding weather is much more straight forward than evaluating how social economic conditions impacts people.

Detropia takes us through two years of stories with some very endearing and charismatic locals. The film takes us through the summer and winter months, there is little change in the disposition and mood of the film. In short, the outlook is grim. The film makers didn’t want to create a film that would provide a false sense of hope, and they’ve accomplished this. Any true message of hope is muted at best. It’s from this perspective, that I was ‘hoping’ for more.

Two years is enough time to find bright spots in even the darkest of days. Instead, the focus of Detropia is on the sobering problems that the city still faces. From that perspective, the film felt dated to me. Candid interviews with citizens, business owners, and government officials were in abundance, but the stories ‘of Detroit’ were not new.

There are so many positive stories of Detroit. We like to highlight as many of these bright spots as we can. You can too! Truth is, Detroiters **are** changing and adapting to their environment. Re-investment comes in many forms. Community groups and non-profits do good work on the ground, and corporate initiatives bring sorely needed financial investment back to Detroit. They work together to come up with creative ways to bring people back to the city.

Is there a big hole to climb out of? Absolutely. Small ‘mom and pop’ shops and grass roots projects won’t replace all of the auto industry jobs that were lost, but they are still worth celebrating. There won’t be a single solution to ‘fixing’ Detroit. Efforts will be diverse, and rightfully so. Many of Detroit’s problems can be attributed to the lack of economic diversity, i.e. relying too heavily on the automotive industry.

Lentil growing in a Detroit urban garden

Do the directors of Detropia disagrees with this approach? It’s hard to tell. Urban farming has “taken root” in Detroit, but it was jokingly rejected as viable by locals in the film. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. It’s easy to be critic, and much more difficult to create. Trust me, the humor was not lost on me. I laughed out loud with the rest of the theater during the urban farming discussion in the film. Much has been written on urban farming, but here is our introductory post on the movement in Detroit. Here is a video post of a Detroit farm hoping to farm Detroit on a larger scale.

A discussion was held after the conclusion of the film. One attendee, herself a Detroit native, noted the irony of the movie poster. The poster (and film) celebrate the influx of creatives, as do I. On the other hand, it also celebrates the ‘ruin porn‘ that Detroit has become synonymous with. To what end? Young people are moving to Detroit, and the film did include this as a high point. *Here is a report of some quick census statistics. Here some additional stats provided by Data Driven Detroit.

I respect anyone who ‘choses’ to live in Detroit. Trust me. I wrestle with the decision to do so myself. I think it’s fabulous that artists are attracted to the city. Artists look at the world differently, and Detropia successfully demonstrated some of their brilliant eccentricities. New Yorkers are recognizing the opportunity that Detroit provides. Why can’t we do this ourselves? Is Detroit the new Brooklyn, as NPR claims? Time will tell. Love Detroit highlighted two artists who recently visited Detroit from Brooklyn. They are strongly considering relocating to Detroit.

It’s not as though the film lacked any positivity or hope, it’s just that it wasn’t prominent. With a title like Detropia, you might expect a happier end to the film. If you’re looking for ‘warm and fuzzies’, Detropia is not the film for you. The struggle was highlighted. “The struggle” is nothing new, as Detroiters have been striving to make a better life and city for decades now.

I’m left with the thought that Detropia is very much about sending a ‘cautionary tale’ to the rest of America. ‘Write off’ Detroit at your own peril. Our discussion moderator pointed out that the suburbs did exactly this in decades past. They turned their collective backs on the city. They didn’t understand that investment in their own communities would be impacted since Detroit was still in their backyards.

It’s from this perspective that I find the film missed an opportunity. Documentaries inform, and Detropia is no exception. The better ones, in my opinion, spark change. There was no call to action, no rally cry, no clear direction of next steps. Detropia is as haunting as many of the images it portrays.

Michigan Central Station – Detroit’s most famous ‘ruin porn’

Detroit blogger Crystal Starr takes us through Michigan Central Station. She walks the deserted hallways, imagining them during the heyday. At the end of the film, a few unnamed creatives silently look back at the train station…perhaps “imagining” what it will one day become. I’ve never been, but it appeared to me that the vantage point was from the nearby Imagination Station. Jerry, were you and Mary in the film?

