Thrive Detroit Street Newspaper

05/01/2021

States make it easier to clear up criminal records

Michigan is poised to enact the nation's most lenient "expungement" law, loosening the criteria for having a crime erased from one's record — and other states may soon follow suit.

Why it matters: In cities like Detroit, where a third of residents have felony or misdemeanor convictions that make it harder to get a job or rent a house, expungement paves the way to a higher income, better life prospects, and the joy of enhanced dignity.

Driving the news: Starting in April, Michigan's expungement rules will be generously expanded, meaning a lot more people with criminal records will qualify.

People will be able to expunge "up to three felonies and an unlimited number of misdemeanors" from their records," per the Detroit Free Press.
Two "assaultive" crimes will be allowed, as well as a wide number of traffic and marijuana-related offenses.
Under a "one bad night" rule, multiple felonies or misdemeanors stemming from the same 24 hours can count as a single conviction.

"This is more than a criminal justice issue — this is an economic issue," Carrie Jones, senior advisor to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and top point person for his Project Clean Slate initiative, tells Axios. "This restores people's ability to find jobs, housing — I mean, it just impacts so many aspects of people's lives."

In cities like Detroit, where a third of residents have criminal records, it's getting easier to clear felonies and misdemeanors.

05/01/2021

The Child Care Industry Was Collapsing. Mrs. Jackie Bet Everything on an Impossible Dream to Save It.

Child care in America has long been divided along class lines. The first “day nurseries” were developed by philanthropic women in the late 19th century to provide minimal protection for poor children, whose mothers had no choice but to work while wealthier moms stayed home. The service was designed merely to keep them alive, not to educate them. The first “nursery schools,” on the other hand, were created in the early 20th century for middle-class families who could afford to spend money on the social and developmental growth of their kids.

Federal policy entrenched the divide. The only universal child care legislation ever to pass Congress was vetoed in 1971 by President Richard Nixon, who denounced its “family-weakening implications.” Many conservatives had also opposed the program on the grounds that it would further racial integration.

Jackie Thomas was $29,134 in debt and in trouble with state regulators. She hadn’t slept in days. If a judge ruled against her, she’d fail the mothers who could only keep their jobs thanks to the 24-hour child care she offered.

04/23/2021

Battling Sarcoidosis

"The first thing Anwar wanted to know was “is it contagious?” (It is not.) The next question Anwar had was “is it curable?” Sadly, there is no cure for Sarcoidosis." Martti Peeples

Shortness of breath, brain fog, dry cough, chest pain, sore throat… all of these symptoms sound like Covid-19, flu, or pneumonia. Add a few more—anxiety, insomnia, dry skin, itchy skin, dry eye and…

04/17/2021

Pope Francis Center in Detroit receives $7M for fight against homelessness

Pope Francis Center in Detroit receives $7M for fight against homelessness

Julia Burke Foundation contributes $7 million toward Pope Francis Center's $22 million goal of building short-term housing facility for the homeless

04/15/2021

Why Coworking Spaces Aren’t Dead Yet | Digital Daily | The Michigan Chronicle

Why Coworking Spaces Aren’t Dead Yet | Digital Daily | The Michigan Chronicle

Why Coworking Spaces Aren’t Dead Yet

04/15/2021

Eye On Detroit - The Congregation

https://detroit.cbslocal.com/video/5451532-eye-on-detroit-the-congregation/

The existing structure was built in 1924 after a small chapel for the congregation of St. Luke’s Evangelical Church had a fire and burnt to the ground in 1917. It took a number of years after the fire for the congregation to secure financing due to the high prices during the war period. Eventually...

03/22/2021

Learn - Build Institute

Build Institute's Build Basics course begins April 7th! Cost is on a sliding scale and this 8-week course is virtual. Check it out.

Home | Learn We help people turn their business ideas into reality by providing them with the necessary tools, resources, and support network in Detroit. Whether its our classes, networking events, mentorship, or connections to resources we’re here to provide a nurturing community that allows idea...

02/14/2021

Players Guild of Dearborn Presents: Season's of Love

Our copy editor Sara Constantakis sharing the love...

Happy Valentine's Day! We are happy to present to you this wonderful virtual choir of Season's of Love from Rent. Soloists:N'Jeri NicholsonCatherine FloresKe...

