Candidate Series: Inside the City Council Race w/ Denzel McCampbell, Tyrone Carter and Gabriela Santiago-Romero

On this episode, Detroit City Council candidates Denzel McCampbell, Tyrone Carter, and Gabriela Santiago-Romero sat down with Donna and Orlando to discuss what they can offer their respective districts if elected to Detroit’s City Council. 

These three council contenders lay out clear plans for housing, transit, youth opportunity, immigrant safety, and how to check mayoral power while delivering real neighborhood wins.

If you care where your tax dollars land, how trucks move past your home, or whether your teenager will find a fair shot here, this conversation is for you. Listen, share with a neighbor, and let us know your top neighborhood needs. And if these deep dives help you vote smarter, please follow the show, rate us, and leave a quick review—your feedback helps more Detroiters find the conversation.

To learn more about who’s running for office in Michigan, click here.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 1:44 Candidate 1: Denzel McCampbell’s Vision
• 4:33 Defining Basic Needs: Housing, Transit, Food, Safety
• 7:14 Donna’s Eight Priorities and Zoning Reality
• 10:35 Aging in Place and Home Repair Access
• 12:33 Youth, Schools, and City’s Role
• 15:56 Budget Power, Oversight, and Labels
• 22:33 Candidate 2: Rep. Tyrone Carter “Coming Home”
• 26:40 Capturing Event Dollars for Neighborhoods
• 31:36 Council’s Job: Pushback, Not Just “Get Along”
• 36:24 Strategic Neighborhoods and Uneven Investment
• 41:32 Community Benefits That Actually Deliver
• 46:34 Youth Exposure, Mentorship, and Pathways
• 52:18 Candidate 3: CM Gabriela Santiago-Romero
• 55:08 Co‑Governance and Citywide Responsibility
• 58:20 No Votes, Negotiation, and Public Safety
• 1:03:20 Identity, Representation, and Coalition Work
• 1:08:15 Truck Rerouting: Southwest Win, Citywide Need
• 1:15:45 ICE, Over‑Policing, and Due Process
• 1:21:10 Dollars to 48217/4210 and What’s Possible
• 1:25:35 Fixing the Community Benefits Ordinance
• 1:31:10 Deal‑Making, Mayoral Power, and Unity
• 1:34:42 Voting Info and Candidate Contact
• 1:35:42 Community Shout‑Outs and Closing

Transcript

SPEAKER_08: 0:00

Up next, City Council candidates Denzel McCampbell, Tyrone Carter, and Gabriela Santiago Romero joined the Authentically Detroit Candidates series to share their vision for Detroit. Keep it locked. Authentically Detroit starts after these messages. Have you ever dreamed of being on the airwaves? Well, the Authentically Detroit Podcast Network is here to make those dreams come true. Formerly known as the Deep Network and located inside the Stademeyer, the Authentically Detroit Podcast Network are for studio space and production staff to help get your idea off of the ground. Just visit authenticallydet.com and send a request through the contact page. Hey y'all, it's Orlando. We just want to let you know that the views and opinions expressed during this podcast episode are those of the co-hosts and guests and not their sponsoring institutions. Now, let's start the show. And we have our Volta You Voices co-host here, Kenneth is here. Hey, Kenneth. Hi. Thank you for listening in and supporting our efforts to build a platform of authentic voices for real people in the city of Detroit. We want you to like, rate, and subscribe to our podcast on all platforms. Welcome back to the Authentically Detroit Candidates series. Today we're interviewing candidates in the running for Detroit's City Council. First up, we have the community advocate that's attracted national attention and shocked many in the District 7 primary election, Denzel McCampbell. Denzel, welcome back to Authentically Detroit. Thanks for having me. How's everybody doing today? Donna, you good?

SPEAKER_04: 2:06

I'm good. Yes, yeah. We had a um great football weekend, right? The line today. We had a um tailgate here. It was a lot of fun. And um, yeah, it's good.

SPEAKER_08: 2:16

ECN was blued out. Hey, Denzel McCampbell. How you doing? I'm good. How are you? I'm doing well. In campaign mode? Fully. Fully. Fully. I saw the dog. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04: 2:28

Oh, that dog is so that's Minnie May's.

SPEAKER_01: 2:31

That's Minnie May. Uh what's her name? Minnie May. Minnie May.

SPEAKER_08: 2:34

Yes. Okay, more on Minnie May. What's the story of Minnie Mae?

SPEAKER_01: 2:37

So, Minnie May, she is 11 years old. Uh, we got her, she was originally my dog, then my mom took her. And then, so my mom passed away in 2020, but then I took Minnie after she passed away. And Minnie has been my sidekick ever since then. Minnie Mae. Yes.

SPEAKER_08: 2:53

Well, let's let's talk about you. Denzel Antima Campbell is a young community advocated, native Detroiter living in District 7. He was born and raised on the East Side and is a graduate of Michigan State University. Since high school, Denzel has been dedicated to public service, fighting day in and day out to increase access to democracy and representation for marginalized groups. Denzel's parents instilled in him the importance of being involved, showing up for others, and making your voice heard. Denzel was an elected Detroit City Charter Commissioner where he led an effort to revise the Detroit Constitution to better serve residents and create an equitable foundation for our city government for decades to come. Denzel also served as comms director and advisor for Congresswoman Rashid Talib here in Michigan's 12th district. He is currently the managing director for a statewide advocacy organization where he works with Michiganders to effect change and deliver on the everyday needs of his neighbors. Denzel, you've run for city clerk, you've been a charter commissioner. Why are you running for city council?

SPEAKER_01: 4:02

I believe I'm running for Detroit City Council because I believe we're at a point, not only with the city, but our on all levels of government that we need folks in office that will deliver on folks' basic needs, um, that will have authentic representation, that will be transparent and honest with folks and be working hand in hand with people that are in the community. Um we've seen a lot uh and again, this is happening across the country on all levels of government, where there's a catering to money interest, to corporations, to wealthy CEOs, while the needs of our residents go to the wayside. And I believe that's a lot of that has us in a place that we are in now where folks are not engaged in our in our election and um public policy, but also where folks are gone to this really this individualistic mindset that I just need mine and I need to get mine. And I believe we're much better when we're bringing folks together. And the starting of that is making sure that our government actually answers folks' basic needs.

SPEAKER_08: 5:05

So I'm running define basic needs.

SPEAKER_01: 5:07

When we think about housing, right? We know we have a housing crisis in this country, and it comes and when it comes to affordability, when it comes to access to housing, when it comes to ensuring people can stay in their homes and have adequate housing as well. Um, getting around when we talk about freedom of movement, uh, we need to do more of our public per public per our public transportation system here in the city of Detroit. When you think about folks having good paying jobs across the city and in our region, um we have many folks that are working three to four jobs just to make ends meet. And I see I believe there's a role that the city government could play in that. Um and fresh food, fresh food options and just ensuring we have access to grocery stores in our neighborhoods. Um that is there are many neighbor communities in Detroit that that's not the case. So that's what I mean by basic needs. When you think about housing, food, jobs, public safety as well. Uh that's what we have to be laser focused on, that we can make sure that folks can then take action on a broader sense of community.

SPEAKER_04: 6:07

Well, I have eight priorities this year, and I just finished writing them up. So I'm gonna just run them by you real quickly. Um, priority number one: establishing entertainment tax for neighborhood redevelopment. Detroiters have invested in downtown. It's time for us to get some of that money back. Um, so I'm excited about that. I've been talking about that long before this political cycle. Um replace strategic neighborhoods with citywide planning. All neighborhoods, everybody in Detroit should have equal opportunity to investment, to um, you know, redevelopment opportunities. Make it competitive, make it based on good ideas, but don't decide these are the places that people win and these are the places people lose. Um, number three, eliminate the department of neighborhoods. We don't need her, okay? You have community development organizations, and it's duplicative to have the city investing in its own political operatives inside of our neighborhoods while CDCs are starved for resources. Number four, promote affordable family housing within neighborhoods. Number five, develop inclusive grant and loan funds for housing rehab so that people can have access to both. Um, obviously, we don't have enough money to grant everybody, but if we had flexible loan terms, that might work too. Number six, restructure the downtown development authority. Number seven, redesign and enforce zoning rules. And number eight, empower communities in redesigning community benefits agreements. We've got to redesign those things. Those are the eight priorities that I think will free up resources for all of those basic needs. So, what do you think about my long list?

SPEAKER_01: 7:45

I think it's I think it's right on. And what I'll tell you, that's these solutions are a lot of what I'm hearing on the doors, right? Um, for example, when we talk about the city planning process and and and coupling that with zoning, um, in District 7, we have a lot of places on our major roles, whether it be Joy Road, whether it be Warren, um Greenfield, that folks continuously say we have too many car lots and scrapyards. And they want to see coffee shops. In seven? Yeah. Yeah, in seven, right? Especially in seven, yeah. And that they want to see coffee shops. They want to have a place that they can go grab a bite to eat with a neighbor or a family member, um, that they can see a small grocery store there, right? Uh that's that's the holistic approach that we need to have when it comes to our city government. But as you talk about with um the affordable housing and having family homes in our neighborhoods, and a couple with the rehab dollars, time and time again, especially as we're having an aging population, our folk our seniors deserve to stay in their homes and age in place. And so often they need home repair dollars, not only to repair the basic things in their homes, but make it accessible as well, right? Um, how many of the bungalows that we have in uh the district that folks aren't able to get up and down the stairs? Their bathrooms having accessibility. So I think the list, I can go through each and every one of them, but I think it's right on for what we're hearing on the doors as well.

SPEAKER_04: 9:11

I'm glad to hear that because I think our issues are restructuring our government, not just having good intentions. Absolutely. Unless we're willing to do the hard work of saying we're gonna do things differently, then we don't end up with the money to do everything we say we want to do. I want to bring Kenneth in. Um, Kenneth is um our high school student. He's been with us for a couple of years, really proud of him, really bright young mind. And he actually has helped in some of our other candidate series interviews. I'm just waiting you for until you're done chewing. And so I'm gonna keep on talking until you're done chewing. But um, Kenneth, what are you looking for in a minute-year-old candidate? So, my first I mean, I'm sorry, in a city council candidate.