What’s next for those of us from the Denver screening? Not much honestly. We had a lengthy discussion, but this too is not action. Intellectual interpretation and debate only get you so far. To borrow a mantra from the technology startup lexicon: “It’s execution, not ideas, that matter”.

That’s not to say that the film has little to offer. On the contrary. The people, places, and culture of Detroit are it’s strongest assets, and they are front and center throughout this film. We celebrate those who recognize this as well. I once said that “8 Mile is the new Rocky”. Why? You feel hyped at the end of the movie and want to take on your biggest personal hurdles. Rabbit overcame his fears and won the rap battle. 8 Mile highlighted Detroit’s innovation, determination, grit, and the overall Midwestern work ethic. There aren’t many other cities with this same combination interwoven into their DNA. We don’t give up.

I’d like to thank the film makers, corporate sponsors, city officials, and the citizens of Detroit for making this film possible. It’s clear that Heidi and Rachel had incredible access to citizens and city officials alike. It takes immeasurable strength of character to share your problems into any public forum. Everyone who shared their story in the documentary clearly cares enough about Detroit to do so. This post is less of a ‘movie review’, and is more about me sharing my feelings. Hopefully this post can also share that Americans still do care about what happens in Detroit. Our theater was packed, and many were not transplants. The film could have provided more of a call to action and shared current successes. I’ll leave you with a formal critique of the film.

Detroit’s story has encapsulated the iconic narrative of America over the last century — the Great Migration of African Americans escaping Jim Crow; the rise of manufacturing and the middle class; the love affair with automobiles; the flowering of the American dream; and now . . . the collapse of the economy and the fading American mythos. With its vivid, painterly palette and haunting score, DETROPIA sculpts a dreamlike collage of a grand city teetering on the brink of dissolution. These soulful pragmatists and stalwart philosophers strive to make ends meet and make sense of it all, refusing to abandon hope or resistance. Their grit and pluck embody the spirit of the Motor City as it struggles to survive postindustrial America and begins to envision a radically different future.

- by Caroline Libresco

“So, you’re having a pretty intense weekend.”

We received some version of that comment—separately and together—several times during the course of the Network of Ensemble Theater’s Microfest in Detroit. It was intense for a lot of reasons—many of them because of the insightful and stimulating conference NET had put together for us. But the intensity in question was due to another, more personal factor: we’re relocating from New York to Detroit.

Sherrine and Jake

When you’re an artist moving to Detroit, especially from New York, the conversation is intense.  In Detroit, many discussions turn to the much feared, very real specter of gentrification. Wondrously, though, through NET’s decision to convene in Detroit around the ideas of urban revitalization through the intersection of community activism and art, many of these issues were faced head on. It was perfect for us because it allowed us a chance to engage with our new home, with some of its issues, problems, hopes, and dreams through the lens of the ensemble work we’ve been dedicated to for the entirety of our professional lives. So, as we try to respond to the specifics of the NET conference, we also want to respond personally to the city of Detroit, the search for our artistic home there, and art-making more generally.

The Microfest represented our fourth and final visit before the official move this October, and in every previous visit we have found ourselves in similar conversations—the moment we knew this was different was when Mark Valdez, Executive Director of NET, asked the group to examine the use of emotionally charged terms like gentrification and if it was possible to be more specific in defining them. This was huge for us because, as people moving into a community, we have charged ourselves to be listeners and not loudmouths, but sometimes it’s hard to keep quiet when the language becomes divisive. Because of the nature of Mark’s question and the spirit of rigorous, creative inquiry at the conference, we felt this conversation had been opened up for us to ask the questions that we had been holding in for a long time. For instance: how do community members, including artists, work together to revitalize neighborhoods without increasing market values and causing displacement? We all know this story, and artists are often blamed, but what is an alternative that doesn’t divide long-time residents and artists? What does that look like?

