“I’m just a guy who gives a fuck”
…that’s what Zone 8 Thug turned neighborhood activist Yusef Shakur told us.
Yusef grew up on the streets surrounded by drugs, violence and prostitution, and not in a good way. Shortly after dropping out of high school, he was sent to prison for nine years; his life was over. Trapped in an institution that perpetuates the thug mentality, there was no hope. …Until one day, a prison transfer reunited him with the mentor his inner child needed most- his father.
Yusef and his father rekindled their relationship, and just like that, Yusef turned his life around. He finished his GED, got out of prison, and returned to the ‘hood that had raised him to start a community center. It’s part café, part bookstore, and part computer center. It’s a safe haven for kids to hang after school; and with the block parties he helps organize, it’s Yusef’s way of “restoring the neighbor back to the ‘hood.”
Mark Convington might not have an epic life story like Yusef’s… In fact, he wasn’t even trying to become a community leader when he cleaned up a vacant lot. Mark just wanted to plant a few vegetables to discourage people from dumping trash, but before he knew it, neighbors were pitching in, kids were learning how to farm, and the sprawling garden was providing healthy food for all.
If there’s anyone who believes in the power of these vacant lots and abandoned buildings, it’s Dan Pitera and his team of architects. They’ve committed to restoring purpose to these forgotten places. In one old house, they removed an entire exterior wall and added outdoor seating for a project they call ‘the playhouse.’
Dan will be the first to admit- they can’t just turn these spaces into anything they want; they need to listen to the people, and make spaces the community will use.
That’s why people like Vince Keenan spearhead voter education programs to make sure the people have a voice for the change happening in their neighborhoods.
Vince is currently promoting the Council By Districts initiative. If it passes, each district will have equal representation in City Hall and those representatives will actually have to live in the district they serve.
In Brightmoor, we toured a church where the pastor has committed to serving everyone- believers, non-believers… he built his church for everyone. So instead of a sanctuary, the congregation invested in a gymnasium. They set it up for services on Sundays, but every other day of the week, it’s a safe place to play.
The city has a lot of potential, and according to Free Press journalist John Gallagher, it’s just a matter of “Re-imagining Detroit” (hey, that’s the title of his book!).
Gallagher promotes ideas that embrace the shrinking population, like tearing up under utilized roads to make way for “greenways,” putting more resources into urban farming, and even “daylighting” forgotten streams that were paved over when the industrial revolution took foot.
A lot of these bigger projects take time and money. But as local small crepe shop owner, Torya Blanchard, told a lecture hall of University of Michigan business students (and I’m paraphrasing here)… all you need to succeed is a good idea and a good accountant, so stop wasting your money, drop out of business school, and do it.
That’s how Torya opened her crepe shop; she cashed out her retirement, took out a bunch of loans, and now she owns three restaurants in the Detroit area. She believes small businesses promoting growth at the neighborhood level are going to save this town; we just need more ideas and more people to act on them.
One solution didn't focus on a growing economy at all.
Grace Lee Boggs is a 96-year old political activist who marched with Martin Luther King and collaborated with Malcolm X. According to her, people need to focus first on "growing their souls." It's an approach that might seem unconventional at first, but when a woman who’s seen as much as she has says it, you better listen.
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