Metro Times 08/07/2024

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Vol. 44 | No. 42 | AUG. 7-13, 2024

EDITORIAL

News & Views

Editor in Chief - Lee DeVito

Feedback ............................. 13 News .................................... 16 Lapointe............................... 23

Investigative Reporter - Steve Neavling Digital Content Editor - Layla McMurtrie

ADVERTISING Associate Publisher - Jim Cohen Regional Sales Director - Danielle Smith-Elliott Advertising Account Executive - Jeff Nutter Sales Administration - Kathy Johnson

Cover Story

Account Manager, Classifieds - Josh Cohen

The Food Issue...................... 26

BUSINESS/OPERATIONS Business Support Specialist - Josh Cohen

What’s Going On

CREATIVE SERVICES

Things to do this week ........ 35

Creative Director - Haimanti Germain

Music

Circulation Manager - Annie O’Brien

Graphic Designer - Aspen Smit

CIRCULATION

Bites ..................................... 44

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On the cover:

Photo by Michelle Gerard

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Copyright: The entire contents of the Detroit Metro Times are copyright 2024 by Big Lou Holdings, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publisher does not assume any liability for unsolicited manuscripts, materials, or other content. Any submission must include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. All editorial, advertising, and business correspondence should be mailed to the address listed below. Prior written permission must be granted to Metro Times for additional copies. Metro Times may be distributed only by Metro Times’ authorized distributors and independent contractors. Subscriptions are available by mail inside the U.S. for six months at $80 and a yearly subscription for $150. Include check or money order payable to: Metro Times Subscriptions, P.O. Box 20734, Ferndale, MI, 48220. (Please note: Third Class subscription copies are usually received 3-5 days after publication date in the Detroit area.) Most back issues obtainable for $7 prepaid by mail.

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NEWS & VIEWS Feedback We received comments in response to Steve Neavling’s cover story, “The Closer: Part II,” about Barbara Simon.

A former detective for the Detroit Police Department, Simon is accused of using deceptive and coercive interrogation techniques to lock up young men, some of whom are still behind bars and maintain their innocence.

It’s not ONLY here ... as evidenced by the Alex Murdaugh case out in South Carolina. But [Wayne County] MUST do better for its Detroit innocent residents accused of and charged with crimes they did not commit.

It’s easy to prove innocence when there’s no evidence but ... it’s VERY perplexing when the prosecutors fight the defense or refuse to acknowledge FACTS.

��

Maybe they’ll look at cases brought to their attention .

—@DetroitJCS, X This is vital and brilliant reporting. Great work, Steve.

—@drhQuest, X Excellent, excellent work on this.

—@commiezekenator, X Nice work as always.

—@Alexcutter66, X

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NEWS & VIEWS

Pressure is mounting for a full inquiry into a Detroit detective who elicited false confessions from minors.

STEVE NEAVLING

Metro Times investigation leads Detroit police commissioners to demand probe into ex-detective’s cases Detroit police commissioners are calling for an inter-

nal, full-scale investigation of cases handled by a former Detroit detective after Metro Times published a two-part series exposing her aggressive and illegal tactics that led to false confessions and wrongful imprisonments.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Barbara Simon was known as “the closer” because of her knack for gaining confessions and witness statements. Her method of confining young Black men to small rooms at police headquarters for hours without a warrant, making false promises, and lying about evidence that didn’t exist led to the false imprisonment of at least five men.

Many more innocent people are still behind bars because of her tactics, activists and lawyers say.

At a Detroit Board of Police Commissioners meeting Thursday, commissioners called on the department to review the hundreds of cases handled

by Simon, who retired in 2010.

“This has to be taken very, very seriously,” Detroit Board of Police Commissioners Chairman Darryl Woods tells Metro Times. “You don’t just read an article on this level. This is not a

situation where we should sit back and watch. We need to take a close look at this. Do your due diligence and see if anything bad happened on the watch of the Detroit Police Department.”

Detroit Police Deputy Chief Tiffany Stewart told commissioners that she “did read a portion of part one” of the series and said that the responsibility to investigate Simon’s cases ultimately falls on the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, which has a conviction integrity unit (CIU) tasked with freeing innocent people from prison.

“The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office has a conviction integrity unit, and that is actually spearheaded through their unit,” Stewart said. “Prisoners who have appeals or concerns with their case can navigate to this unit to work in concert with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, and they will pull the case, investigate it, and make a determination from that point.”

Problem is, that unit is understaffed and has only dismissed three cases since January 2023, and none of those cases involved Simon. In fact, the prosecutor’s office fought to keep men in prison who were ultimately exonerated because of Simon’s handling of

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the investigations.

Metro Times is awaiting a response from the prosecutor’s office.

Police Commissioner Ricardo Moore, waho first called on an internal investigation of Simon’s cases Thursday, says he disagrees that the responsibility only lies with the prosecutor’s office since the detective worked for DPD. “It seemed shocking to me that the department saw complaints of a pattern of behavior and wouldn’t want to review the cases and make a recommendation to the prosecutor’s office,” Moore tells Metro Times. “I think it’s worth the department investigating the actions themselves instead of punting to the prosecutor’s office.”

Former Police Commissioner Reginald Crawford agrees and says DPD has a responsibility to determine if its detective violated the law to elicit false confessions and witness statements.

“Prosecute everyone responsible for wrongful convictions,” Crawford tells Metro Times. “Detroit police commissioners should call on the Wayne County prosecutor and police chief to investigate and prosecute all responsible for wrongful convictions. … There’s

no justice for the wrongfully convicted until all are held accountable.”

At the commission meeting, Eric Blount, a minister at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Detroit, compared Simon’s actions to the Algiers Motel massacre in July 1967, when three Black teenage boys were killed by a task force composed of Detroit cops, Michigan State Police, and the Michigan Army National Guard. Blount said the Metro Times series detailed “the evilness that a detective perpetrated against this community time and time again and affected people’s lives.”

“When you do something that evil, you affect that person, that family, that community, that city, that state. The world hurts when you do something like that,” Blount said.

Mark Craighead, who was exonerated in 2022 of a murder he didn’t commit after he falsely confessed under pressure from Simon, says DPD has a moral responsibility to investigate their former detective’s actions.

Many more innocent people are still in prison, he says, because the police department and prosecutors are refusing to review cases handled by Simon, who has been admonished by judges.

In February 2021, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Shannon Walker granted Craighead a new trial and said Simon “has a history of falsifying confessions and lying under oath” and that new evidence in his case “establishes a common scheme of misconduct.”

Craighead says the entire justice system is failing innocent people still behind bars.

“Freedom ain’t free. There is no justice in the justice system,” Craighead says, calling Simon’s actions “Black-onBlack crime.”

“There’s corruption from the top to the bottom,” he says. “There are so many eyes that have been closed, ears that have been closed, and heads that have been turned. There are so many young Black innocent men still in prison because of Barbara Simon.”

Craighead adds, “It’s the responsibility of the police department, the prosecutors, and the judges to look into these cases. They have all turned a blind eye. All of them have an opportunity to right a wrong.”

A six-month Metro Times investigation found that Simon spent years waging psychological warfare on young Black men accused of murder. In the 1990s and early 2000s, she engaged in investigative misconduct, illegally held suspects without a warrant, denied them access to an attorney or phone call, threatened them, and made false promises of leniency, judges and prosecutors would later determine.