Even as we write this, we feel nervous speaking about (and for and to) a city in which we don’t yet live. One of the first and biggest things that attracted us to Detroit was the desire to move away from what we perceive as the “me” mentality of New York. It seems to us that New York has become a place, simply put, to buy and sell things and, as the vast majority of New Yorkers know, it’s so difficult just to make ends meet that very little can be accomplished outside of survival. We think that’s a problem. We don’t intend this to be a polemic against New York (not at all, we still love NYC). We also know that Detroit is far from being some utopia where people—artists or otherwise—can live without any cares in the world. But what struck us most particularly is that Detroit is a city of makers, and becoming ever more so. You can see it in the many urban gardens that dot the so-called blighted landscape, in the communities that have banded together to fix run-down homes, and in the efforts of neighborhood organizations to create alternative power systems (as in electricity—but also alternative systems of power).   Frankly, why wouldn’t we want to be a part of that?!

One idea Boggs and her friends and colleagues in Detroit Summer often use is “Put the neighbor back in the hood.” This phrase encapsulates our excitement about moving to Detroit—to reinvest in neighborliness. Boggs also talks about evolution, rather than revolution, and we agree that what the world needs now is not the aggression of a revolution but an evolution past the governmental and corporate greed that has made life so bad for so many. We want to be citizens of a society who collaborate outside of these systems to make something new and better.

One of the truly wonderful things about this Microfest was that we were not secreted away within some downtown hotel, but out in the city walking the streets and meeting locals. In fact, all of the activities at the conference involved this kind of experiential, bodily learning. Among the most memorable was a food performance called reVITALunch wherein we engaged with some of the city’s residents—some fDetroit,ers, some not. At her table, Sherrine was asked, “Who do you think your audience is in Detroit?” Her answer—“We don’t know.” She explained that our new company, A Host of People, was bringing our art practice together with our love for hosting and throwing great social events—not unlike the one we were at. Our goal is to invite as many people to feel a part of the work as possible. We want to combat the notion that contemporary art practices are exclusive. In fact, we think they are inherently populist. We want to give agency back to the viewer and celebrate all interpretations and responses. We exist to challenge the mundane, which isn’t the same as the familiar—to this end, we want to start by presenting performances in our home, beginning with our neighbors as our audience.

In addition to all of this intellectual stimulation at the Microfest, we were witness to several exciting performances. On Friday, Monica Blaire amazed with her incredible singing, but also with her full-throated embrace of life, in all its many shapes. On Saturday the Hinterlands Ensemble brought the history of vaudeville to Detroit in a performance made in collaboration with the Powerhouse Project and several area performers from local institutions (Bengla School of Music, Haseel Rasul fromHardcore Detroit), together reanimating a dilapidated house and dancing in a brand-new skate park in the Benglatown neighborhood. Finally, on Sunday morning we watched the artist and activist Invincible combine hip-hop and the science of emergence with equal parts visual elegance and raw, lyrical power in her showComplex Movements. It’s literally impossible to try to sum up this work in a few words, but these artists showed us that art and performance has and will continue to have a place in Detroit.

So, yes—it was a pretty intense weekend—in the best of possible ways.

Click photo for attribution

Astro serves amazing coffee in a very creative space. It opened in 2010, I believe, but I first visited last summer. I’m not the only one, since Corktown is now a destination for foodies and coffee connoisseurs. Conveniently located between downtown and the Detroit Airport, it’s a not an inconvenient stop if you’re traveling in either direction.

That said, Astro Coffee is a destination. I can’t recall when I first heard about the coffee house, but think it was sometime in early 2011. I wasn’t able to try it until my visit later that summer. My wife and I are huge coffee lovers, but we live in Denver, CO. That wouldn’t stop me from visiting at my first opportunity.

My visit to Astro Coffee on August 26, 2011

It turns out that I didn’t have to wait too long, as my next trip to Michigan would be work related just a few months later. Although the office, and our hotel, were in the suburbs, I made the trip down to Corktown with coworkers in tow. Like many local “suburbanites”, we drove down with great anticipation. They naturally loved the BBQ at Slow’s, but they also enjoyed the coffee….