SPEAKER_07: 9:49

So, my first question was gonna be because I was eating and writing my second question. They just popped on me. But um, my first question was so what are your plans for the youth and young adults going into the world, and how would you try and make adulthood not as stressful for the next generation of adults?

SPEAKER_08: 10:04

Because we stressed, Denzel. The millennials, we stressed, we've been stressed all our adult life. We're gonna do a gray hair right there, Orlando.

SPEAKER_04: 10:11

But see, Gen Zers have been. I know you see it. It's insane.

SPEAKER_08: 10:16

I'm so mad that you can see it.

SPEAKER_01: 10:18

You talking about one gray hair?

SPEAKER_08: 10:20

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 10:20

You talking about one?

SPEAKER_08: 10:21

Listen. Look, well, I am you worked for the Congresswoman. That's when you you earned your stripes.

SPEAKER_01: 10:27

But no, I mean, that's a that's a question that comes up all the time. For millennials, for uh Gen Z. First of all, is that we have to look, I'm a former Charter Revision Commissioner and I talk about this often. In the charter, it has a mandate for our city government to work hand in hand with the schools in our our city, especially DPS CD, but all schools to provide auxiliary services. And how I look at that is before and after school programming, right? College readiness programs for folks that do want to go to college. How do we prepare our young folks for how that would look? Also, skill trace programs. And it's not just to say we have skilled trace, uh skilled trace task force, or that it's here in theory, but actually going to young folks to say, here's what it means to have to be to go through an apprenticeship and still make money, that you can come out as a journey person and make all of this money and have a good future, and you can have you can be an entrepreneur as well, because we know that's a lot of young people are going in that way, that you can have these skills and make your own way in that way. But also making sure that we have mentorship programs across the city of Detroit, um, that we have to wrap our arms around our young folks. And that goes to your question about how do we get to a place to make sure folks are prepared and also not as stressed, because I have this thought that folks are out here on their own in terms of as we talk about basic needs, but also just navigating life. Um, that we we tell our young folks that, all right, you go out there and figure it on your own, figure out on your own when all of us have gone through something, and it's how do we bridge that gap with community? And I feel, you know, that's not outlined in the charter as a role of a Detroit City Council person, but is needed to actually build up the connections that we have with folks and to send our young folks on a good uh path forward. So that's those are the things that I look at. Another thing that I would say, this is not just for young people, but across the board is that we have to have more mental health funding in our city, more conflict resolution programs, and really look at how do we how are we getting to the side of folks in a mental and emotional state uh so that folks can be uh the best in in their life and have a good quality of life moving forward? Because I believe we should be treating physical health just treating mental health just as importantly as physical health, and we still have a long way to go with physical health care as well. But um, those are just some of the things I would touch on for young folks.

SPEAKER_07: 12:53

Okay, so my next two questions are so what are your thoughts on DPS and what would you do to try and help to improve? What would you what would you try to what would you try to do to help improve it and to give youth more opportunities and for the mental health for the disabled and struggling students?

SPEAKER_01: 13:09

I believe that is the aspect that um, as I previously talked about in those services that the city can help provide. Um, when we look at how many of our students are facing housing troubles, how do we make sure that the city government, in the resources and opportunities that we have with our partners, to make sure that our young folks and families are in secure housing? Um, when we think about how can we bring uh organizations together to make sure, even something as a lot of folks don't think about, making sure folks have access to clean clothes and laundry service that they can go into schools. I that's also what I think about, and then how do we bring folks together? And because I I keep saying this because we don't have to recreate the wheel. There are folks that are already doing these things in community, but how do we say, if there's someone who needs uh help with resources to get, I'm just gonna throw this out there, uh, a van to help folks get transportation around the city. The city, I believe, should be helping with that to help folks further that work. And that's what I mean around before and after school programs, uh athletics uh outside the schools, uh, you know, debate clubs, all of that. I believe that we should have a function in our city government to help support those efforts of folks outside the classroom because we just can't say you go to school and that's it, and then criminalize our young people for seeking something to do in our neighborhoods and in our city when they don't have anything to do. So I believe the city government should play a role in making sure our young folks have something to do and also enrich their future going forward.

SPEAKER_04: 14:37

So, question. Um What is the role of city council in all of this? Because, you know, um a lot of what I try to do is help residents understand distinctive roles between each political body. Can you describe your understanding and how you see yourself using your position in city council to achieve these goals?

SPEAKER_01: 14:57

First and foremost, I would say is from the aspect of the funding. Um, City Council has a major role in uh shaping our city's gov our city's budget. So I will outlook and the thing that I want folks to know, I keep telling people, when this new mayoral administration city council takes office, we will be in the middle of budget season. The budget will be due in April. So I just want to note that for folks to we'll have to jump right into it. But I look the things that I bring up, I will look at our budget to see how we can dedicate buckets of money to these aspects because, and folks gonna say, where's the money gonna come from? Um we have to make sure we are prioritizing the right things in our city, not with corporate giveaways, not with criminalizing our folks, but how are we prioritizing the good quality of life? But also on our aspects, building up relationships with the mayoral administration and department his that are then gonna carry out the programming of that funding that we get to folks. We have a strong mayor system, and it will be up to the administration how they do programming, but that's not to say that city council could not and should not build up that relationship to say, here's what we need in District 7 and across the city of Detroit. And then there's also the enforcement mechanisms. Um we have to be, as representatives of our districts and as on city council and stewards of those dollars, we have to make sure that it's going to the right place and the investigative powers as well. That's not so much in the uh program and services, but a lot of folks do tend to forget that the city council does have investigatory powers with our city government. But I've wholly I feel that we should be district advocates for our residents and neighbors, especially in the council district seats, in addition to the budget process, in addition to the legislative side with ordinances, but also being a voice for folks in our neighborhood to say, hey, we put this money towards this, why are we not seeing this come into the form of youth programming in the district?

SPEAKER_08: 16:51

I want to ask you this question around um how you describe yourself politically, because I am certain that um some folks are curious.

SPEAKER_01: 17:03

Yes.

SPEAKER_08: 17:04

So how do you describe yourself politically and how have folks been reacting to it, especially some of these older folks that you I know you knocking on the door. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01: 17:13

Yeah, you know, I will folks are gonna throw around turns, and I and I'm absolutely transparent on where I lie on the political spectrum. I I am on the left. I am a member, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. I'm also a member of the Michigan Democratic Party. Uh I consider myself a uh a left progressive. I consider myself a Democratic Socialist. But what does that actually mean for folks? This is what we talked about uh before is that I don't believe that anyone should be unhoused. I believe that people should be in adequate housing. I believe that folks should have to should not have to work multiple jobs just to make ends meet. That I believe that people should have workplace rights and a un access to a union. I believe that the power of our government should be in the hands of people and not corporations and wealthy individuals that can just call the shots and get whatever they want. Um, I believe that our city government and government on all levels should center the very folks that are in their neighborhoods, that are in the community, the people that they are centered to serve, and that we should make sure, again, I keep saying basic needs, but this for me is that this is the bare minimum that we should address our basic needs. Now, there are folks out there that would try to use labels to um attack me or to say that I'm not right for the community, but to answer your question.

SPEAKER_04: 18:32

Yeah, I've heard people say things like that, and it's really funny to me. Um, you see what's happening in New York, and you see the same kind of resistance from your um old school black Democrats and urban Democrats, right?

SPEAKER_05: 18:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04: 18:43

And now look what's happening in New York City, right? It's almost like, okay, well, if we can't beat them, join them. And I think that um it's possible to see those types of shifts in other places. I know that there's others who are running, maybe not as democratic socialists, but we have a few office holders or people seeking office right now in Michigan who are running um aligned with Democratic Socialists of America, if not members of that. Yes, including you, Donovan McKinney, I believe, Abdul El Sayyid. Are there others?

SPEAKER_01: 19:11

Uh Gabriel Santiago Romero is Gabriel. And then um, you know, uh Congresswoman Talib is a member of DSA. Uh Representative uh Dylan Wagella is a member of DSA. So there to your point, there are folks running in or in office, and and I would say, you know, to the question of what am I hearing on the doors, I lead with those values and what the vision that I have for our city government of making sure that we do have folks that can be in um adequate housing, that we make sure folks can get around our city, that we make sure that folks have uh money in their pockets and food on the table. And folks are really connecting with that. I I will I will be honest with you. I actually get folks to say, yeah, I heard this or that, or it's rare that I say, Oh, I hear you're a socialist, I'm not voting for you.

SPEAKER_04: 19:58

Yeah. I don't think that I I don't think that that's a thing for the people in the community, right? I think that there's um a real fight over yeah, it's a political establishment. Anytime you have establishment, you have power. And anytime you have power, you have people trying to hold on to it, right? Absolutely. And so when you have new people, and especially I think this is a problem in our democracy, is that there's a generation of people who are trying to keep the power from younger generations who really believe that we fixed things and we need to keep hold on to things so we can fix them again, as opposed to acknowledging that maybe it's somebody else's turn and we didn't fix things because the US has never been. You know, we we're not gonna make Detroit great again, we're not gonna make America great again or Michigan great again because, you know, injustice, racism, sexism, homophobia, these are built-in um, you know, mindsets in the United States. People say, well, it's not American. And it's like, what America have you lived in?

SPEAKER_01: 21:00

And that's exactly it. And we people are demanding something new. And here's the here's the last thing I'll say on that point as well. We in this race, there is a stark difference between the opponents. I mean, between the candidates, right? And no matter, you know, what the establishment would try to put out there and say, I talk about people's records and their values. For me, I have always been, I've been on picket lines with striking workers. I have been working hand in hand with community organizations to help deliver for folks. I have been working hand in hand with advocates to push for policies that center our people when we talk about water affordability, when we talk about equitable development, environmental justice. I will put my record and the stances that I have against anyone. But in this race, we also have someone who has not acted in the best interest of the communities that they represent. And that's what I hope voters will look at as we go into November.