Suspects who refused to talk without an attorney were confined to jail cells infested with cockroaches, rats, and other vermin.

Her tactics led to false confessions and fabricated witness statements.

Four Black men have been exonerated after defense attorneys showed that Simon elicited false confessions and witness statements that were later recanted. Another man was freed after DNA showed he didn’t commit murder.

The exonerations have cost taxpayers millions of dollars in lawsuit settlements.

Defense attorneys and the Michigan Innocence Clinic say many more innocent people are likely still in prison because of Simon’s tactics. But without a comprehensive review of those cases, they will die in prison, the attorneys and clinic say.

If anyone has a reason to distrust the Detroit Police Department in the 1990s, it’s Woods. He spent nearly 29 years in prison for a murder he says he didn’t commit. In 2019, Woods was released from prison after former Governor Rick Snyder commuted his sentence. A trial judge determined that witnesses in Woods’s case may have committed perjury.

“It’s vitally an important story,” Woods said of the Metro Times series.

“The fact of the matter is, injustices occurred. At the time, there was malicious and willful gross neglect and Gestapo tactics. That doesn’t define the men and women of the Detroit Police Department today. But at the same

token, it gives them a black eye.”

Other cities have conducted extensive examinations of cases tied to unethical detectives, which has led to numerous exonerations in places like New York City and Chicago.

So far, neither the Detroit Police Department nor the Wayne County

Prosecutor’s Office has shown a willingness to dig deeper into cases tied to Simon.

DPD didn’t respond to a request for a follow-up interview about the police commission’s demands for a thorough review of Simon’s cases.

—Steve Neavling

50 years ago: The Major League debut of Ron LeFlore A half-century ago, Thurs-

day, August 1, 1974, on a cool, summer evening in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 26-year-old Ron LeFlore made his Major League Baseball debut for the Detroit Tigers. The Brewers were hosting the Tigers at Milwaukee County Stadium. Game time was set for 8:30 p.m.

A crowd of only 9,000 passed through the turnstiles that night, leaving 80% of the stadium vacant.

To LeFlore, it must have felt like he was still in the minors.

Warming up in the on-deck circle while waiting for his name to be read over the loudspeaker, LeFlore was about to reach a milestone. He was forty feet away from achieving what he had spent every day over the past three years working towards. No one in that stadium had any idea what he went through to get there— nor did they care.

“Go back to jail, jailbird!” fans yelled from the stands.

LeFlore’s story was unlike any other baseball player’s journey. While most dream of this moment when they first picked up a bat in a Little League game or shag fly balls with their dad, LeFlore had never done any of that.

The Detroit east side native hadn’t even played an organized game of baseball until he was 23, when he was surrounded by barbed wire, five-story-high concrete walls, and a watchtower with an armed guard at the ready. His coach was a convicted felon, sentenced for racketeering and extortion. Ron was serving a five-to fifteen-year sentence at Southern Michigan Prison in Jackson for armed robbery.

Trying to navigate the penal system, LeFlore tapped into a skill he had underestimated for years: his athleticism. He joined the prison’s softball team and later the baseball team, hoping it would expedite his release date for good behavior. His talent and hard work made him stand out. LeFlore’s coach and teammates convinced him to try out for the De-

troit Tigers. By a surprising piece of luck, he was invited for a tryout, and then managed to impress the recruiters. Released early from Jackson, but still on parole, LeFlore moved quickly through the Tiger farm system before getting the call.

“You’re starting tonight,” Tiger manager Ralph Houk told LeFlore, who had barely put his luggage down after checking in at the team’s hotel.

It was the first time the two men met in person. Houk, a former army major, told the rookie, who would be the team’s leadoff hitter, “Don’t worry about anything. Just do your best.”

Don’t worry? LeFlore was barely in AAA-level ball for a week in Evansville, Indiana, when he got the call to come to Detroit. Thinking that he would be eased into the lineup, he was immediately overwhelmed.

As LeFlore set himself up in the batter’s box, his knees were shaking so much so that he thought he would topple over. Unable to relax, his first at bat in the Majors went quickly. He struck out. He proceeded to strike out in his next two plate appearances.

At the top of the eighth inning, with the Tigers leading 1-0, LeFlore finally made contact with the ball. He hit a grounder to the third baseman who fielded it and threw it safely to first base. He was clearly out, but it gave the public a glimpse of LeFlore’s speed. Designated hitter Al Kaline, in the final season of his twenty-two-year career, all with the Tigers, was watching from the dugout and was taken aback. Even though LeFlore was out, Kaline had “never seen anyone run faster to first base.”

With the Tigers up 2-0 in the bottom of the ninth, Houk could have taken out LeFlore and put in someone with better defensive capability to maintain the lead. He knew the Brewers would attempt to take advantage of the rookie center fielder, hoping he’ll either bobble the ball or make an ill-advised throw that could swing the game in their favor. Yet, Houk kept him in. With two outs, the third

(and possibly, final) batter was first baseman George Scott, who had the power to go the distance. He swatted it toward center field. LeFlore, still suffering from shaky knees, got under it and caught it. Game over. Tigers won!

When the team returned to their hotel, LeFlore joined his teammates at the bar for a nightcap. When he found an empty stool, he was hoping to drink the night away and forget about his poor performance at the plate.

“Ronnie, come on, sit down.”

When LeFlore turned around to see who was calling his name, he was stunned. It was Al Kaline — “Mr. Tiger” himself. He ordered LeFlore a drink.

The veteran tutored the rookie about his struggles at the plate and how the 162-game season was like running in a marathon. He advised him to take one game at a time; otherwise, he would burn himself out. The conversation put LeFlore at ease, though a bit tipsy. Eventually, Kaline excused himself. Other teammates came over to join LeFlore — third baseman Aurelio Rodriguez, left fielder Jim Northrup, and pinch hitter (and ex-convict) Gates Brown — and celebrate his first day in the big leagues by getting him even more drunk.

Once the bar closed, the players carried LeFlore to his room, left him on the floor, put a flower on his chest and crossed his hands over one another as if he were laying in a casket. Welcome to the Major Leagues.

LeFlore emerged as the Tigers’ top hitter and base stealer during the latter half of the 1970s. He was the first Tiger to achieve 200 hits in a season since Al Kaline in 1955. He was voted by fans to be a starter in the All-Star Game in 1976, the same year he had the longest hitting streak in the American League in thirty years and the longest by a Tiger since 1930.

LeFlore may not have made it to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but his incredible journey to the Majors is in a league of its own.

—Adam Henig

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Moosejaw quietly closes its last remaining stores Dick’s Sporting Goods

has shuttered its last three remaining Moosejaw stores in the U.S. and is moving to completely dissolve the brand, Metro Times has learned.

Multiple workers confirmed the impending closures to Metro Times last week, though the company’s corporate office did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The workers said the stores closed for good on Saturday, and what remains of the brand’s online store will fold into Dick’s Public Lands subsidiary.

The outdoor recreation retail brand was founded in Michigan in 1992 and purchased by Dick’s Sporting Goods last year. The Pennsylvania-based company swiftly moved to close 11 brick and mortar Moosejaw stores across Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, and Missouri, slashing hundreds of jobs. The Woodward Avenue store in Birmingham is its last store in Michigan, with other stores in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Bentonville, Arkansas.