Latte Art

…which was amazing. In many ways, Astro Coffee is very similar to the artisan cafes that are popping up all over the country. They serve high quality beans, using local roasts if they are available, or other well known names if not. Astro does both. They also provide a well laid out space for “creative types” to draw inspiration. Keep in mind, Astro is not a mass market coffee house (e.g. St@rbucks), and the baristas take their time to ensure that you get the best coffee experience possible. Just one example was the method used to brew coffee. “Out” are the large thermoses full of regular and decaf. “In” is the more personalized ‘pour over‘ method which produces so much better results. I’m really excited that  high quality coffee has come to Detroit. Even more than providing a good cup of coffee. Astro puts Detroit on the map with cities like Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Chicago. (Links to my favorites in those cities)

This post was really a long time coming. I stumbled across the photos on my phone and decided to share. Moreover, I’m thinking about coming back home for a visit soon. I enjoy visiting Detroit in the summer. Can you blame me? Astro Coffee is definitely at the top of my list of favorite places to visit. Astro Coffee is a long way from Denver, but I always make it a point to visit when I’m in town. If you’re looking for a better cup of coffee, or to support a local business, then I highly recommend you try it.

Baristas perfecting their craft

Hey Jeremy. Thanks for “sitting down” with us. I’ve known you for years, but let’s spend some time to bring everyone else up to speed.
Tell us a little about yourself.

Thanks Jamie, let’s not put a number on how long we’ve known each other. I’m excited about the site and the project. I’m a Michigan native. Born in Midland. But I became a man on the mean streets of Saginaw, Old Town Saginaw to be exact. When I think of home, I think of a very small section of the city. Michigan Avenue and Hamilton Street down to Gratiot, the Court Street Bridge, Ojibway Island, the Red Eye Coffee Shop, The Hamilton Street Pub, there’s the burrito place right there and my dad still has an office there. If I ever became homeless, I would head there because even sleeping on those streets would make me feel at home.

But it would be a long walk from where I am now. I’m living on an island in the South China Seas. I married a Chinese girl and we brought our son Hunter to China to learn the language and a bit of the culture. I live not too far from a place call The End of the Earth… and yup, that’s what it feels like being here.

Writing for me is a calling. That always sounds like an odd thing when people say it. It sounds odd to me as I sit here and call it that. I do not know why I’m a writer. There’s a photograph of me and my brother that was shot when I was four. I remember it because it was when we got our first puppy, a collie. My brother is holding the puppy in the picture, and I’m sitting there with a long pencil in my hand. I actually remember getting up right before the picture was taken and running to grab the pencil because I wanted to be identified with writing even then. But I was four. I hadn’t written a, b, c, yet. Well, maybe. But I’m pretty sure I hadn’t even written my first sentence. Where did I get the idea to be a writer? Probably from my mom. Little know fact. My middle name, Christopher, comes from Christopher Robin… yeah, fucking Winnie the Pooh. LOL!

My influence, for Torque especially, was Elmore Leonard. If you read it, you’ll see it. Dutch is a great Detroiter. He refused many offers to move out to the west coast when his books were being made into movies every year. Of course, when he got older, he split is time between Detroit and Florida… that’s the Michigan Dream, isn’t it?

How would you describe your writing style?

My writing spits gravel.

I know that you have a few fond memories of Detroit. Can you share one?

I worked in Detroit for a while as a cameraman for the show, “Real Stories of the Highway Patrol.” It’s Cops, but with state troopers. So I have a number of fun memories of Detroit. Many of the details in my book come from my work on those streets. I once wrote a short story based on something I saw there. Like the novel, it featured Shaggy Hernandez and his coz Big Al Garcia.