11/21/2020

COTS' Peterboro Arms affordable housing project has several two- bedroom apartments that will be available for leasing in the coming weeks. Two bedroom apartments can accommodate a family of 4. There are apartments are reserved for families in which a parent/guardian has a disability.
HUD 811PRA (disability) requirements:
--18-61yrs of age
--Extremely low-income (30%AMI)
--Disability of some kind (parent/guardian)
--Eligible for long-term, home/community-based services of some type

AND

Project Based Apartments no disability required:
Two and three bedroom apartments are available for families who are experiencing homelessness, at imminent risk of homelessness, fleeing domestic violence.

The brand new, fully furnished apartments are located at 26 Peterboro in Detroit. Individuals will pay 30% of their income towards rent. This program will step in and pay the balance of their rent payment each month.

To apply call and leave your name, phone number and email address at: 313-446-8999

COTS' Peterboro Arms affordable housing project has several two- bedroom apartments that will be available for leasing in the coming weeks. Two bedroom apartments can accommodate a family of 4. There are apartments are reserved for families in which a parent/guardian has a disability.
HUD 811PRA (disability) requirements:
--18-61yrs of age
--Extremely low-income (30%AMI)
--Disability of some kind (parent/guardian)
--Eligible for long-term, home/community-based services of some type

AND

Project Based Apartments no disability required:
Two and three bedroom apartments are available for families who are experiencing homelessness, at imminent risk of homelessness, fleeing domestic violence.

The brand new, fully furnished apartments are located at 26 Peterboro in Detroit. Individuals will pay 30% of their income towards rent. This program will step in and pay the balance of their rent payment each month.

To apply call and leave your name, phone number and email address at: 313-446-8999

11/21/2020

Detroit’s new Obama Building is an experiment in developing for the community | DETOUR

https://detourdetroiter.com/detroit-obama-building-old-redford-community-benefits/

"To figure out how the building should be used, The Platform and project lead Brandon Hodges helped form a Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC), an increasingly common way to have community representation give input for developments in their neighborhoods. NACs are mandated for projects that fall under the city’s Community Benefits Ordinance (when they cost more than $75 million and get subsidies). The Obama Building did not, but The Platform still decided to form one.

“We wanted to make sure that we as the developer were keeping the desires of the community in mind,” Hodges said. “So we created a system that will hold us accountable.”

Developers of the Obama Building in Detroit's Old Redford neighborhood baked in more community benefits than many projects in the city.

11/14/2020

Want a COVID test for your Michigan Thanksgiving? Expect… to… wait.

"Though Michigan doesn’t track turnaround times, it appears that roughly two weeks before the holiday it’s already taking three to five days for test results, said Lynn Sutfin, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The state’s testing capacity is being overwhelmed as the virus spreads “out of control,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive and deputy director of MDHHS, noted at a media briefing Thursday.

“We're incredibly concerned about what was happening with our testing capacity across the state.”

With a surge on demand for testing — which is expected to grow in the coming days — some labs already face a backlog.

10/21/2020

CEO group to Michigan leaders: Stop suing over COVID-19 restrictions, unite to fight second wave

"A coalition of 32 health care, labor, higher education and business executives called on Michigan political leaders Wednesday to cease litigation over public health orders aimed at mitigating spread of the coronavirus amid a resurgence that's starting to be felt in some hospitals across the state.

The open letter sent Wednesday to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and her two counterparts in the Legislature — Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and House Speaker Lee Chatfield — urges "collective action" to prevent additional deaths from COVID-19.

Signers of the letter include the top executives at Barton Malow, Dow Inc., DTE Energy Co., General Motors Co., Herman Miller, Lear Corp., Meijer Inc., Rocket Companies Inc., Steelcase, TCF Financial Corp. and the United Auto Workers.

The letter comes nearly three weeks after the Michigan Supreme Court upended Whitmer's management of the public health crisis, invalidating a law she used to issue broad executive orders without input from the Legislature.

The group of CEOs of major corporations, public universities and hospital systems effectively called for a legal cease fire, asking that public health and workplace safety orders issued by the Whitmer administration be allowed to stand without challenge in court or by legislation.

"On the cusp of a second wave, Michigan needs clearly defined mandatory standards which govern mask usage, workplace practices, public gatherings and certain social activities," the executives wrote. "The orders recently issued by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and (Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration) are sufficient to play this role. We should now focus on deploying them with discipline."

A coalition of 32 health care, labor, higher education and business executives called on Michigan political leaders Wednesday to cease litigation over public health orders aimed at mitigating spread of the coronavirus amid a resurgence that's starting to be felt in some hospitals across the state…

10/21/2020

Michigan Learning Channel – Detroit Public TV

The Michigan Learning Channel is a statewide public television partnership offering instructional content to support the education of students and to provide alternative resources for families and teachers.