One worker, who requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation, says they learned about the planned closure earlier last week. The news was shocking but not exactly a surprise, they say.

“We had an idea,” the worker says.

“Like, we didn’t get any replenishment [of supplies] … And we were like, OK, something’s up, like, something’s up.”

Longtime friends Robert Wolfe and David Jaffe opened the first Moosejaw store in Keego Harbor before moving the flagship to Birmingham. The brand

Moosejaw’s Birmingham location was one of the chain’s last three stores in the U.S.

LEE DEVITO

acquired by Dick’s, which implemented a dress code for workers and ended perks like offering returned items to employees.

“It was kind of a really wholesome company,” the worker says. “When Dick’s bought us, it kind of stripped away the love of what Moosejaw was.”

When Metro Times visited the Birmingham store on Friday, a worker would not confirm the closure. There was no markdown sale or any other signs the business was closing, though a table offered free swag like beer koozies and bumper stickers.

“It’s, like, totally not fair to the customer, not fair to other employees,” our source says.

The store had long stopped selling any Moosejaw-branded items, the

source adds, which they believe in retrospect was a sign that the writing was on the wall.

Throughout the first two decades of the 2000s, various private equity firms began to acquire stakes in Moosejaw.

In 2017, it was acquired by Walmart for $51 million in cash. In February 2023, Walmart agreed to sell the brand to Dick’s for an undisclosed sum.

“To see it go from this great thing that was built from the bottom up from Michiganders to literally being wiped off the face of the Earth … I have a passion for this company, and I’m just in pure disgust as to how this was handled,” our source says.

They add, “Dick’s bought us to just chew us up and spit us out.”

—Lee DeVito

was beloved for its quirky “Moosejaw Madness” sensibility, and its slogan boasted it was “the most fun outdoor retailer on the planet.”

Upon the announcement of its acquisition in 2023, Dick’s said it planned to grow the company.

“We admire what Moosejaw has accomplished over the past 30 years as leaders in the outdoor industry and look forward to the opportunity to share insights and learn from one another,” Dick’s president Todd Spaletto said in a statement at the time. “We believe there’s potential to grow the Moosejaw business and provide compelling experiences and an expanded product assortment to its millions of loyal customers.”

However, our worker source says that the vibe shifted after the company was

The mastodon is one step closer to becoming the first-ever national fossil of the U.S. A long time ago, massive mastodons roamed North America, including Michigan. However, the prehistoric beasts went extinct more than 10,000 years ago, possibly due to overhunting by early humans.

Now, the mastodon is on track to become recognized as the first-ever national fossil of the U.S. Bipartisan legislation called the National Fossil Act recently passed the Senate unanimously. The legislation celebrates the mastodon’s place in

American natural history.

The bill was co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat, and Mike Braun, and Indiana Republican.

Michigan named the mastodon its official state fossil in 2002, and some of the best mastodon fossil specimens are from here. One of the most complete mastodon skeletons ever found was discovered near Owosso, and is on display at the University of Michigan’s Museum of Natural History.

“Michigan made history when we uncovered one of the most complete skeletons of the mastodon ever found, and we continue to find traces of this prehistoric giant all throughout our state,” said Sen. Peters. “The mastodon represents a unique piece of both Michigan’s and our nation’s history. By establishing the mastodon as our national fossil, we can better preserve that history and inspire a new generation of scientists and researchers to continue their pursuit

of discovery.”

Mastodon fossils have been found in more than 250 locations across the state, and the longest and most intact trail of mastodon footprints was discovered near Ann Arbor.

A furry, first-dwelling distant relative of modern elephants, mastodons towered at more than 10 feet tall, weighing more than 11 tons.

The idea to name the mastodon Michigan’s official state fossil was proposed by a Washtenaw Community College geology professor, with support from K-12 students and teachers across Michigan.

—Lee DeVito

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NEWS & VIEWS

Sen. Kennedy and other Republicans greeting President Trump in 2019.

PUBLIC DOMAIN

Lapointe

Trump and his bumpkins take the low road. Will Kamala Harris survive the mud-slinging?

By Joe Lapointe

At the mature, old age of 72, the

Oxford-schooled Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana is far too wise, much too educated, and way too refined to run his fat mouth like some cocky young punk.

But the sharp-tongued Republican chose to do just this last week with personal insults about Kamala Harris, the vice president of the United States and the Democratic candidate for president against former President Donald Trump, Kennedy’s fellow Republican.

If elected, she would become the first female president and the second of color.

“Many Americans think the vice president is a little bit of a ding-dong, that she’s not serious,” Kennedy told Neil Cavuto of Fox News Channel. “ . . . She is a member of the loon wing of the Democratic party . . . She’s just like Congresswoman [Alexandria] OcasioCortez except without the bartending experience.”

Kennedy mocked the way Harris laughs.

“Margaret Thatcher didn’t giggle,” Kennedy said. “Golda Meir didn’t giggle.”

While discussing how Harris replaced President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket last month, Kennedy portrayed both Biden and Harris as damaged goods mentally and not quite human. Harris is a woman, Kennedy said,

the American voters will reject.

“They’ve had one vegetable-in-chief,” he said of Biden. “They don’t want another.”

In that Cavuto is one of Fox’s more objective anchors, he asked Kennedy — from a Republican point of view, of course — whether all this caustic ridicule of Harris by Kennedy, Trump, and other Republicans might “come back to bite your heinies.”

By this, Cavuto implied that attacks on Harris’s intelligence — along with those about her race (mixed American) and gender (female American) — might backfire on Trump because they offend voters (even Republicans and conservatives) who aren’t as sexist and racist as Trump.

“Well, I’m sorry if that offended you, Neil,” Kennedy said, with sarcasm, as he sneered and Cavuto frowned into two cameras on a split screen.

Perhaps we can rationalize the arrogant Kennedy, who looks and speaks like “Mr. Haney,” the bumpkin con man from the old TV comedy Green Acres.

Kennedy is a loyal member of the chorus of red-state politicians from the old Confederacy who are singing Trump’s treasonous tunes.

They harmonize with the Boss. In appearances before the National As-

sociation of Black Journalists in Chicago and at the campaign rally in Atlanta last week, Trump continued to mock Harris’s very name, and her race, as he painted her as an angel of doom.

He lied that she just recently “turned Black.” Even when Trump pronounced her name correctly, he used it, at times, without her last name, the way the master of the house addresses the hired help, like Hilda, the cook, or Sam, the gardener.

Notice how jarring it sounded when she smiled and called him, simply, “Donald?” Two can play that game.

Here are more random discharges from the large, loud, orange-faced, yellowhaired demagogue, who foamed at the mouth for 90 minutes at his Atlanta rally but left stage after about 35 minutes with Black journalists in Chicago.

“Crazy Kamala,” Trump said. “ . . .

Some people think I mispronounce it on purpose . . . I said ‘Don’t worry about it’ . . . I couldn’t care less if I mispronounce it or not. I couldn’t care less.”

He compared her to other progressive politicians and psychoanalyzed her.

“She’s a dumb version of Bernie Sanders,” Trump said. “. . . She is a lunatic . . . She’s a horror show . . . She’ll destroy our country . . . If Kamala wins, it’ll be . . . crime, chaos, and death . . . She has

destroyed our country . . . She is grossly incompetent.”

Of course, Harris is to blame for any crime committed by an undocumented immigrant.