There was a guy with a pink caddy… yeah that’s Detroit… I saw lots of pink caddies on the trunk lines, which is what the cops call the main strip where they’re always searching people’s trunks. I can’t remember why he got pulled over, something stupid, the color of car was begging for it. Sure enough the guy driving had jumped bail. They cuffed him and went around to the trunk to see what he had stashed there, but the lock on the trunk had be jacked so many times the cop couldn’t get it open. So the guy who owned the car started giving them tips on how to get it open. “Pop it once with you fist. See if that don’t do it.” The cops tried that but they couldn’t get it. I’m catching all of this on my camera and cracking up the whole time. Then the guy in cuffs offers to help. I remember getting a tight close-up on this guys hands as he’s wiggling the keys into the lock of the trunk of this pink caddy while he’s in cuffs! And click. He got it. The cops go in and pull out $5Gs in cash, two hand guns, and a bag of rocks. That’s the spirit of Detroit, right there. They’re always willing to help!

What do you see as Detroit’s greatest strengths and opportunities?

It wasn’t long ago that Detroit was one of the big money making cities of America… if not the world. And just yesterday I saw an article listing it as the 2nd most dangerous city in America after Flint. While I feel that such claims are arguable, there isn’t much point in arguing them. The region has fallen on hard times. But that’s because it was once the biggest money maker, and the decision makers who ran the city were only interested in money. Money is the least real thing in the world.

But look at Detroit. This isn’t the first time we’ve been in this situation. After the lumber industry left, we were jacked. We turned to apples and wood furniture until the automotive industry came along. And why did Ford decide to come here? Because he saw an opportunity. He was inventive. The assembly line brought industry back to Detroit and Flint and Saginaw. We’re ripe for another Henry Ford to come along and invent something that will change the world for the 21st Century. I believe the creative energy of the people of the Detroit region can and will do that.

Can you give us the high level introduction for Torque?

Torque is about a guy with a hot car and a hot wife and the cool Mexican car thief whose out to steal them both. But, if I may, I like what Scott Phillips, the author of “The Ice Harvest“, had to say about it. ”Jeremy Trylch knows his way around fast cars, treacherous women and nasty plots, and with Torque he’s woven them together into the kind of pulp I’m always looking for and hardly ever find. Read it or be left in the dust.” – Scott Phillips

Did you live in Michigan when you wrote it? Where did the motivation and the story come from?

I started writing about home after I left for college. I went to school at Southampton College, out on Long Island. Maybe it was the forty million dollar mansions or everybody telling me how much they loved my accent, but I felt really out of place there. Shaggy developed from my memories of a tall Mexican guy whom I associated with home. The first few short stories I wrote also featured a guy named JT… who was basically me. I won a writing award with a story called “Trunk Justice” where Shaggy and JT beat a rapist and dumped him naked and bleeding in the projects on the East side. The acceptance of that story drove me to build the world more. I deleted JT, and Shaggy became a more unique character divorced on the page from his real life counterpart.

I wrote Torque specifically for my Master’s Thesis at The Johns Hopkins University in D.C. while working at the White House of all places. I had to write more than a few arguments why a genre piece, neo-noir as they call it, should be accepted. The university really wanted to produce more high minded literary writers. When I pointed out that Elmore Leonard, another Detroit writer, had 30 odd books optioned for film, I saw my profs buckle at the knees. They accepted me after that.

Why did you decide to release Torque for free?

Releasing Torque online is a statement of the book industry. I signed with an agent in one of the New York literary houses shortly after finishing the book. It was like hitting the lottery. I’m this guy from Saginaw, writing about another guy from Saginaw, and here my book was accepted by a New York agent who loved Shaggy. I was stunned. Then the week we finally had the submission ready to send out to editors, the industry imploded. I remember being at Bochercon in Baltimore and everyone talking about how nothing was selling. I’d be drinking with other writers, some big names in the genre, and they’d get calls from their agents and editors talking about the freeze. Then my call came from my agent. They just weren’t buying anything from anybody and especially not from anybody new. So the new model to publishing is you build your audience first, then you can get a book deal. I tried to hold out for a while and sent it to a number of smaller publishers.

After a few years, I’ve decided the book deal isn’t the big deal it once seemed. Shaggy deserves an audience. I’m hoping that he finds one at home in Detroit.

Will you be in Michigan any time soon?If so, how can fans get in touch with you?