SPEAKER_08: 21:59

Denzel McCampbell, tell the people how they can contact you and talk to you.

SPEAKER_01: 22:03

Absolutely. So to learn more about uh the campaign and myself, you can go to www.denzelfordetroit.com. That's D-E-N-Z-E-L-F-O-R Detroit.com. You can give me a call at 313-261-6992. And we're also on all social media platforms.

SPEAKER_08: 22:20

All right. Denzel McCampbell, candidate for city council in District 7. You'll see his name on the ballot. We'll be right back with Willie Burton. Detroit 1 million is a journalism project started by Sam Robinson that centers a generation of Michiganders growing up in a state without a city with 1 million people. Support the only independent reporter covering the 2025 Detroit mayoral race through the lens of young people. Good journalism costs. Visit Detroit1million.com to support black independent reporting. So next up, we have State Representative for District 1 and previously District 6, Tyrone Carter. Tyrone, welcome to Authentically Detroit. Are we saying that for the first time? Have you been with us before? I don't think he's been with us before.

SPEAKER_00: 23:16

I have not been with you before.

SPEAKER_08: 23:17

Yeah, welcome to the podcast. Welcome to how you like our digs. Oh, it's nice. It's nice.

SPEAKER_00: 23:22

We're glad we're glad when you grow up, you get a little bigger up to the past six and a half years.

SPEAKER_08: 23:28

Tyrone Carter has had the honor and privilege of serving as state representative for District 1 and previously District 6. Now, continuing his commitment to public and community service, he's running for Detroit City Council in District 6. Tyrone's journey began in the early 1980s with the Wayne County Sheriff's Office. He's not old enough to go back that far. Where we confronted, where he confronted inequality head on. As a union steward, he fought for equal pay, one job classification, and better benefits in one. Over 25 years, he rose to executive lieutenant, serving in leadership roles within the union and the department. Elected to the Michigan State House in 2018, he served on key committees, including regulatory reform, judiciary, criminal justice, corrections, education, and military and veterans' affairs. He's also sponsored and co-sponsored laws like the Clean Slate Act of 2021, funding sickle cell research for the first time in state history, and lowering the cost of prisoner phone calls by two-thirds, helping thousands navigate unemployment during COVID-19 and delivering over$1 billion to the city of Detroit as the chair of the Detroit caucus. Tyrone believes the challenges we face, economic, social, and community, require proven leadership that delivers results. If elected, he hopes to be a voice for all stakeholders, fighter for fairness, and a difference maker for District 6. All right. Yeah, I can leave now. Yeah, no, no. But in your words, in layman's terms, why are you running? Why are you running for a city council? Are you term-limited in the state? You're not? Okay. So you want to come home?

SPEAKER_00: 25:16

So that's it. I want to come home. Okay. So all politics are local. So everything I've been able to do at the state level, I've s you know, I've watched it as it gets to the city level. But then I've watched my district not receive some of those benefits that I've fought for. So I've had to be intentional. What's not in there is that I've gotten money for Sir Metro, uh LASED, Covenant House, Alternatives for Girls, U of D Dental. So when when you send money and it doesn't roll down to the places that need it most, then that says you have an advocacy problem on a certain level. So for the first time in 12 years, we're going to have a new mayor and at least two new city council people because we had two running for mayor. So I see this as an opportunity for me to come home and continue the good work that I've done in Lansing and be more closer and you know, I don't want to use that term, but boots on the ground. But uh we'll be in the neighborhood. I'm so sorry. We almost said that yesterday.

SPEAKER_04: 26:14

After the Lions game, we had a tailgate here, and someone said we have to do boots on the We didn't do it, but listen, um I I I've run this nonprofit. We haven't met before, but I'm um president of CEO of Eastside Community Network. And um as long as you've been at well, in the 1980s, I started working in community development, so we have been in different trajectories, but we have I say equal length of experience. Um and through my experience, I've identified eight priorities for the community. I'm gonna run the by the um for community development equity in our communities and see what you think about them.

SPEAKER_06: 26:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_04: 26:48

Okay. One, establish an entertainment tax for neighborhood development. Two, um, we have as residents subsidized downtown development through the downtown development authority. This is a way of um creating a mechanism to reinvest funds back into our neighborhoods. It's our time for return. Two, and this is I'm a long-term advocate. This has nothing to do with any political campaigns. I wrote my first editorial about this in 2016. I got proof, right? Um, two, replace strategic neighborhoods with citywide planning. Um, it shouldn't matter where you live. The city should be equal ready to invest equally regardless of where you live. The strategic neighborhood fund leaves so many neighborhoods, over 80% of our neighborhoods, uncovered, right? Um number three, eliminate the department of neighborhoods. It's do I'm gonna send you this. It's duplicative. Yes, I'll send you this. It's duplicative. We don't need a department of neighborhoods when you have community development organizations that can partner with city government to provide a lot of the same functions without the overhead, right? It creates bureaucracy between the city and the people, and people like me are here to provide partnership. Number four, promote affordable family housing within neighborhoods. We need to invest in our neighborhood housing. Most people in Detroit are struggling to afford housing right now in our neighborhoods, and we don't want to live in micro studios.

unknown: 28:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_04: 28:07

Number five. Um, we need to develop inclusive grant and loan funds for housing rehab, right? Right now, um, there's just not enough money to rehab houses with grants, but it and the loans are really inaccessible to low-income people. But there's ways that we can restructure the programs to break down the barriers, right? Number six, restructure the downtown development authority. It's done its job. Downtown is great. Now we need downtown development authority to stop hoarding all of the resources that had been generated and allow more of those funds to flow into our neighborhood. Um, the Citizens Research Council of Michigan has outlined a couple of ways to do that. I don't know the way, I just know it needs to be evaluated. Number seven, redesign and enforce zoning rules. We have zoning violations where intensive industrial is happening right next to where people live that needs to be changed. We need buffers and all that kind of stuff. I sat on the zone Detroit Planning Commission. The zoning analytic was completed in 2020, and we still have not adopted those new zoning rules, and we don't enforce the ones that exist in poor neighborhoods. And number eight, we need to redesign the community benefits process. So those are my eight priorities. Do any of those stand out to you? And are there any that you would oppose in your seat as city council person?

SPEAKER_00: 29:26

So when you talked about when you started at one, I wanted to take notes because each one of them I agree with. We we've got to redesign how we do things in Detroit. So the first one, one of the last bills I was able to get through, I was able to get Macomb, Wayne, and Oakland counties, and the city of Detroit agree to pass a bill for visit Detroit. Detroit had the lowest millage, well, what is it, tax on hotel rooms. We hadn't had an increase in the taxes on hotel rooms in 2020. 20-30 years because nobody wants to come to Detroit. Let's just be honest about what was going on. So I think the next closest lowest was Cincinnati. So when you think about when you travel, you go to Boston, you go to New York, you go to Vegas, the room may be$79, but when you finish looking at the taxes, it's another$20,$30, and nobody complains. So with the energy that the Lions, the Tigers, the NFL draft has generated, we were able to push that through, and it was voluntary if you wanted to opt in. But the monies that they've generated just by that tax, they've been able to, from hotels, they've been able to attract three more conventions to the city. I talked to Claude Mulinary the other day. So when I was in Boston last month, I see the monies that flow into a city when they have a convention, especially a national convention. So Detroit is on the map now. We've got to maintain that energy, but we also need to benefit uh from that as well. So we've got to figure out a way and mechanism to look at it. And long before I got elected, when they were building stadiums, I said if you can afford a$120 ticket, another$2 is not going to break you. If you're paying$100 and you're not complaining about the parking guy, um$7,$8 for a park, you know,$20,$30. It makes sense for me because you're marshalling resources that should be in other areas, or you're paying overtime.

SPEAKER_08: 31:26

So we got guests.

SPEAKER_00: 31:31

So, you know, when when you look at Tyrone, go ahead. Oh. So got me nervous. So now we have to look at ways to capture this energy and spread it out to the communities. Because before I hear the tale of two cities, um, you know, downtown, midtown, neighborhoods. Well, I was with some seniors earlier and I talked about maybe 20, 30 years ago, next to Central Methodist Church on Adams and Woodworth. And Woodward. There used to be a black comedy shop, uh black comedy um club called All Jokes Aside.

SPEAKER_04: 32:07

I remember that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 32:09

See, you're you're old enough to remember it. So Chris Rock, before he really took off and blew up, he was down there. So, you know, being a fan, my wife and I and my sister, we went down there and watched. And I'll never forget what he said. He said, Yeah, downtown Detroit, the only thing missing is tumbleweed. There was nothing going on in downtown.

SPEAKER_04: 32:29

Oh, I remember. Last one out. Turn out the lights for the piece to say that.

SPEAKER_00: 32:33

And, you know, I'm a homer. I was born and raised in Southwest. I remember downtown Detroit days, going to the movies on half day shopping. None of that existed. So if the heart's not strong, the rest of the body, nothing's gonna happen. Nobody's coming to your neighborhood if they don't come downtown first. So downtown has done its job. It's where we need it to be, where we wanted it to be. The energy is there. Now we've got to look at how do we spread that out.

SPEAKER_08: 33:00

Yeah. Let me ask you how you see the function of City Council as it stands now.

SPEAKER_00: 33:10

So for 12 years, you know, you kept hearing about how they got along. Getting along is fine, but you need some pushback. So you need some negotiated budgets. You can't just be all in. And it only took five people to push back. See, I'm a numbers guy. Right now there's 110 state reps, so I need 56 to get a bill out of the House. All I need out of nine people is five for us to agree upon. Well, no, we don't agree with that. We're not a no, but we need to negotiate something else.