“Kamala Harris let in the savage monster who murdered Laken Riley,” Trump said. “Laken’s blood is on Kamala Harris’s hands . . . Harris wants to be the president for criminals and illegal aliens.”

Might there be a sex component?

“Harris is a radical ‘trans’ activist,” Trump said.

Republicans with more decency than Kennedy have gently suggested in the Cavuto manner that it might be wise for MAGA Republicans and Trump to focus more on “the issues” and “policy differences” with Harris than on ad hominem attacks.

They don’t get that race and gender are Trump’s “policy issues” with Harris. By doubling down on personal attacks before the Black journalists, Trump spoke not to them but to all the bigots in the TV audience.

In effect, he showed his hard-core base: “Look at me! I stand up to our uppity enemies who dare to threaten our white, Christian nationalism.” His tone of voice and body language conveyed casual disdain for his foes.

And low blows are part of presidential history. In 1988, the first George Bush paved his victory with the “Willie Horton” ads that implied that his Democratic opponent, Gov. Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts, would parole (through a revolving prison door) Black convicts who would commit more crimes.

Twenty years before that, George Wallace drew MAGA-style crowds at rallies and a national following by ranting against all the changes of the 1960s that he thought were spurred by the Civil Rights movement — which he brazenly defied as governor of Alabama.

What will Trump target next: Harris’s romantic history or her religion? What is beneath him?

Certainly, religion plays a role in presidential history. More recently, enemies of President Barack Obama accused him of being a Muslim and not a Christian.

Forty years before Wallace, the Democrat Al Smith lost in 1928 to Herbert Hoover in part because Protestants feared Smith’s Roman Catholicism.

But when the Democrat John F. Kennedy ran in 1960 against Richard Nixon, former President Harry Truman was asked if he feared JFK’s Catholicism. In that Kennedy’s father, Joe, was a political wheeler-dealer, Truman replied: “I don’t fear the Pope. I fear the Pop.” Winning that election, JFK brought to Washington grace, charm, and true wit, things no longer found in the capital even from elected officials named John Kennedy.

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20 Detroit-area dessert shops to keep you cool

S

omething about the summer brings out a craving for sweetness. When it’s hot AF outside like it has been in metro Detroit this year, a dessert that will cool you off is sometimes exactly what you need. Ice cream is a classic choice, of course, but there are also frozen drinks, popsicles, shakes, gelato, Italian ice, floats, and other cold treats.

We compiled a list of some of our favorite Detroit-area dessert shops that serve up delicious treats to help you cool down in the heat and fulfill your sweet tooth cravings this summer.

Read on for our recommendations.

Huddle Soft Serve

8130 Kercheval Ave., Detroit | 2 John R St., Detroit | huddle-softserve.com For a simple and satisfying stop for ice cream, this spot has you covered. The walk-up window offers vanilla, chocolate, and twist frozen custard for $4, with toppings like sprinkles, sea salt, or mini chocolate chips, served in a cone, cup, or waffle cone. Floats with Faygo Rock & Rye, Vernors, Coke, and root beer are also available.

Neveria La Michoacana

4663 Vernor Hwy., Detroit; facebook.com One of the many gems in Mexicantown, this spot features a wide array of sweet treats perfect for a hot day.

From paletas (Mexican ice pops) to horchata (a sweet rice milk drink) to mangonada (a popsicle filled with fresh fruit and chili powder) to agua fresca (a fruit-filled smoothie juice drink) and delicious ice cream, this is the place to cool down and satisfy your sweet tooth like they do in Mexico.

Momento Gelato and Coffee

2120 Trumbull St., Detroit; 313-9746054; momentogelato.com Bringing a taste of Italy to Detroit, this Corktown shop specializes in gelato, a less fattening version of ice cream. Owner Tom Isaia, who learned the craft during trips to Bologna, Italy, uses skim milk powder, whole milk, and cream to create authentic gelato flavors.

The Peach Cobbler Factory Detroit

1300 Broadway St., Detroit; 313-2858627; peachcobblerfactory.com Renowned for its super sweet Southern-style desserts, this rapidly growing chain has recently arrived in Detroit. Since opening in early July 2024, it has served celebrities like Mike Epps, Jalen Rose, and former Piston Lindsay Hunter. The menu features a variety of sweet and savory cobblers paired with ice cream, plus banana pudding, cinnamon rolls, Belgian waffles, and more. Specialty drinks include house-made Sweet Peachy Tea and Cold Rush Cold Brew Coffee.

Milk & Froth

535 Griswold St., Detroit | 328 S. Main St., Ann Arbor | 313-285-8501; milkandfroth.com Since launching in 2018, this Detroit ice cream shop has been serving up classic dairy and vegan ice creams made from scratch in its Eastern Market production kitchen.

Milk & Froth ice cream is also available at select local grocery stores, so you can enjoy the cold treat at home too.

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Sugar Factory

45 Monroe St., Detroit; 947-219-0700; sf4.sugarfactory.com/detroit-mi This famous chain, which opened a Detroit location in 2022, claims to be “the most Instagrammed restaurant in America.” It features a candy retail store and a sit-down eatery offering over-the-top entrees and desserts. The cold drinks and shakes are sure to give you a brain freeze and a sugar rush.

Motor City Wine

1949 Michigan Ave., Detroit; motorcitywine.com One of the most beloved patios in the city, MotorCity Wine offers an extensive selection of red, white, and rosé wines. Its outdoor seating and cozy fire pits make it a perfect spot for summer evenings. Even better in the hot weather, the spot has frozen drink options to keep you cool. The wine bar frequently hosts dining pop-ups and DJ entertainment, creating the perfect setting for an intimate summer party under the open sky.

Family Treats

2010 Springwells St., Detroit; 313-8413522 This southwest Detroit ice cream joint serves your favorite heat-busting sweet treats as well as savory fare, including burgers, dogs, fries, and even tacos, all at affordable prices.

Jojo’s Shake Bar

88 W. Columbia St., Detroit; 313-4624315; jojosshakebar.com If you want a meal with great dessert options afterward, this restaurant is the place. The over-the-top shakes come in various flavors, including blueberry, Reese’s Pieces, and banana Oreo.

Mister Dips

19 E. Grand River Ave., Detroit; misterdips.com This popular ice cream spot offers your favorite flavors with a twist.

Specialty soft serve cones are dipped in a mix of creative toppings. Try the Chocolate P.B.D., dipped in dark cocoa, salted peanut butter drip, and Tagalongs, or the Beach Day Sundae, with vanilla ice cream, pineapple, toasted coconut, and Samoas.

Sedo’s

8047 Agnes St., Detroit; 313-355-0815; sedosicecream.com Just opening in 2023, this small West Village shop serves delicious hard ice cream. There are tons of favorite flavors, plus many vegan and glutenfree options. The spot also often offers baklava.

Treat Dreams

22965 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248544-3440 | 21012 Mack Ave., Grosse Pointe Woods | treat-dreams.com With frequently rotating ice cream flavors, you’ll never get bored at Treat Dreams. Stick with a basic chocolate or vanilla flavor, or try something new and exciting.

Mangonadas Del Barrio

1210 Lawndale St., Detroit | 4029 Vernor Hwy., Detroit | 313-789-7806; mangonadasdelbarriodetroit.com This southwest Detroit favorite is home of the Mangonada, a frozen spicy Mexican fruit drink, but also offers other unique frozen treats and ice cream options, such as aguas frescas, banana splits, and canastas.