I will be Michigan for the summer, July and August. I’m going to be hitting all the old spots and looking for places to read. I suggest using the LoveDetro.it address to reach me. I’d love to hear from anybody who reads it. It’s all about community in the end. And in the end, I’m just a guy from Saginaw.

Is there anything that I forgot to ask?

Maybe I should say something about the car from the novel.  She’s an LT1 Impala SS prototype with a Manual Transmission.  She was made in ’94 and sent out on a 7 city tour.  She was the only one made. The GM execs were quoted saying that prototypes of this kind were like women–made to make men dream.  As I wrote the book, I wondered what the guy who designed the car felt about them just taking it apart and putting it back in the parts bin after their little pony show.   Maybe it’s best to end with a quote from the book… this is the designer of the car talking.

“…the prototype has a torqued up LT1, three-hundred ten h.p. She weighs just over four thousand pounds. I ported and polished the heads. Put in the Corvette camshaft and distributor. Put in the larger exhaust pipes and Superflow mufflers. Put in the Vette gearbox. Had to modify the transmission tunnel to accept the six-speed transmission. She’s got the Z28 clutch, just because I like it better. She’s also got modified black stitching on the interior seats. Did that myself,” Dennis said. “With a Sharpie.”

Email Jeremy!!   

An old adage says, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” Erik Proulx is a filmmaker who has lived that adage, Now he’s turning his filmmaker’s eye on Detroit and telling the story of the city’s comeback. He also has learned of General Motors’ involvement in helping with the revitalization of the city. —GM Blogs

Interested in learning more about the film? Check out the Lemonade Detroit project page.

Hantz Farms, the biggest proposed urban farm ever, is setting out to reinvigorate Detroit’s blight filled neighborhoods and stimulate its economy. Supported by Hantz Group, this farm is what Detroit’s dwindling population so desperately needs.

Hantz Farms was one of the urban farms that was profiled in John Gallagher’s Reimaging Detroit. Detroit will be profiled in an upcoming documentary entitled Reimagining our Cities. It’s based on the aforementioned book. We’re big fans of both the book, and think that it’s a ‘must read’ for anyone interested in a new Detroit. You can pick it up on Amazon.

Detroit based One of Us Films is producing a documentary film that will turn the lens on the possibilities of urban cities around the world. Using the thesis laid out in Detroit Free Press writer John Gallagher’s Reimagining Detroit, the documentary will look to Detroit’s future, and, by extension, to the future of cities everywhere.

For while Detroit may be the nation’s poster city for urban dystopia, it shares its predicament to a greater or lesser degree with dozens of cities. Population loss and industrial collapse scar cities around the globe, not just a handful of towns surrounding the Great Lakes.

Reimagining Our Cities from One of Us Films on Vimeo.

This is the movie short. We just ordered the book from Amazon, and can’t wait for the movie.

* Can you tell us about Street Democracy? When was it founded?

It was founded in 2006, but in earnest in 2008.

* What was your inspiration for starting it? 

Honestly, it started out as a strictly legal services organization, except that I wanted to improve the way those services were delivered. I had worked for a legal aid organization, but felt that there was a better way of doing it. At first I thought Street Democracy would just provide legal services in soup kitchens in the area, but quickly realized that their just isn’t enough hours to help everyone with direct representation.

So since then we’ve been focusing on changing the system so that people can better help themselves, that people better understand the government institutions and how to navigate them.

* You’re based in the Metro Detroit area, which is great. How has Detroit responded to your efforts? 

That I think is the best part about Detroit. 99% percent of the people have been receptive to the ideas or projects. Things definitely move slower around here, but people appreciate that you are trying to do something.

* Do you work with other area non-profits, or are you reaching out to citizens directly?

Initially we were working primarily with individuals, but have since starting trying to attract larger community groups and organizations.

* Clearly you saw an underserved demographic. How successful has Street Democracy been at serving that demographic?

To be honest, in our first model of direct representation, we were just ok at it. There just isn’t the time to do it for everyone. Moreover, by the time they got to us, their legal issues were either final or had snowballed into other areas. We decided that we needed to get a better apparatus in place so that people can address and manage their issues while they are small. So now we are focusing on systemic change, rather than individual clients.