SPEAKER_04: 33:40

My goodness, this is my biggest pet peeve.

SPEAKER_00: 33:42

Oh, I trust me. As a person from Lansing who has sent millions of dollars, and I've got the sheet in my bag to show you all, where did it go? Because this was the budget I guess the mayor presented that city council had agreed upon. But I don't know what happens in backrooms, but I know what happens in rooms in Lansing. So when we we do that legislatively, you're supposed to be the check and the balance.

SPEAKER_04: 34:06

But you know, I have a theory on that.

SPEAKER_00: 34:07

What's that?

SPEAKER_04: 34:09

When we went to districts, districts, city council districts, every city council person is competing with the other city council person for the mayor to put stuff in their communities so that rather than city council acting as one, city council people are in competition, it fragments and increases the power of the mayor. It does, you have representation at the city council side, but I've heard a city council person or two talk about, well, I voted for this because the mayor said the mayor would do that. And this is what Daly did in Chicago when he built his machine and he worked with the alderman in Chicago to do the same kind of thing. How do we get our city council people to understand that if you become district six rep, you work for me too. And I'm in district five and I work in district four. But every city council person works for the entire city, not for your little neighborhood. You're not the mini mayor of Southwest, right?

SPEAKER_00: 35:04

So technically I am, but I'll say this. They call me the mayor. But this is the thing. Born and raised, there he is. But you know what I mean. Yeah, no, and and first of all, you have to be not afraid of losing your job. You have too many people that this is the end-all, be all for them. And so they play get along to be along, and and you'd vote if I get a little better. They don't understand that if five of them join together, you can get pushback. You can get what you want, you can negotiate, but you've got to get five people to be willing to say, no, we don't agree with that, and it's okay to not to agree.

SPEAKER_04: 35:43

But but to not agree with that can mean under this administration in the city, this current administration that you're not gonna get this project in your community. I will punish you. In fact, there are people who will say that the person that you're running against has challenged the mayor, and that because of those challenges, your community has suffered because of uh the challenge because other people have been unwilling to step up in the same way. Do you think that's true? Or are you thinking that this is a person who has just gone along to get along as well?

SPEAKER_00: 36:16

I can speak for my district. I don't think that's true. We haven't benefited in 12 years in my neighborhood. And this is what I tell new legislators when they come up. You got to vote three ways. You got to vote your conscience. Can you sleep at night if you vote this way? You got to vote your constituents, because those are the people that sent you there to represent them. And then you have to vote however the caucus or the majority goes. But if it's something that doesn't fit, if six other districts are getting something and mine isn't, because there's seven districts, but I play go along to get along, I'm gonna be left out.

SPEAKER_08: 36:52

Describe what you mean by benefit. Benefit? Yeah, you said so you for the last twelve years, district six hasn't benefited. Benefited from what?

SPEAKER_00: 37:02

Benefited from uh by districts, city council by district. So before everything was at large.

SPEAKER_05: 37:08

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 37:08

And the majority of the voters came from either affluent or high voting districts. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04: 37:13

But but but when you say that your district hasn't benefited, what benefits has your district not seen that other districts have? Because I'm over here on f in in in four trying to figure out what you have, what we have that you don't have.

SPEAKER_00: 37:26

Oh, we have we don't have bus shelters in some of the neighborhoods. Okay, something as simple as that, and I know we sent six million dollars down.

SPEAKER_04: 37:33

But but who has bus shelters? What neighborhoods do?

SPEAKER_00: 37:36

District five.

SPEAKER_08: 37:37

District five. There's quite a few that do.

SPEAKER_04: 37:39

But I think, you know, I'm not trying to I don't know.

SPEAKER_08: 37:42

No, I'm really trying to I'm trying to draw, I want you to draw a delineation of around around the benefit.

SPEAKER_04: 37:47

So all I'm gonna ask you as you talk about this is you know, the city has a way of putting money in places with people who have money, and it has nothing to do with who's representing us, it has to do with strategic neighborhoods.

SPEAKER_00: 38:04

Correct.

SPEAKER_04: 38:04

And so do you believe strategic neighborhoods are an issue?

SPEAKER_00: 38:09

Yes.

SPEAKER_04: 38:10

Okay. There's a strategic neighborhood in District 6.

SPEAKER_08: 38:13

There is. Where? Is Verner? That's a that was the planning study, right? On Werner? That was the city planning study.

SPEAKER_00: 38:20

See, and that is the comment from the majority of the district, yeah, whether it's over near Murray Wright, whether over near Northwestern, yeah. Uh, that certain communities within the district get resources. Yeah. When others don't. Exactly. Talk about it. And others feel like they uh warn entiremen.

SPEAKER_06: 38:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 38:39

They don't feel like they're part of the process. Yeah. Many people don't know that UPS just closed that distribution center. Uh that White Castle is gone. The supermarket. What resources do they have? So Pal just reopened a rec center across the street from the old Chassis because the set the state sent money to PAL and they say we want to expand. So where are you expanding? They expanded to a recreational desert. So when we have that, and I'll just say that, I'll be candid. Uh most people know me. I'm straight up like six o'clock. So this is the deal. I've been a state rep for six years, six, seven. I've never once had an uh just one-on-one conversation with our city councilperson, whether it was Raquel or whether it was Gabrielle. Last term Gabriella. Last term, well she says Gabby, but last term, we had the trifecta. I had quarterly meetings with the mayor, I had quarterly meetings with different mayors, because the Democrats, and I was the chair of the Detroit caucus, um, said, okay, what things can we work on, collaborate on? I've reached out to her office, nothing. So when you do things like that, if you're not meeting with all stakeholders, then you're not representing all stakeholders.

SPEAKER_04: 39:55

Right. And I'm I'm not gonna disagree with that. I'm just gonna point out that Corktown is in District 6. And we don't have anything close to what Corktown has received in terms of, I mean, you guys have a whole, you know, so I think the challenge in Detroit, and I'm not gonna I the district politics, but the challenge in Detroit is uneven investment in neighborhoods. It is taking state and federal resources and deciding I'm gonna put them here and I'm gonna put them here. And the here and there is rarely with poor folks. It's rarely in majority black communities that are not also gentrifying. It's happening to actually aid gentrification from where I sit. Because see, I'm we're on Mac. We've been redeveloping Mac since what Orlando was here in 2016. We started our Mac redevelopment process. The city won't put a dime in Mac Avenue. We can't get that.

SPEAKER_00: 40:41

But Warren Avenue is getting all of the resources I was gonna say, we just uh$1.5 or$3 million where the old Pizza Hut is. Yes, but that's still own a home on Bishop.

SPEAKER_04: 40:50

Right.

SPEAKER_00: 40:50

And I know that they got a uh East Warren Development got money, just like um Yes, exactly.

SPEAKER_04: 40:56

But East Warren Development is in a ginger fund, we we can acknowledge that East English Village is ginger funding, right?

SPEAKER_00: 41:03

Always has been. But uh no, you still own a home.

SPEAKER_04: 41:06

But it's but I'm saying that the the the values. So I think my question for you is aside from personality differences, do you see yourself being able to bring revenue into 48217 just like Corktown because that's what I'm hearing from you.

SPEAKER_00: 41:22

I'm hearing that you're an appropriator.

SPEAKER_08: 41:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 41:24

Well, you you have to look at the environment. And 48217 is too close to Lincoln Park, Melvendale, ECourse Rouge. Why not? So businesses make a business decision based on, you know, what they can generate, uh the safety aspect concerns. So a lot of neighborhoods that say they're deserts, you have to look at their location and see what they're close to. A lot of Detroit neighborhoods close to Dearborn don't have the things and they have to go to Dearborn. We don't have things in our neighborhood that we used to have. Like I said, when I growing up there, we had everything we needed. Then all of a sudden we had nothing. So the goal is because what do we have? Roller cade, a funeral home, a couple beauty supplies, and some other stuff. We've got to try to create that energy with these empty buildings. And all you have to do is duplicate what they've done in other places and say, give it a try. Um, I've not seen any motor city match in certain neighborhoods. Why? I have no idea. I'm I'm at the state level.

SPEAKER_04: 42:26

You know what I can tell you at the city level? The city has maps where they are willing to invest resources like that. And that's where city council comes in, because city council can play a role in deciding where those investments go. There's, you know, HUD makes the city go through the master planning process and the city's prioritized some areas. MAVENU has not been a priority, which just means that we don't get the money that Warren does. Even though we are just a short distance from Warren, Jefferson gets money that we can't get. And that's happening all over the city of Detroit. And so, as city council person, you know what's happening in District 7. Six, right? Six. I can tell you what's happening in District 4 and District 5. My question is: do city council people in District 7 have a responsibility to care about what's happening over here and to help weigh in to make sure that equity is happening all over the city?

SPEAKER_00: 43:19

Absolutely. Absolutely. And you also have two at-large people that that could weigh in. So if you've got a great plan, so now you've got three. If you can move the crowd and get two other people to understand what your position is and how it would benefit the people you represent, and it doesn't have to be a quid pro quote. Hey, if you get this from me, then I'll turn around and do it for you. Do it because it's the right thing to do. Give me those two votes.

SPEAKER_04: 43:44

You know, like I've had a long track record in Detroit. I was the first executive director of Anguard Community Development Corporation in the North End. And at that time, all nine City Council people worked for everybody in the city of Detroit. When we went to City Council, if we wanted to get land, if a developer came into our community and they wanted to do something, the first thing they would ask is, what neighborhood organizations are you working with? And if you aren't working with a neighborhood organization, you're not going to get this land. And they voted as a unit to protect our interest. Now it feels as though you have to get your city council person, and actually all of you are ours. I've read the city charter. And the city charter does not say that this city council person is responsible for what's happening in their council district. They are elected by their council district to make sure that there's equitable representation. But just like in the state legislature, you're responsible for the state as a whole, not just for your district, right? And so how do we change that thinking so that people are acting on all of our behalf?