Doug’s Delight in Hazel Park.

JB’s Ice Pops

jbsicepops.com Bridge Detroit reporter Jena Brooker started JB’s Ice Pops with the goal of making tasty and healthy ice pops while contributing to the local food system. The popsicles are for all ages, made with local ingredients from Detroit and Michigan farmers. Unique flavors include Maple Sage, Basil Lemonade, and Blueberry Earl Grey.

Detroiters can find JB’s Ice Pops at popups around the city, like Eastern Market and Summertown Fresh Bar. Follow @ jbs_icepops on Instagram to see where to grab some during a hot summer day.

Cold Truth

4240 Cass Ave., Suite 100, Detroit; 313680-1199; coldtruthsoftserve.com This Midtown soft serve joint offers out-of-the-box flavors like black sesame with strawberry balsamic drizzle, lavender, and black vanilla. Non-dairy

MICHELLE GERARD

options are always available too.

Detroit Water Ice Factory

1014 Woodward Ave., Detroit; detroitwaterice.com Founded in 2015 by Freep columnist and best-selling author Mitch Albom, this downtown spot offers a unique take on frozen desserts. The restaurant features a variety of flavors of sorbet (AKA “Italian ice” or “water ice”), a dairy-free treat made of flavored water and various fruits. Plus, all proceeds go to local charities.

Third Street Bar

4626 Third St., Detroit; 313-503-5085; facebook.com This humble bar recently reopened under new ownership, which also came with frozen drink machines for two booze-infused menu items: Irish Coffee

and what it calls the Miami Vice, or a blend of strawberry margarita and piña colada. Another new offering is shot glasses made of ice, which guests are invited to throw at a bell on the patio for a chance to win another shot. These cold drink options are perfect for a summer where you want to get lit and have fun.

La Gelati

Multiple locations; lagelatiusa.com Since opening in 2013, this sweets shop has grown to six metro Detroit locations. It offers Italian ice, gelato, ice cream, smoothies, crepes, waffles, and other sweet treats – many that are great to cool down with.

Astoria

541 Monroe St., Detroit; 313-963-9603 | 320 S. Main St., Royal Oak; 248-5829220 | astoriapastryshop.com

This family-owned bakery is known for its variety of cakes, cookies, and pastries, but also offers great ice cream and shakes for when it’s too hot outside for anything else.

Doug’s Delights

24110 John R Rd., Hazel Park; instagram.com/dougsdelight_hp After its longtime owner died, this old Hazel Park ice cream shack was revived by two chefs from the nearby upscale Mabel Gray restaurant, who thankfully kept things old-school and low-frills with favorites like Guernsey ice cream and what it calls “Dougies,” or its version of the Dairy Queen Blizzard, which comes in Michigan-centric flavors like Bumpy Cake. (For fans of Hulu/FX’s The Bear, the building also holds the Matt & Mo’s Italian Beef shop, which serves up the Chicago delicacy.)

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New metro Detroit restaurants that have opened so far in 2024

S

he dining scene in metro Detroit is off to an impressive start to 2024, with many great new eateries that have opened in the first half of the year. Plus, there are still a number of new restaurants, bars, and cafes to anticipate sometime later this year. Here are some spots to know about that you won’t want to miss out on.

Vecino

4100 Third Ave., Detroit; 313-500-1615; vecinodetroit.com This Latin-inspired restaurant with an “agave-forward” bar was intended to open in Midtown in November 2023, but just finally opened in April 2024.

Its simple menu merges modern Mexican cuisine with a curated selection of tequilas and mezcals.

Nuevo Seoul

220 W. Congress St., Detroit; 313-5025171; eatatnuevoseoul.com This Korean-inspired fast-casual Mexican street food restaurant opened in downtown Detroit in late April. Brothers Chris and Peter Han, founders of Hanah Steakhouse in Detroit and Osaka Steakhouse in Clawson, are at the helm of the new concept. Its menu merges components of Mexican and Korean flavors to familiar dishes such as bulgogi beef tacos, birria ramen, and kimchi fries. Along with nonalcoholic drinks, Mexican-inspired spiked slushies and signature Agua Fresca cocktails are also available.

Adelina

1040 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-2468811; adelinadetroit.com At the heart of downtown Detroit, Adelina fuses Italian and Mediterranean cuisine for unique and innovative flavors. The concept, which opened in March, is a collaboration with renowned celebrity chef Fabio Viviani.

Third Street Bar

4626 Third St., Detroit; instagram.com/ thirdstreetdetroit After this longstanding Cass Corridor bar closed last summer, fans were sad.

Luckily, it just reopened under new ownership. The humble Third Street Bar is now owned by the Detroit Optimist Society, a hospitality group better known for its high-end cocktail bars like Sugar House, Wright & Co., and Bad Luck Bar. But co-owner Dave Kwiatkowski is keeping Third Street Bar

Toastique Ann Arbor will host a grand opening celebration on August 10.

the same, with its low-frills shot-anda-beer kind of vibe that has long been popular with Wayne State University students.

PUMA

4725 16th St., Detroit; instagram.com/ puma_detroit New Argentine restaurant PUMA opened during Movement Music Festival with parties all weekend. PUMA is a more casual sister brand to Chef Javier Bardauil’s upscale Barda restaurant. By night, PUMA transforms into COUGAR, a full-service cocktail bar featuring live DJ sessions.

Saroki’s Crispy Chicken and Pizza

25005 Dequindre Rd., Madison Heights; sarokis.com This chain, established in 2012 by brothers Curtis and Todd Saroki, just expanded to metro Detroit in late June.

The spot has grown a cult following for its fried chicken and New York-style pizzas, and now we get to see what the hype is all about.

The Jackson

104 N. Adams Rd., Rochester Hills; thejacksonrestaurant.com Thes new restaurant inspired by the

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work of abstract expressionist painter Jackson Pollock opened in Rochester Hills in June. The spot’s decor is heavily influenced by Pollock’s groundbreaking work “Number One,” with dishes representing “edible masterpieces.”

Sullaf Restaurant

814 W. Seven Mile Rd., Detroit; 313893-5657 This small Iraqi restaurant abruptly closed around three years ago, but was fortunately reopened by a new owner just a couple of months ago. The spot’s menu includes a range of kabobs, lamb shank, shawarma, chicken cream chop, and several sandwiches. There are also salads and a menu of Iraqi breakfast staples.

Easy Peasy

1456 Woodward, Detroit; easypeasydetroit.com Opening in late June, Easy Peasy is a neighborhood bar open daily, offering classic cocktails, beer, and wine. It is run by the team behind Collect Beer Bar, Two Birds, and the Huddle Soft Serve ice cream windows. Easy Peasy collaborates with Detroit chefs to offer lunch, dinner, and late-night options, including sushi. During dinner and

COURTESY PHOTO

Saturday brunch, No Sauce BBQ, a Black-owned collective, serves a bar menu featuring burgers, BBQ tacos, and various snacks and sides.

Lowkey

1456 Woodward, Detroit; easypeasydetroit.com Located below new bar Easy Peasy, Lowkey is an underground cocktail lounge featuring a rotation of some of Detroit’s best bartenders. In a nod to the storied history of the space (formerly Whisky Disco and Oslo Nightclub), Lowkey also hosts the occasional DJs night featuring some of Detroit’s most established DJs, as well as new and upcoming talent.