This free programming is being broadcast via special on-air channels established by each of the participating public television stations in Michigan. It is also available as a livestream and stored for on-demand viewing on a variety of digital platforms, ensuring accessibility to all students, teachers and families across the state.

WTVS - Detroit's PBS Station

10/12/2020

Thrive has ceased print publication and distribution until Summer 2021. Our hope is that our community will be better positioned to safely engage in the social exchange that is an important part of the interaction between our vendors and supporters. We will continue to post content to our website and page. Stay Safe, and we'll see you out there in 2021.

09/28/2020

Pandemic disproportionately affects the most vulnerable, and its impact is not over

In Detroit, women, residents of color, those who are lower-income, and people who have lower levels of education are more likely to be unemployed, said Lydia Wileden, a doctoral candidate who does data analysis for the Detroit Metro Area Communities Study.

That's supported by a recent report from McKinsey & Co., who said that women are more likely than men to have jobs in the leisure and hospitality industry, making them more likely to face layoffs or other forms of cuts. They are also more likely to work on a part-time basis, typically the first jobs to be cut in a downturn, McKinsey said.

COVID-19 has not only exposed health disparities, it has also brought to light economic inequalities. That disparity has become apparent in Detroit.

09/17/2020

Michigan Senate votes to let clerks open absentee ballot envelopes day early

Clerks have spent months asking lawmakers for flexibility on absentee ballots, which they are expecting in record volumes this year because of the coronavirus pandemic and a new Michigan law that allows no-reason absentee voting.

Michigan law now allows clerks to process absentee ballots only on Election Day. Municipal clerks say that would be a “recipe for disaster” this year given an expected surge and would delay results reporting in a closely watched presidential election.

09/16/2020

State identifies Michigan K-12 schools and colleges with COVID outbreaks

Monday’s release was the first time state health officials have identified schools with outbreaks following efforts by Bridge Michigan and other media outlets for public access to this information. Previously, the state released weekly reports on the number of outbreaks in schools, but did not identify the schools or the number of people infected.

The public can now see what K-12 schools and colleges in the state have coronavirus outbreaks, thanks to new state reporting championed by Bridge Michigan and other media outlets. There are now more than 1,300 college cases.

08/04/2020

The Michigan primary, down to the wire: Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson explains how to vote | One Detroit

The Michigan primary, down to the wire: Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson explains how to vote | One Detroit

The Michigan primary, down to the wire: Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson explains how to vote Jul 30, 2020 Significant changes have taken place in Michigan voting procedures thanks to the approval of the Promote the Vote initiative in 2018. There’s now no-reason absentee ballots, but with slowdow...

08/03/2020

Letter to Detroit Charter Commissioners: Adopt the Detroiters' Bill of Rights, embed our values into the City Charter.

Consider signing in support of the Detroiters' Bill of Rights. The deadline to sign is August 14 at 4pm. #DETbillofrights

The Detroiters' Bill of Rights is rooted in our country’s value of opportunity -- the opportunity to achieve our fullest potential as human beings -- with the recognition that opportunity must be based on the following principles of racial equity and social justice:

- RACIAL EQUITY: Racial equity is the condition where one's racial identity no longer influences how one fares in society. This includes the creation of racially just policies, practices, attitudes and cultural messages, and the elimination of structures that reinforce differential experiences and outcomes by race.
- SOCIAL JUSTICE: The principle that everyone deserves equitable economic, political and social rights. We advance social justice by removing barriers people face because of their gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, disability, or sexual orientation or gender identity, and promoting their rights.

http://bit.ly/DetBOR-ind

Dear Honorable Charter Commissioners, We, the undersigned, support the package of proposed charter amendments known as the Detroiters' Bill of Rights. We call on you to adopt them into the recommendations sent to the ballot in 2021. The Offices of Council Member Raquel Castañeda-López and Presiden...

07/17/2020

SOS - Democracy MVP

The City of Detroit has a huge challenge ahead of them. As the largest city in the state, they need more election workers than any other jurisdiction.

Election workers are trained and paid to assist clerks and count ballots on election day. The increase in AV ballots, paired with the usual need for workers at all polling places requires many more election workers. Election workers are critical to the running of secure, smooth, and accessible elections.

If you, or anyone you know can help, please step forward and sign up to serve. You can sign up to work in Detroit on August 4th at Michigan.gov/DemocracyMVP.

Secretary of State - Democracy MVP