SPEAKER_00: 44:41

I think that, and that's a great question. I had this conversation earlier today with some seniors. People need to understand that politics is a team sport. I don't see a lot of team play uh amongst uh a lot of organizations, and I'm talking about even in the legislature. It's got to be about me, me, me, my district, my district. And so you shouldn't have to give up something to get something.

SPEAKER_04: 45:05

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00: 45:06

It should be a team sport to say, okay, we know that Rosedale is different than Claytown, in my which they call near Chadsey. So things are gonna happen differently, but we need for something to happen. And a lot of a lot of people in neighborhood when I go to the community meetings say, nothing's been happening positive over here. When can we get something positive? When can you show us because people are losing hope with the whole process. Yeah. So if I can point to something as small as, hey, um, pal is opening up this recreation center, they're gonna do after school stuff, they're gonna do all of this, which in an area where Cronk used to be doesn't exist, then that's a start. Then I'll go over to Equity Alliance and say, okay, what do you guys need for you to be successful? And I say this all the time. You know, I'm one of seven kids. My mother said, Hey, I love all my kids just differently. And that's how you have to look at my district. They all have different needs. But I've got to have those conversations with the uh community organizations or help people to start community organizations. There's a lot of communities that don't have organizations, they barely know their neighbors. So what do you think of the current uh community benefits ordinance on the books? I think it was put together uh just to say we have one. Um I'm from a community and it it's become a talking point for some folks. Oh, we need to have a community. What does that mean to most people?

SPEAKER_04: 46:37

So Proposal A meant something, right? And we got proposal Benson and proposal Benson uh watered it all down.

SPEAKER_00: 46:44

So let me go back to pre pre-any of this when we actually had a real community benefits agreement that I negotiated. So Marathon Oil received a$189 million tax break from the city to expand. They used to give money up to Homeland Security, to the they gave me a list of where they gave money to. And I said, okay, that's great. The city closed our recreation center down there and said they were two million dollars short. So Kami Kwame Kenyatta, God rest his soul, this is when city council was at large, sat down with us. I was the president of our neighborhood organization and said, Hey, I need a little leverage. We need to do this. What we ended up with was we got a new recreation center, which is a show place and a centerpiece of that community. We also got 10 P Tech scholarships for 10 years that Marathon paid for out at Henry Ford Community College. It stopped when Mayor Bing closed the civil rights department and it fell through the cracks. But in negotiations with Marathon, I said, okay, how about you give me three scholarships down at Wayne State for the rest of those years? You have to be able to sit down and have conversations about how do you benefit your host community. Now, right now, Marathon has a community advisory panel. They call the CAP. They meet once a month. They now hire kids from the neighborhood. They go and cut grass for seniors, they have a thing called neighbors helping neighbors. We're trying to create that model that if other um companies follow in other parts of the city, it'll be a benefit for both.

SPEAKER_04: 48:25

Well, yeah, we we need laws. We had a community benefits agreement here with the expansionist, yes. That did not benefit our community, that excluded voices like mine, it happened too quickly. We didn't do anything to protect our environment over here, and we're living with the long-term consequences of that. So uh it would be interesting to have that, you know, inscribed into law and policy. So it's not just having a good person do it, but that we have actual rights underneath the um city ordinances. But I want to make sure we talk to our high school. And it has to be consequences, consequences and enforcement. How do you negotiate a community benefits without a job guarantee and say, well, you get the first right to interviews? You know, it it doesn't make sense to those of us who feel as though people in our community should actually get jobs. Um, and and and then, you know, if you violate that or you don't hire appropriately or first hired, last last hired, first fired, all of those things happen. There's no callback or anything like that, and that's a problem. I want to make sure we talk to Kenneth, though, because Kenneth is our high school student. He's a Southeastern High School, and he is a um leading voice in our community for our youth. Kenneth, do you have questions?

SPEAKER_07: 49:36

Um, yeah, let me go back to my notepad. Um, so I have two questions for you. My first question is what impact do you want to leave for the next generation and for the ones to come?

SPEAKER_00: 49:47

What impact? That no matter what you do, education still gets you to a better place in life. So I've been very intentional with that.

SPEAKER_08: 49:56

I agree. I agree with that.

SPEAKER_00: 49:57

Very intentional. So for the last 20 years, I've taken kids on black college tours.

SPEAKER_08: 50:02

Nice.

SPEAKER_00: 50:02

Um, whether they can afford it or not shouldn't be the barrier to keep them from going. The other thing is um before I got elected, my wife, uh Skillman, and I know they've changed how they operate now. Trying to think, Robert Thornton said, I'm gonna get some money and I want you to run this program in a summer for 40 black males ages 17 to 24. And we did it. We did it on Wayne State's campus. And I'm still in touch with some of those young men today, because that was their first time on the college campus. That was the first time getting a job. And I didn't want cat kids from Cash King and Renaissance. No, I did not. I wanted them, and we got them from Osborne. And matter of fact, we had Jamary A. Hall, if I'm pronouncing his name right, he was one of the plaintiffs in that$90 million literacy lawsuit. So, Cody, Southeastern, and and South shout out to Southeastern. My wife's family grew up on LaMay. So uh all of them went there. And just to go to young people and show them that there are other ways, um, that the stuff that you all see on TV is not the way life is. The goal is to get you away, show you different things, prick you, and say, okay, here's your interest. What are you interested in? Because if you don't know what exists, you don't know what you can be.

SPEAKER_08: 51:21

That's good. Exposure. You can't dream about what you want to be if you haven't been exposed to it. You have to point.

SPEAKER_07: 51:28

Okay, so my second question is what drives you to do what you want to do, and what would you do to support the poor and struggling middle class for medical needs, and how would you and how and what would you do to advocate for their voices?

SPEAKER_00: 51:40

So, um the the the poor and disenfranchised, once upon a time, people see me where I am today. They don't know where I come from. So what I've tried to do, if it wasn't for food stamps, uh Mick Press cat, uh we didn't have a dentist. We had to go to the clinic. So that's why I was intentional in making sure that U of D dental, because of what they do in a community, the state had cut them 80%. I made sure that they got fully uh funded. They needed more, but they were happy with that. Um Covenant House, you know, every young person that runs away from home is not running away because they're bad. The goal is there were safety nets that benefited me when I was a kid. I try to make sure they exist. Um because it's hard to learn something as small as free breakfast and lunch. If it wasn't for free lunch, I might not ate either. So we have to continue to remember where we came from, but also have conversations with you to find out what you want, what you need. Because me serving you pizza and you don't like pizza is is foolish. We gotta have those conversations with young people.

SPEAKER_07: 52:48

I like a pizza, I love pizza.

SPEAKER_00: 52:50

But see, there's some people that may not. And I think as adults, um we burden ourselves with what we went through as opposed to looking at what challenges you have and how can I help you? Because this didn't exist when I was a kid, the phone. So when when folks talk about getting information, getting um anything, paying bills, I heard they even date on their phones now. That didn't exist uh for me. So I've got to, you know, speak to young cats and say, hey, what is it, what is it that you like to do that I can help you with? And and I'll tell you real quick what we've done. Um Pal, make sure they have money for after school programs, not for sports. Boys and Girls Club, we made sure they got$3 million because Big Sean has a recording studio in every one of those. They also have a gaming place in there because, you know, we're consumers of games. This teaches young people how to make games. But now I see that colleges have gaming teams. So we have to find out what you like. Oh, the other one in Highland Park has a um fashion studio. And they take the young people to New York for Fashion Week because I'm sure you know some young folks that have clothing lines. So we try to show them the right way and how to do it. Not that they're doing it the wrong way, but we shot try to show them the way to get there faster and quicker and remove any hurdles. So the goal is to make sure you have as much as you need to be successful. Now everybody's not gonna make it, but we're gonna create that pathway that if you follow it, um nobody said it's gonna be easy, but the pathways exist.

SPEAKER_07: 54:28

But I've got one more question.

SPEAKER_04: 54:29

And and investing in work, like our youth work here, is important. Oh, absolutely. This is the city, instead of having these, you know, neighborhood offices, invest in places where we're serving neighbors, like the young people, because they they have places. I think as city council people, you can't do all of this. You need to partner. And a lot of times when you talk about public-private, it's public-corporate, and nonprofits get left out, but we play a significant role in the revitalization of our neighbors and our city.

SPEAKER_07: 55:00

Okay, so my last question is um, what would you do to tell our current current a generation of parents slash adults about how um how the youth is different from how y'all were when you were when y'all were in our shoes?

SPEAKER_00: 55:18

I mean, uh technology has changed everything that we do. Um when I had to do a book report, I had to go to the library and do use the Dewey Decimal system.

SPEAKER_05: 55:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 55:28

I I know you might have to Google that to find out what that is. But there was no Google. There was no instant access to information. We have volumes. And and even sometimes instant access is not correct.

SPEAKER_08: 55:40

That's right.

SPEAKER_00: 55:40

So you can't rely on it. So I would tell people, even in this job, reading is fundamental. Comprehension is necessary. So you gotta read it, you gotta comprehend it, then you gotta make informed decisions and think about how it's gonna impact you, the people around you, but also some unintended consequences uh with that. So I would just tell them, hey, some things haven't changed. Do your homework, check it out for yourself. Um just because you you know me and I'm a good source, doesn't mean that I know it. Do your homework.

SPEAKER_08: 56:21

Tyrone Carter, current state rep candidate for city council in District Six. How can the folks get in contact with you?

SPEAKER_00: 56:28

Easiest way is they can go to my website, www.uhelectyrone Carter dot com, uh, or they can call me, 313-744-5925. Uh people say you give your number out. I've had the same number. Uh I I we call it a uh landline at the house. I live in a house I grew up in, and and that's the number that my mother had, and that's the number I've got. So um I'm not hard to get in contact with, but the easiest way, um shoot me a call or a text, or shoot an email, or um you can find me on Facebook, Tyrone Carter.