Pink Garlic Indian Cuisine

18625 Ecorse Rd., Allen Park; 947948-5680; pink-garlic-indian-cuisine. square.site Oak Park favorite Pink Garlic opened a second location in Allen Park in March, offering both dine-in and carryout. Like the original spot, the new Pink Garlic’s menu features an extensive lineup of Indian and IndoChinese staples like chicken biryani, orange chicken, momos, and tandoori chicken.

Café Noir

9405 John R. St., Detroit; instagram. com/cafenoir.det This French-inspired coffee shop recently opened in the space formerly home to Black Coffee, which opened in late 2022. A year before that, the coffee shop was named Kenilworth Cafe. Now, new life has been breathed into the community spot once again. While Café Noir is a play on the name Black Coffee, the space has been heavily reimagined and updated, with a French-inspired menu and ambiance, rather than the Afro-centric vibe that Black Coffee took on. The spot serves up a variety of coffee drinks alongside pastries and sandwiches, aiming to “provide a welcoming space for people to connect, socialize, and build community.” While there’s a lot that is new, the space’s unique and fun outdoor co-working circles, as well as free community WiFi access, are still present.

Gilly’s Clubhouse

1550 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-6517050; gillysdetroit.com This downtown Detroit sports bar dedicated to Dan Gilbert’s late son opened in early April. Gilly’s boasts 10,000 square feet with a 120-square foot television, Detroit sports memorabilia, and American fare. The menu includes things like grass-fed beef smash burgers, chicken wings, homemade mac and cheese, and turkey meatballs along with healthier options like grain bowls and salads.

A variety of draft beers and specialty cocktails are also offered, as well as classic coffee and fresh-pressed juice.

Lincoln Yard and little yard

2159 E. Lincoln St., Birmingham; 248653-5353; eatlincolnyard.com These sister eateries are two new restaurants in one — one dine-in space and one to-go spot — located in a repurposed school bus garage in Birmingham’s Rail District. The concept is led by local restaurant group Union Joints.

Sexy Steak

1942 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-403-1000; sexysteakdetroit.com Detroit’s castle-esque Grand Army of the Republic building became home to this new restaurant, featuring a menu focused on steaks and seafood. The new spot is led by Prime 29 Concepts, which also operates Aurora Italiana and Prime 29 Steakhouse in West Bloomfield.

Bombshell Treat Bar

2688 Coolidge Hwy., Berkley; 248-8452125; bombshelltreatbar.com Berkley’s Bombshell Treat Bar opened on April 19, specializing in over-the-top desserts. The spot serves up ice cream, dipped bars, floats, hot pretzels, grabn-go “packed pints,” ice cream cakes, salt and pepper caramel corn, novelty candy, and other sweet treats.

Jollibee

44945 Woodridge Dr., Sterling Heights; 586-544-4090; jollibeefoods.com People were super excited about this famous Philippines-based fast-food chain opening its first Michigan location.

Founded in 1978, the chain is known for putting a Filipino twist on American dishes like fried chicken, burgers, spaghetti (topped with a sweet sauce, ham, and hot dog), and peach-mango hand pies. It was originally supposed to open in October 2023, but the opening date got pushed back to winter 2024.

Side Hustle Lounge

1230 Library St., Detroit; instagram. com/sidehustledetroit In early 2024, Detroit’s Mootz Pizzeria + Bar announced a big expansion with the opening of its new cocktail lounge “Bar Mootz.” Ahead of the NFL Draft, the new space opened, now dubbede “Side Hustle Lounge.” The spot offers a menu of cocktails and small plates with Italian and Latin influences, curated by executive chef Angela Georges.

Food items include flatbreads, sautéed shrimp, beef empanadas, and charcuterie boards.

Kitab Cafe and Bookstore

411 W. Canfield St., Detroit; kitabcafe. com Earlier this year, Hamtramck’s Kitab Cafe opened a second location in Detroit’s former Avalon Bakery space.

Along with a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere, all usual favorites are available, including La Colombe Coffee, Zingerman’s pastries, and made-toorder sandwiches.

The Modern Vegan

304 Main St., Royal Oak; instagram. com/themodernvegan.detroit If you’re a vegan who’s always looking for more metro Detroit options, this spot has got you covered. This popular Las Vegas vegan spot, which boasts the largest vegan menu in the world, was announced in September and finally opened almost a year later on August 1.

Pie Sci Oak Park

8140 W. Nine Mile Rd., Detroit; piescipizza.com In September 2023, Detroit pizza spot

Pie Sci, known for its unconventional creations, announced it would be opening a new take-out location in Oak Park. While initially hoping to launch by the end of 2023, the new space ended up opening this February.

Turkish Village

21931 Michigan Ave., Dearborn; 313-9142107; turkishvillagecuisine.com Turkish Village came about because some Detroit-area Yemeni businessmen were vacationing and liked what they found. They hired Turks for the kitchen crew, and the restaurant, which opened March 5, was jammed throughout Ramadan with iftar reservations. Outdoor seating is planned, and additional locations in Michigan.

JJ’s Custard

Little Caesars Arena, Detroit; jjscustardco.com Following a successful residency in 2023, this Dearborn-based specialty ice cream shop opened a long-term storefront in Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena.

The shop is known for its menu featuring items such as The Sweet Bun, The Wowffle, and Injected Loaded Cones.

Big Chicken

Multiple locations; bigchicken.com In August, Michigan-based restaurant operators H&D Group Investments signed a deal with Shaquille O’Neal’s fast-casual chicken chain to develop 20 locations across the state, with plans to open in Ann Arbor, Lansing, Flint, Saginaw, Mount Pleasant, and metro Detroit. The first location is planned for Clio, set to open in early 2024, with a second location announced to open in Highland in the spring.

Aussie Grill by Outback

39707 Ford Rd., Canton; 734-366-1420; aussiegrill.com Outback Steakhouse’s fast-casual spinoff chain got its first Michigan location in January, and there’s a drivethru to make your life easier. It’s the first Aussie Grill stand-alone restaurant outside of Florida, although the items are available through a “virtual kitchen” in a few other states.

Portillo’s

This Chicago-based hot dog spot just held its Livonia grand opening in July.

Founded in 1963, the chain is known for its Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, burgers, crispy crinkle cut French fries, and its signature chocolate cake. The 7,900-square-foot Livonia restaurant can seat more than 175 people indoors and 50 more on a seasonal patio. It also has two drivethru lanes.

Base Camp

5060 Jackson Rd., Ann Arbor; 734882-2882; basecampa2.com This new restaurant is bringing the flavors of the Himalayas to Ann Arbor. Led by a seven-time Everest summiter and experienced chef, Base Camp shares the culinary traditions of Nepal, India, Tibet, and Bhutan.

Menu items include momos, curries, biryani, mango lassi, and more.

Vertex Coffee Roasters

307 N. River St., Ypsilanti; vertexcoffee.com Since the unexpected closure of Cultivate Coffee and Taphouse in February 2022, Ypsilanti residents were eagerly hoping for some sort of comeback for the beloved cafe.