I-See Detroit

* What is I-See Detroit, and how does it change the lives of Detroit citizens? 

The short answer is that it gives citizens a chance to see problems and progress visually, to petition their government for redress, and to become more involved civically. Historically, city government has been a mystery to its citizens and we are just trying to open it up.

* What are your largest challenges?

I think for us is getting buy-in. We are mostly larger picture in scope and sometimes forget that just having a great idea or product doesn’t mean it will have a great impact. I, for one, thought it’d be easier to attract users and institutions.

* What’s next for Street Democracy?

Well for I-SEE Detroit, its getting the product out in the minds and hands of the community and seeing if they go for it. We need to sell the people on it.

For Street Democracy, we are a member of a group of organizations trying to establish a specialty jurisdiction court that will let the homeless or near-homeless to have their efforts in achieving self-sufficiency, such as education, job training or rehabilitation, credited against any outstanding convictions or charges. It’s still a bit aways, but we are hopeful.

* How might we be of service? Are you looking for volunteers? If so, what backgrounds are you looking for?

Use the site. We are looking for people to make, verify, and follow up on reports. Techies are always welcome. I don’t want to limit the type of volunteer because you never how someone’s expertise can be utilized.

* How do you define community?

Jayesh Patel

Good question. I think it’s a group of people who have a shared sense of struggle or experience. From that comes the compassion and camaraderie that really binds people. Online, those things are even more important since location and proximity are no longer a factor.

* Jayesh, you’re very civic minded. How else are you involved in the community? 

Personally, I’m also involved with some civic leaders as an unofficial policy advisor and as board member of my local church.

* Was there anything else that we missed? 

Nope. Journalism is perhaps the most under appreciated aspect of our civic fabric. You are of a noble profession.

“State of the City”
Detroit is no stranger to adversity, but it is facing unprecedented challenges. The sobering reality is that the city is on the verge of going broke and is on a collision course with the state. The Governor’s office has already enacted the controversial Public Act 4 in other municipalities across the state. This law allows the state to step in, review, and replace elected officials for as long as “necessary”. The first phase of that process has already begun in Detroit. The Financial Review Board was appointed last week. Their charter is to conduct a 60 day review. Much has been written about the precedent and constitutionality of the law, but it’s a reality that we’re all dealing with.

There are typically two approaches to fiscal solvency: cutting cost and increasing revenue. From the city’s perspective this traditionally means cutting services  and increasing taxes. Both prospects are frightening to the masses. The Free Press ran a column recently that warned officials (elected or otherwise) that Detroiters demand their services.

> This is stuff that matters for those of us who live in Detroit. We pay taxes — the highest taxes in the state, in fact. And we get very little for our money. And things are getting worse. — Stephen Henderson — on Twitter

This is a message that the Finance team needs to hear loud and clear. It’s not enough to cut costs. Detroiters demand the services that they pay for. Stephen gave a first hand account of city infrastructure and service delivery failures. There are obviously other accounts just waiting to be told.

Connecting the dots

Difficult decisions need to be made as the city seeks to cut costs. Some services have already started to slip and more will likely follow. The situation could become dire if life saving services are impacted. It hasn’t been enough to merely attend town hall meetings or rant through social media. A practical approach is needed, and I-See Detroit looks like it’s a giant step in the that direction.

The online tools that Jayesh and Street Democracy created would help citizens in any city engage their officials. Metro Detroit is very fortunate to have them. Thank you Jayesh for your vision and for your continued support.

What’s next Detroit?

Engage!!

Talk/Text: 313-355-ISEE
Email: isee@iseedetroit.org
Twitter: @iseedetroit #iseedetroit
Facebook: Facebook.com/iseedetroit

Want to know more?

Listen to their spot on the Craig Fahle Show.

Get in contact with Jayesh

Street Democracy
1459 Ruffner Avenue
Birmingham, Michigan 48009
Telephone: (313) 879-4910
Email:web [at] streetdemocracy [dot] org

Street Democracy in Action!