SPEAKER_08: 57:04

All right. His name will be on the ballot in November, or if you are getting absentee ballot or doing early voting, you'll see his name on the ballot. Best of luck. Thanks for coming on Authentically Detroit.

SPEAKER_00: 57:15

Well, thank you all for having me. And anytime, young man, you want to sit down and shadow or or figure out because I had nobody when I was a kid to how I ended up in politics, if I wrote a book, it would be uh stumbling into greatness. Um write it. Never figure this out.

SPEAKER_05: 57:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 57:30

But the exposure, you might want to do what I do, but I can make it easier for you. We'll be right back with you.

SPEAKER_08: 57:43

Interested in renting space for corporate events, meetings, conferences, social events, or resource fairs? The MASH Detroit Small Business Hub is a 6,000 square feet space available for members, residents, and businesses and organizations. To learn more about rental options at MASH Detroit, contact Nicole Perry at nperry at ecnetroit.org or 313-331-3485. Welcome back, everyone. We're interviewing candidates in the running to join Detroit's City Council. Next up, we have District 6 City Councilwoman Gabriela Santiago Romero. Councilmember Gabriela Santiago Romero is an MSW and is an immigrant from Mexico raised in southwest Detroit and an active organizer in Michigan. Gabriela's love for her community has led her through many paths. She's the former policy and research director at a state-based movement organization. She's also supported young girls of color through leadership programs such as Girls Making Change, leading statewide policy change with local electeds like Senator Chain. And recently, during the Southwest floods, she directly served constituents' needs by connecting them to resources and creating mutual aid paths in collaboration with other leaders and nonprofits in the community. On City Council, member Santiago Romero chairs the Public Health and Safety Committee. She co-chairs the city's immigration task force and the Equitable Development Task Force. She helped create the city's down payment assistance program that will provide over 1,000 Detraitors to become homeowners for the first time. The city's community violence intervention program that has led to a reduction of crime and the city's paratransit services for seniors, allowing them to access same day services. In her own words, growing up an immigrant in poverty in Southwest Detra has forced me to see and learn things the hard way. I know our family isn't the only one in our community that has experienced these struggles. Too many families in our community have struggled to make ends meet, have been pushed. out of their homes by foreclosure and have struck and are struggling to get jobs or school get to get to jobs or school due to the lack of reliable public transit. I'm happy to say I think for the first time ever.

SPEAKER_02: 1:00:12

Yes.

SPEAKER_08: 1:00:12

Councilmember Gabriela Santiago Romero, welcome to Authentically Detroit.

SPEAKER_02: 1:00:16

Thanks for having me. I appreciate being here.

SPEAKER_08: 1:00:19

We enjoy that you are here. We're happy that you're here. Quick question for you just to get us started. Your bio said a lot. What didn't it say?

SPEAKER_02: 1:00:28

Ooh that we do all of our work through a co-governance model. So all the work that we've done, it's because someone has told us we need to focus on this. It has been urgent and it's been really a rapid response to the concerns of community. There is so much more that we do we do every single summer my team goes out, excuse me, every single winter my team goes out to make sure that we are per providing information for homes that might be foreclosed upon. We have knocked on over 10,000 doors in District 6 that we're up for foreclosure. We have an outreach team that goes out every summer that door knocks to make sure that we're doing community wellness tracks with residents. There is so much more that we do but just wanted to share that the work that we do is deeply rooted with community as an organizer, as a social worker, it's important that we are led by by our constituents and we will continue to do that moving forward.

SPEAKER_04: 1:01:24

Yeah you know I have a question about your constituents because you are the city council person that was elected by residents in your district which is largely in or if completely in southwest Detroit right but as a city council person you preside over city council affairs for the entire city. So my question is as an east resident am I also your constituent?

SPEAKER_02: 1:01:47

Absolutely yes and I wanted to be very clear district six is more than southwest Detroit's we have downtown Corktown Midtown Woodbridge Cass Corridor and the issues that we are dealing with in District 6 are issues that I know we're dealing over here in the East side. So yes absolutely the work that I do is citywide.

SPEAKER_04: 1:02:07

Yeah because you know I I just want to follow up with this you know before we had city council by district every city council person understood it was their responsibility to bring accountability to the mayoral office to review budgets and do things fairly and oversee city policy and certainly some neighborhoods got overlooked. Yeah but you know the fear I have is overcorrecting for that by having people in their many fiefdoms and saying well I represent this community and not yours speak to your city council person because as far as I'm concerned I read the city charter and I think you all work for all of us, right?

SPEAKER_02: 1:02:43

Absolutely. Yes we do. And that is how we do our work the transits uh the parrot transit service are citywide um the Dom Payment assistance program is citywide I know that I represent a majority black beautiful city and that is Detroit and I have the honor of listening deeply to the residents in District 6.

SPEAKER_08: 1:03:01

I want to ask you this question about how you see your role on the city council many times you are an often lone no vote. Sometimes Council President Mary Sheffield is joining you on a no vote, particularly on issues that Detroit feel really salient about whether that be tax incentives for large development among other things. How do you how do you see your role at that table?

SPEAKER_02: 1:03:28

I've realized that my role at the table is a bridge one that bridges residents to whoever the players that we need to be talking to whether that be the mayor administration or a company or whatever the case may be at the moment. But I believe it's also my role to be creative uh to push back on the status quo uh to make us think why do we keep doing this? Why are we doing this now? Can we do something different? And I've realized that as the chair of public health and safety, a lot of the concerns that Detroiters have regarding police and over policing although Detroiters love their police if you talk to enough of enough of Detroiters you'll see that but there's still this very real need of accountability and as the chair I was the one that held the shot spotter contract until we had a deal until we had a plan to invest in our CVI programs as well. So I I believe my role is to utilize that pulpit when I can when it's in my committee and in my power to hold things back so that we can hold a conversation to do things differently. And I think it's that is it's to do things differently it's it's to think more creatively and to share the ideas that I'm hearing that are not just coming from me but that are coming from researchers, professors, organizers, mothers, grandmothers they all have solutions that I think it's my part of my job to bring those forward as well.

SPEAKER_04: 1:04:52

That's amazing. So I want to talk about a couple of things related to um you mentioned representing a majority black community although you also represent um people who are of Latin American descent and I I think that there's that tension right because you have a community that feels underrepresented. Yeah. And then why do we have to share her with everybody else? I've kind of heard that feedback. Yeah. And then I've also heard feedback that 4217 is not necessarily getting the kind of support from your office that the rest of um district um six is can you talk about both of those issues yes and let's be very clear about where that happens and how that happens and unfortunately um and I've heard the questions be directly asked you are Mexican do you care about anybody else other than Mexicans?

SPEAKER_02: 1:05:41

That to me although I understand where it's coming from it's also deeply really upsetting to be asked that question. And I understand too because Duggan gets asked the same question you're a white man how do you care about black folks being a Mexican woman and being a white man are not the same thing.

SPEAKER_04: 1:05:55

They're not the same thing whatsoever but that is a question that I'm asked by people of color finds yes find another because the reality is that you are part of another oppressed marginalized population.

SPEAKER_02: 1:06:12

So the idea that you somehow and it's always interesting to me because this it's you know that that somehow if you're representing black Detroiters you have to give up being Mexican and sacrifice your own people in order to support mine rather than find commonalities among us it just makes no sense that there are black immigrants there are black immigrants there are black queer people and I'm constantly like you only care about queer people there are multi-identities amongst all of us and I represent black brown and white folks immigrants Native folks seniors young people and that is how I do my work and I know I know exactly where those comments are coming from in 4217 and 4210 and I'm actually building and making sure that I'm being very um focused on building relationships that want to work with me because oftentimes those comments and I've learned through my four years here of that she doesn't want to work with us she doesn't care about us those people we asked to invite them to our table multiple times they just don't show up and then they use that excuse of well I wasn't there. Well we invited you just didn't show up to be a part of our work.

SPEAKER_04: 1:07:17

And and in fairness you've worked with Eastside Community Network and our Eastide Climate Action Coalition on some actions and we're not in your zip code. But you have worked with us on various things we've been at the table and so I think that that's an interesting thing. The other thing I saw that was really interesting and I don't want to just deal with controversy I want to talk about your vision or your role but um somebody got upset when you were talking about immigrants and you said we are black and brown immigrants or something like that and they said are you saying black people are immigrants and you were acknowledging the presence of non-people cannot be that dense.

SPEAKER_08: 1:07:53

They are they are they are it somebody went and I had to I talked to my good friend Mamba who owns Baba Fair and his wife Nadia and what he expressed to me was a really palpable fear of what could happen if uh you know we get a crackdown in ice rates like we have been seeing in other cities. And he's a citizen. Yeah right he's he's still afraid and so I think this this conflation of immigrant uh to brown people and with Mexican people is so is is so ignorant.

SPEAKER_04: 1:08:33

It is incredibly ignorant and you know we should have known all along right because how does an Haitian person look different than a black person right and you know the reality is that and also just the idea that injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere. A thousand percent um when I look at ICE I can't unsee slave catchers and so you know um where you have to carry papers to prove that you're legally here and somebody can just raid somebody's office and it's illegal to harbor somebody who is a you know there's something pretty horrible about that. And um a few months ago we had a unity breakfast because I'm like we have to really try to unify around justice. Yeah. So given that let's talk about your vision for uh just the city of Detroit what would that look like?

SPEAKER_02: 1:09:24

I appreciate that and thank you for the feedback on the comments that I get because wow they are a lot and discouraging but I'm I'm building community in ways um that are authentic and with people that know that justice is fought by all of us for all of us to be able to achieve that.

SPEAKER_04: 1:09:41

Well do you know can I say real quickly before you can go on most people I know don't feel that way. Yeah these are the words of some people who are in the political class and who are trying to figure out how to preserve their power or voice in a city where they feel marginalized. Your average person is really looking for somebody to care about them and talk to them.