Finally, Ann Arbor’s Vertex Coffee Roasters opened a second location in the space in March. The cafe serves coffee and tea crafted with housemade syrups, as well as 12-ounce and 16-ounce bags of beans straight from the company’s roastery in Milan.

Plus, Vertex prides itself on a commitment to sustainability, helping produce less waste by recycling, using all compostable materials, and more.

The Ledger

306 S. Main St., Plymouth; 734-9840020; theledgerplymouth.com Inside of a powerful-looking building, this new downtown Plymouth restaurant serves modern fare and craft cocktails with a focus on quality ingredients.

La Fonda St.

8016 Kercheval Ave., Detroit; instagram.com/encarnacion New West Village Latin coffee shop Encarnacion held a small soft opening at the end of 2023, then closed to work on its offerings before a grand opening. Now, the space has finally reopened as La Fonda St., a Latin street food spot that includes Encarnacion coffee under the same roof.

Toastique

200 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor East Coast toast and juice café Toastique recently made its Michigan debut. Since its launch in Washington, D.C. in 2018, the chain known for its health-conscious menu of gourmet toast, smoothie bowls, and cold-pressed juices has grown to over 20 locations nationally, with just as many on the way. Toastique’s menu includes items like Smoked Salmon Toast, Spicy Crab Toast, PB & B Bowl, Green Machine Smoothie, cold brew coffee, and iced collagen lattes.

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WHAT’S GOING ON Select events happening in metro Detroit this week. Be sure to check venue website before events for latest information. Add your event to our online calendar: metrotimes. com/AddEvent.

MUSIC Wednesday, Aug. 7 Live/Concert Gerald Albright, Leon Timbo 7:30 p.m.; The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, 2600 E. Atwater St., Detroit; $15-$60.

Ken Carson 7 p.m.; Detroit Masonic Temple Library, 500 Temple St, Detroit; $39-$108.

Red Wanting Blue, JD Eicher 7 p.m.; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $25-$100.

Matt Lorusso Trio & Special Guests 8-11 p.m.; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.

troit; $40.

Bluhm, Same Eyes, Kevin McKay+Katie Lass 7 p.m.; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $12.

Erin Gibney - Nashville Hits the Roof! 8 p.m.; Tin Roof, 47 E. Adams Ave., Detroit; no cover.

Ice Spice, Cash Cobain, RIOTUSA 7 p.m.; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $47.50-$87.50.

EMO NITE with Ryan Scott Graham 8 pm.;. Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $18.

Lime Rickey International, Cyrus Pireh 7-10 p.m.; Entropy Studios, 25908 W. Six Mile Rd., Redford; $10.

Maddie & Tae, Anna Vaus 7 p.m.; District 142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte; sold out.

Ribs RnB Music Festival Weekend 11:30 am-11:30 p.m.; Hart Plaza, 1 Hart Plaza, Detroit; no cover.

SummerFest Concert: Thornetta Davis 6:30-9 p.m.; The War Memorial, 32 Lake Shore Drive, Grosse Pointe Farms; Free-$40.

SeeYouSpaceCowboy, The Callous Daoboys, Omerta, Stateside & Blind Equation 6:30 p.m.; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $20.

Thursday, Aug. 8 Live/Concert

Sonu Nigam 6:30 p.m.; Detroit Masonic Temple Library, 500 Temple St., Detroit; $83-$304.

Robert Jon & The Wreck 7 p.m.; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $35.

Stephen Sanchez, Ray Bull 6:30 p.m.; Detroit Masonic Temple Library, 500 Temple St, Detroit; $30-$160.

TimaLikesMusic: That 90’s Love R&B Dance Party 7 p.m.; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $20.

Yacht Rock Beach Party with the The Leaky Tiki’s 4-9 p.m.; Campus Martius Park, 800 Woodward Ave., Detroit; no cover.

Karaoke DARE-U-OKE 9 pm-midnight; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.

Drag Queen Karaoke 8 pm-2 am; Woodward Avenue Brewers, 22646 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; no cover.

Friday, Aug. 9 Live/Concert Bastardane, Ottto, Girthquake, Ratmatia 6 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $15.

Blackout BBQ 2024 with FEAR, Giuda, D.O.A., and more 5 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., De-

The Queens of R&B: Xscape, SWV, Mya, Total, 702 7 p.m.; Little Caesars Arena, 2645 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $39.50-$124.50.

The Struts, Barns Courtney 7 pm; Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; $32.50-$74.50.

Tony! Toni! Tonè!, D’Wayne Wiggins 8 p.m.; The Music Hall, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit; $59-$69.

Saturday, Aug. 10 Live/Concert Ribs RnB Music Festival Weekend 11:30 am-11:30 p.m.; Hart Plaza, 1 Hart Plaza, Detroit; no cover until 1 p.m., $15 after. $NOT, Cochise, fourfive, Baby Kia, Scarlet House, Micro, 0500gcsy 5:30 p.m. The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $33-$57.50.

Andrew Bird, Amadou & Mariam 7 p.m.; Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; $49.50-$89.50.

Back to the 2000s: Hip Hop & R&B Edition 9 p.m.; Diamondback Music Hall, 49345 S. Interstate 94 Service Dr., Belleville; $10.

BLACK FLAG (two sets) 8 p.m.;

Tangent Gallery & Hastings Street Ballroom, 715 E. Milwaukee Ave., Detroit; $30-$35.

Domination Detroit (Pantera tribute) 7:30 p.m.; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; $25-$140.

Classic Albums Live - Purple Rain 8 pm; Meadow Brook Amphitheatre, 3554 Walton Blvd., Rochester Hills; $25-$75.50.

Five for Fighting, Pharaohs 7 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $33.

Flow: Anime Shibari 8 p.m.; Fisher Theatre - Detroit, 3011 West Grand & Fisher, Detroit; $40-$214.

Funk Night on the River: WAR, Ohio Players, Midnight Star, Mary Jane Girls 7 p.m.; The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, 2600 E. Atwater St., Detroit; $45-$125.

Kenny Chesney, Megan Moroney, Zac Brown Band, Uncle Kracker 5 p.m.; Ford Field, 2000 Brush St., Detroit; $225-$275.

Lamb Of God, Mastodon, Unearth, Kerry King 6 p.m.; Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, 14900 Metropolitan Pkwy., Sterling Heights; $39.50-$79.50.

Levels, Exitwounds, Death Hex 6 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $15.

Magic Bag Presents: MEGA 80s 7 p.m.; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $20.

Redeye Raccoon, ¡MAS!, The Pizazz, Rawhide (FKA Girl Fight 8 p.m.; Donovan’s, 3003 W. Vernor Hwy., Detroit; $5.

Sunday, Aug. 11 Live/Concert Ribs RnB Music Festival Weekend 11:30 am-11:30 p.m.; Hart Plaza, 1 Hart Plaza, Detroit; no cover until 1 p.m., $15 after.

14th Annual Ton-Up Ypsi Motorcycle & Music Festival: The Seatbelts, The Atomic Bombcatz, Rum & Bones, DJ Del Villarreal 12-7 p.m.; Corner Brewery, 720 Norris St., Ypsilanti; no cover.

Conway the Machine, Jae Skeese 7 p.m.; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $32.50.

Harmolodics 8 p.m.; Sgt. Pepperoni’s Pizzeria & Deli, 4120 Woodward Avenue, Detroit; no cover.