SPEAKER_02: 1:10:03

I'm not hearing that in the streets I'm hearing that from certain people is that true are you getting a thousand percent it is a small minority and but it is a reality that fascism is here and it has it is in our communities both black and brown um but I agree and and I look now for the majority of the good the kind the hardworking um and do take what people are saying because it's it it all comes from a place and and I try to understand it deeply but at this point I'm I to your point on my vision and how I want to do my work um so I want to be able to continue to build with residents. My office since I've gotten um appoint uh like I got voted in um we have been making sure that we are creating opportunities to engage with us. We have monthly coffee hours, in-person meetings, virtual meetings, uh we have fun events like annual skate night um in 4217 so I don't understand we're we're there we're we're we're building community um every year we invite families out to skate. We have a family movie night and Senate theater um over Michigan Avenue but not only that we created something called um the D6 Block Club a block club standing for building local organizing capacity. And here we work only with our block club leaders and and uh resident leaders so that we are able to come up with our D6 platform. What are the things that you want us to be focused on this a legislative platform. And this is a legislative platform that that and this is how we get direct feedback from people. What's in the D6 platform? So we're hearing truck routes were number one thing that we people wanted us to address. It's also basic city services. So um our block club leaders are continuously let us know that our alleys need to be maintained they are overgrown seniors can't take care of it. It's also about making sure that we have transportation and safe streets while we're while we're investing in DDOT we also need to make sure that um trucks are and cars aren't speeding through our streets um so really what I'm hearing is more emphasis on city services um on safe and affordable and accessible communities.

SPEAKER_08: 1:12:02

So you're building community um an engaging community and and also through that engagement building what your policy platform should be for District 6. Yes let me um ask you this question because this is fresh news right um today uh a truck rerouting ordinance went into effect that is going to be keeping large trucks um from certain streets and corridors in southwest George George talk about talk about that talk about that process what happened uh it happened it happened which is a long time coming and even driving today down Brenner I did not see once at my truck and that was unbelievable to see and to witness pretty narrow trucks it's so you see them from a mile away and to not have to see that as I'm driving it's just amazing.

SPEAKER_02: 1:12:49

It sounds quieter already um so what happened it's been decades of people complaining because of the industry around the city um my predecessor Raquel uh had started working groups getting together studies done on truck traffic where it's coming where it should go and COVID happened when I started we needed some more research to be done so that the city knew that it was making the right choices not creating unintended consequences um and so we had two years of that more groups and now we finally have launched um our truck routes for Southwest I know that we need them in 4217 the issue there is that the roads there are city state and county so the logistics are a little harder uh we're over here it was city streets we had more control um what we're gonna do now is we're gonna move this to another area so we already have um a meeting that we're hopefully gonna schedule um in 4217 this month in October to begin to have those conversations we're going to need our state and county partners to be a part of that and we you know we need truck routing over here too absolutely the Salantis plant when the second one was built in 2019 2020 they shut down St.

SPEAKER_04: 1:13:59

Jean Street and turned it into a parking lot it was a greenway that that directly routed people from the plant parking lot to I-94 the city worked shut that down re-rezoned it M4 intensive industrial and put up a wall so that people are living adjacent to an intensive industrial district which is against the city zoning ordinance and then the city also um built out a trucking facility that's Crown Enterprises allowed them to build that out right on Jefferson and there's one truck a minute entering there and you've got residential on either side of that truck. And so we need it um these trucks are no longer able to get right on I-94 and they're driving down Kirteville and Werner and Side Street strike side street so we're experiencing that now and hopefully the lessons that you've learned will also help us because it really should be um because it's not just inconvenience it's not just the danger of the truck right there's also the respiratory impact of trucking and we have some of the highest asthma hospitalization rates in the city right here. We've got to do something about it. So I'm glad that you guys paved the way you certainly have been fighting for it longer than anybody else. You would think in 2021 2022 when the city you know sort of de-established our protections that the city would not reverse course but it feels like you know a lot of the bad stuff was done over here um to un-green parts of the east side that had been greened and the interesting thing about the greenway that was on St. Jean was that greenway was established when the Karsou Jefferson North plant was built to create a safe passenger truck to keep it out of a buffer to create a buffer between yes and so it was created and then undone because Delantis wanted something different. Understood no we definitely will be making my over here um member Johnson is one of my absolute uh favorite people on council and um in the immediate we are going to work on strengthening the fees um so that the ticketing the consequences go back up to the driver and the company um so we're gonna lessons learn expand uh make it a little bit more heftier if you do decide to break this um um break these new restrictions um but yes we we plan on on taking this to here around Amazon where they're needed I think when city council members work together and say this is our city and we're gonna protect our city it shouldn't matter where you live we get the protection so you started here and you guys have the bridge traffic so I'm not upset I understand why I mean anybody who's been to Mexican town for anything knows how crazy the traffic is even the way that the streets around it has been crazy although that's improved. So um but I'm glad to hear that there's an additional effort to do that. I do have questions about other priorities of yours especially in light of ICE and what's happening in Southwest Detroit let's hold that let's take a quick break more with member Councilmember Santiago Romero.

SPEAKER_08: 1:17:11

We return have you ever dreamed of being on the airwaves well the Authentically Detroit Podcast Network is here to make those dreams come true. Formerly known as the Deep Network and located inside the Sodemeyer the Authentically Detroit Podcast Network are for studio space and production staff to help get your idea off of the ground just visit authenticallydet.com and send a request through the contact page welcome back to authentically Detroit Councilwoman Gabriela Santiago Romero is our guest we're so happy that you are here in the hot seat a little bit Donna Yeah I I think it's important you know I live on the east side of Detroit and we don't see much of ice and so it's possible to live in this city and not understand the trauma and terrible things that are happening in Southwest Detroit.

SPEAKER_04: 1:18:19

Can you talk about what's happening now?

SPEAKER_02: 1:18:22

Yes uh it is as scary and really as tragic as we think it is we're just not seeing it as you mentioned um especially if you're not over by Southwest Detroit. Unfortunately here in Detroit it is not as seen as we see it in LA or Chicago here what you're seeing uh for deportation just happening very quickly very quietly very targeted um and we have always had ICE and border patrol in the neighborhood because we are a border state um but the increase um targeting is definitely happening I have received constant um text messages or messages on social media letting me know hey my my boyfriend just got deported my my boyfriend's father just got deported we're really targeting I'm seeing a target on on men um young men fathers grandfathers and we're we're leaving their families I I've seen it's majority women um grandmothers mothers young mothers with their children who don't have cars who now can't pick up food um and also I I I need the city to to be better um when it comes to how we do our our how how we respond to these things and and how we um how we protect residents there was an unfortunate uh incident recently uh with a hot dog stand not sure if folks saw the news there was a a young woman that got arrested from from DPD essentially for resisting and not having a permit we'll come to find out uh ICE heard about it she is DACA she got detained by ICE um so now we have a city that is I believe it just from the the consequences of it when are you when we use our police for petty arrest uh for not having a permit instead of giving a warning uh we are now ruining their lives because this uh young woman is a young mother I believe they have three or four children um they're all very young um they're all American citizens uh but now they have their their mother dealing with this with this battle why are we arresting people for selling hot dogs it is exactly um over policing you have both over policing and or really you know the surveillance police state because the policing is not protective like oh something happened to me you're gonna show up right away maybe a couple hours maybe a day or so if I call 911 but it's also surveillance oriented in that we're trying to hold these people and contain people in their communities and monitor their activities as opposed to protect them.

SPEAKER_04: 1:20:50

And so protect and serve is more like survey and you know and monitor whatever it is that we want to say about it. But you know it feels like that's a citywide issue. Yes. I have colleagues who work in other communities where there's concentrations of African immigrants who are also being impacted. Yes. And then of course we've got Hmong residents living in northeast Detroit and so it feels like immigration policy or protections of residents should be a citywide thing and not something that's on you. Well not just on you, right? I'm the representative of people who are immigrants because every single city council person presides over a district where immigrants are we may it may not be visible in that way because a lot of African immigrants choose to be invisible because they don't feel safe coming out as immigrants there's not a lot of protections for them. So I feel very strongly that this is a city of Detroit issue and that we need to be more aware of it. I was not aware and I went to an event that Poverty Solutions did in Southwest Trade and there was a poet who was talking about what it was like to have ICE this was a few years ago and I was like oh heavens what this is happening in Detroit no idea um how do we sensitize other people in city council um to these issues and make it bigger than you because I don't think that's a fair burden.

SPEAKER_02: 1:22:15

Thank you I agree this is going to require all of us to come together. And thankfully residents are coming together and they are responding through IceWatch or Migra watch. So they are uplifting the stories they are coming out when when when a neighbor calls the hotline to let people know.

SPEAKER_08: 1:22:30

Angel Garcia doing some work too.

SPEAKER_02: 1:22:32

And I think these stories when they are out there it's important um that that it's there. And quite frankly I I I would hope that um people reach out to my colleagues as well when when when things like this happen. So because often I am the one that gets called um I've been called to appear at courts people know that I'm the council member in district six and I get denied entry to the courts this has happened to me in the past. So I need more leverage I need more people to help me um because if I'm seen as the only one that's fighting this that can be shut down or pushed to the side um then so does the the issue. It gets pushed to the side and it's not getting addressed.

SPEAKER_08: 1:23:09

I know you um I know you have limited time but you are being challenged uh for your seat by uh current uh state legislator um Tyrone Carter and Tyrone Carter is running on the fact that he is an appropriator um and that can uh a candidate that can get things to uh the district and argues um when talking to both Donna and I that nothing has been done um in district six nothing there's been no share of resources uh he argues that as a legislator there have been budget allocations given to the city of Detroit that has not reached residents in district six uh what do you what do you say to that um I say to those comments that I I hear them often and I'm I'm waiting to hear for the specifics of what he's done.

SPEAKER_02: 1:24:01

And what I will tell you is that I have been consistently advocating and getting resources directly into the neighborhood that he's from 4217 um so I was able to get 1.5 million dollars into the one zip code alone for sidewalk repair for slow street improvements. Same thing happened in 4210 where I grew up by Midwest time and Chatsey Condon wholeheartedly agree that we have been forgotten about and just left to the side and I did an additional$1.5 million of slow street and sidewalk improvements because I I heard it when I was knocking on doors. I know it I've lived through it and I've seen it we do need investments. We have when we're doing our work with residents and residents ask us we need investments in parks we need investments in storefronts we do that so we were able to put an additional park shelter in Kemini was working very closely with Kyle Black for a moment trying to utilize one of his storefronts for a grocery store we hear often about grocery stores that are needed. So to that comment I say uh what else can you say about the work that you've done?

SPEAKER_04: 1:25:04

Because I can talk to you for a very long time on the work that we've been doing part of the issue is bigger than what a city council person can do, right? Because some of this is just economic change. For example, Corktown has probably gotten more investment than just about any neighborhood but that has not necessarily been good for your constituency.

SPEAKER_02: 1:25:21

And I didn't make those choices.

SPEAKER_04: 1:25:23

Those are choices that came from the administration or developers.

SPEAKER_08: 1:25:26

Right exactly and so and then the planning study on Werner near Clark Park that's the mayoral administration uh piece. I want to ask you what you make of the current community benefits ordinance that's on the books. Yeah I I think it can it it can be changed um it can be enhanced uh currently I I do see the need for us to have more people from the impacted area um also more votes directly from residents to be able to to pick their um their NAC members um making sure that we are providing probably more time I'm hearing a lot of concerns with just the pace of it with the accessibility of it and again the makeup of the NAC so as the co-chair of the equitable development task force we do talk about this with residents and we are getting their suggestions on updates to make sure the ordinance are there standards for because I know that you guys are going through a NAC process right now with the Detroit City FC stadium bill at the uh old Southwest Detroit hospital are there rules that the Equitable Development Task Force comes up with even in terms of of alerting and how they alert residents that they are in an impacted area I saw a flyer for a community meeting around the Detroit City FC that had all of these logos on it including a logo from your office and the impacted areas were highlighted as census tracks. And I'm like this is incredibly confusing.

SPEAKER_02: 1:26:52

Yeah who knows their census track off the top of their head how does something like that get put out yeah so it's those numbers they also included a map so the map is there so you're able to see what tracks they are but you are correct um and that is per ordinance how they do the outreach it is it is percentage tracks around the impacted area.

SPEAKER_04: 1:27:14

Yeah I mean we we lived through that when they did Silanta so bad and neither Orlando or I lived in the impact area but we're in a nonprofit we worked here yeah I worked here she still works yeah yeah well yeah you you left us but you know whatever um but no I I it it's it's nonsensical to say that you're not gonna bring every stakeholder to the table and let those stakeholders weigh in some of us have you know the benefit of um a lot of experience training knowledge and information are locked out and businesses nonprofits are locked out of the nonprofit and we were not allowed to participate there was a liquor store right community anchors that's right and they're like wait a minute how come I'm not in this process it's rushed what would you do to improve the city community benefits process?

SPEAKER_02: 1:28:00

Yeah well as I mentioned I think definitely the the the Mac the body it's the engagement that we do currently um but uh speaking of the body I never thought about including a chair for a business or including a chair of a nonprofit that's in the impacted area if we have one that's a really good idea.

SPEAKER_04: 1:28:18

I mean the reality is it should be in my view anybody. I don't think you should limit who gets to participate in decision making. If people can show that they have a vested interest in this area the original proposal A not the proposal Benson but proposal A actually was much more inclusive and really gave the community more influence. With this process the nine member community NAC hurried or was forced politicized they were forced to hurry up and make a decision even before the environmental review report had been done. And so here you have them making a decision and then they brought it to city council and the city council was like well the ordinance says we can't change any of this so we're gonna leave it as it is and I'm thinking to myself wait a minute not a single person in the city of Detroit elected these people to represent the community okay they this is ridiculous. They should not be given that kind of power we have elected representatives for a reason and it feels like it's a way to bypass the professional legislators who we elect and want to hold accountable and give it to a group of people some of whom are politically compromised and if they make the wrong decision there's nothing you can do about it. And there are several people who were part of the NAC who became outraged after they realized that civil rights protections were being violated and felt like they had been bamboozled and also been forced into a vote and even they regret what they did. And so I think really my feeling is city council has a responsibility to finalize negotiations on our behalf. Oh. You have the legislative policy division. You have the um the um the CPC, what is that? They're not coming. Yeah. You have uh a staff. Now you take that and you put it up against this nice lady who lives over here who really does not have the capacity to really weigh in in the same way the city council are. I I want to say it different.

SPEAKER_02: 1:30:25

So you're not you're not wrong, and we can always look at the first uh proposal, make amendments, and which is why we're looking at changing um the ordinance and making amendments. And just so you know, you're you're not wrong. City council can do, and sometimes we do. We'll we'll add things additionally to to the benefits um package in order for us to support it. Um and I will say I know that a lot of there's a lot of people, especially um on the left, friends, colleagues, um, and and people that I that I deeply care for who were upset at me for voting yes on the Ilage project. I will tell you, I was gonna be a no until I realized that everyone was making their own deals for for some kind of community benefits or additional benefits to the deal. Um, and at that time, um there was a lot of things going on in our office between me and the administration, and we needed to unfortunately come to a deal.

SPEAKER_04: 1:31:14

And and that's see, this is my issue. Okay. And this is not with you. It's the city council by district. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Where what the mayor is able to do is punish and reward city council members for supporting something the mayor wants to see. You're absolutely correct. That makes the mayor a client of these, or they make city council people a client of the mayor. It strengthens a strong mayor, city council, um, strong mayor city, you know, mayor Daly did that in Chicago when they did Alderman by and he was able to play them against each other. Yes. And you're left saying, okay, if I do nothing, my community will suffer, but if I do something, my community will suffer. So which of these things do I do? And most people don't understand that. Yeah. I really think we need to elevate that conversation because and and then start really talking to our city council people about don't make the deals.

SPEAKER_02: 1:32:07

Or coming together. What are what is our collective ask, which is what I wanted to, which is what we're talking about. But that is how I got the$3 million of investments in 4217 and 4210. It was through those conversations, but I wholeheartedly agree. I don't want to be making these deals in order to do these things. I want us to be collectively, what are we getting for the most important thing?

SPEAKER_04: 1:32:25

And I'm hoping under the next mayor, there will be a different level of respect for the independence of city council and the idea that you're not supposed to be cutting deals with city council, you're supposed to be cutting deals, and really you're supposed to be protecting Detroiters. Like I'm really mad at Stellantis because of everything they're doing. But Stellantis is not elected to represent me and take care of me and govern and protect my rights. And so um, we want something different from our government. Yes. And um and I think if we are able to make these demands effectively, and if city council, so you're already working closely with one city council person, and then if it's a there's Denzel comes in. We're already talking about, you know, maybe there could be some collective action to say, let's do things differently next time. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02: 1:33:14

And I and I share this with you because people don't understand why these things happen. I will be very honest in why these things happen, why I have to make these choices, why things are hard, um, and what we have to do to actually see um something different.

SPEAKER_08: 1:33:26

You're listening to District 6 City Councilwoman Gabriela Santiago Romero, who's also a candidate for that same seat. Be sure to vote in the November general election on November 4th of Tuesday, November 4th, 2025. Absolutely ballots have already gone out, guys. Uh, councilwoman, thank you so much for coming on Authentically Detroit.

SPEAKER_02: 1:33:51

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_08: 1:33:52

All right, we'll be right back. Detroit 1 Million is a journalism project started by Sam Robinson that centers a generation of Michiganders growing up in a state without a city with 1 million people. Support the only independent reporter covering the 2025 Detroit mayoral race through the lens of young people. Good journalism costs. Visit Detroit1million.com to support black independent reporting. All right, it's time for shout outs. Donna Gibbs Davidson, you got any shout outs?

SPEAKER_04: 1:34:45

I do. I want to shout out um the entire ECN team, but especially those who showed up yesterday. We'll start with um Jay Fields, our own Jay Fields of the Authentically Detroit podcast team, who when I pulled up was grilling hot dogs and hamburgers. Let me tell you something. Those hot dogs were delicious, okay?

SPEAKER_08: 1:35:04

Um Did you have on the Sandals, the Upper Toe Sandals like the Uncles?

SPEAKER_04: 1:35:08

No, he wasn't like the Uncles, but listen, he was working that grill. I'm gonna tell you, he was working that grill. We had about a hundred people sign up. I don't know how many people came. It was a full house. Um, but also Tasha Senna, whose idea it was Tasha actually sent me a proposal for this idea. Don't hear it's proposal. So shout out to Tasha, but also Deanna, Solomon, Michael Johnson, Cedric Huff, Gloria Jackson, Sparkleberry, and Gordon Magnuson. You guys are outstanding. There were people in the community who talked about how much they needed what we did because of the stress they're under. And to be able to come out and celebrate the Lions win together was really um special. So thank you all.

SPEAKER_08: 1:35:46

Nice.

SPEAKER_07: 1:35:46

Kenneth, do you have any shout-outs? My shout out is going out to the Lions because we won our first game of the season. And if it was snow outside, I'll just jump out of my underwear into the snow. Oh goodness. You're that happy.

SPEAKER_08: 1:36:02

Okay. Um we we talked a little bit about East Warren, but shout out to uh the and they're a friend to this organization, uh the East Warren Development Corporation, uh, in their East Warren Fest last um Saturday. You know, I'm I'm from over there, and so walking East Warren and running into all of my neighbors that I grew up knowing and who grew up who knew me and saw me grow up, people driving by, hunking the horn, like, oh, it was it was such a good time. It felt like a little community family reunion. So you guys did uh a great job. So shout out to you guys. All right, that's gonna do it for this episode of Authentically Detroit. We'll see you next time. Until then, love on your neighborhood.