Idina Menzel, Take Me or Leave

Me 5:30 p.m.; Cathedral Theatre at the Masonic Temple, 500 Temple St., Detroit; $59-$415 Showdown in Chuckletown II: Electoral Carnage: The Cult of Spaceskull, Hot Talent Buffet, Hail Alien, bURN mARALAGO 6-9:30 p.m.; Tangent Gallery, 715 E. Milwaukee Ave., Detroit; $15 online, $20 doors.

Tedeschi Trucks Band, Margo Price 7 p.m.; Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, 14900 Metropolitan Pkwy., Sterling Heights; $39.50$199.50.

The Nuts, Luna PIER, Mass Dispute, Dystonia 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $13.

Trapt, Dognstyle 6:30 p.m.; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; $20.

Monday, Aug. 12 Live/Concert blink-182, Pierce the Veil, Hot Milk 7 p.m.; Little Caesars Arena, 2645 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $18.20-$200.

Summer Carillon Concert: Eric Whitmer with Sono Trio 7-8 p.m.; Carillons at The University of Michigan, 881 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor; no cover.

DJ/Dance Adult Skate Night 8:30-11 p.m.; Lexus Velodrome, 601 Mack Ave., Detroit; $5.

Tuesday, Aug. 13 Live/Concert Bear Ghost, Super Guitar Bros 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $18.

Crown The Empire, Dark Divine, Capstan, Oni, Engrave 6 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $27.50.

Global Sunsets, Blackman & Arnold Trio 7-10 p.m.; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.

DJ/Dance B.Y.O.R Bring Your Own Records Night 9 p.m.-midnight; The Old Miami, 3930 Cass Ave., Detroit; no cover.

THEATER Performance They Say The Murder Mystery Company Presents: I Love the 80s to Death; $59; Friday Aug. 9, 7-9:30 p.m.

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COMEDY Improv Go Comedy! Improv Theater Pandemonia The Allstar Showdown; Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; $25.

Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle Open Mike Night; $5; Wednesday, Aug. 7, 7:30-9 p.m.

Stand-up Blind Pig Blind Pig Comedy FREE Mondays, 8 p.m.

The Independent Comedy Club at Planet Ant Tonight vs Everybody: Open Mic; $5 suggested donation; Thursdays, 9-10:30 p.m.

Masonic Temple Immortal Comedy: In the Acacia Room bi-monthly showcase of the best comedy in Detroit; $5 advance, $10 at the door; Thursday. Aug. 8, 8:30-9:45 p.m.

Detroit Shipping Company 313 Comedy Show; no cover; Sundays, 7-8:30 p.m.

DANCE Dance performance Redford Theatre We call it Tango: A Unique Argentine Dance Show; $41.34; Thursday, Aug. 8, 6-7:15 p.m.

ART Art Exhibition Downtown Royal Oak 2024 Royal Oak Art Walk; no cover; Friday Aug. 9, 5-9 p.m.

Continuing This Week Color & Ink Studio Strike a Pose Group Portrait Show, thourgh Aug. 11.

Habatat Galleries 52nd Annual International Glass Show (GLASS52), through Aug. 30.

Stamelos Gallery Center, UMDearborn Piece by Piece: Recent Work from Regional Fiber Artists.

University of Michigan Museum of Art Unsettling Histories: Legacies of Slavery and Colonialism.

Party Northville Art House Art & Nature Family Celebration; $5; Saturday noon-2 p.m.

Drink Summer Beer and Wine Soirée on the Bay Presented by Grosse Pointe Craft Beer, Wine & Food Festival; Sunday, 2-6 p.m.; The War Memorial, 32 Lake Shore Drive, Grosse Pointe Farms; $60$150.

Saint Andrew’s Hall and its basement Shelter venue are associated with Detroit hip-hop.

KAHN SANTORI DAVISON

A tour of famous Detroit hip-hop locales As the lore of Detroit hip-hop’s yesteryear continues

to grow, so has the desire to see all the legendary locations associated with it. The movie 8 Mile boosted the notoriety of the Shelter (within Saint Andrew’s Hall), while The Hip Hop Shop was more recently featured on Netflix’s The Evolution of Hip-Hop. Enter Kris Hoff, a 26-year veteran of the touring industry who owns Distinctly Detroit Tours, a company that will be hosting an upcoming “Hip-Hop History Tour.”

“I was looking for something fresh and innovative for a Detroit tour because I was tired of doing the same thing for 26 years,” Hoff told WJR 760 am in an interview that aired July 18. “I don’t feel that there’s enough people that know how great Detroit is and there is so many things here that is undiscovered by people.”

To assist with the curation Hoff reached out to veteran emcee Ron “Phat Kat” Watts, who had actually conducting Detroit hip-hop tours for the last five years. She also enlisted the help of emcee Ronnnie “Killa Ghanz” Kelly and Jerry Flynn Dale, whose Def Sound studio became Michigan’s first hip-hop landmark in May of this year. “[Hoff] came here because she thought Detroit was a great hip-hop city and she noticed there was not a hip-hop tour in Detroit,” Dale says.

Dr. Khalid el-Hakim is the founder of the Black History 101 Museum. He was previously the vice president of Proof’s Iron Fist records and has been an avid hip-hop memorabilia collector since the early 1980s.

“It’s not surprising, we have a long history of hip-hop in Detroit,” he says. “Some of the first Fresh Fest concerts happened in Detroit. Hump the Grinder was one of the first backers… It’s all history and it’s all important. It’s also important who tells the story.”

Participants of the tour will make stops by The Hip Hop Shop, Def Sound Studio, J Dilla’s childhood home, the Rhythm Kitchen, Future Funk Records, and more.

For Dale, Future Funk Records was one of his starting spots. Standing as a small store front, its owner would put out a makeshift stage in front where aspiring emcees like him and Kalimah “Nikki D” Johnson would rap and encourage each other. Along with The Hip Hop Shop, the

Rhythm Kitchen held hip-hop-themed events sponsored by clothing designer Maurice Malone.

“They were instrumental places to Detroit hip-hop,” he says. “They were incubators, I can’t imagine hip-hop in Detroit with them.”

Detroit is not the first city to offer tours exploring its contributions through hip-hop. Tours in Atlanta will take you to the Trap Music Museum, while tours in Los Angeles offer narrated trips to the homes where movies like Friday and Boyz n the Hood were filmed. For Detroit, one of the biggest highlights for participants will be taking a drive by the previous home of J Dilla within Detroit’s historic Conant Gardens neighborhood. Artists such as Common, Erykah Badu, and Q-Tip are a few of the heavyweights that spent time in Dilla’s basement studio inside the home.

“People loved J Dilla worldwide,” adds el-Hakim. “It’s something about him and his legacy that’s mythical. It’s a mythicism behind him that people are into.”

He also believes there is even more history to unearth, but Detroit needs more artists to write down their history.

“It’s so many artists in Detroit that have made amazing contributions but are overlooked because it’s not documented anywhere,” says el-Hakim. “If we don’t write our stories and share them with the world, they get lost in history.”

Dale says the tour has received support from the Mayor’s office and the Detroit Historical Advisory Board. Dale, Watts, and Kelly will share the responsibility of narrating the tour. In the future they plan on expanding the tour with stops at venues like Harpos, the C-Note Lounge, and the Ebony Showcase Lounge.

“I want them to experience Detroit hip-hop in its stages,” he says. “We have big rappers here. We have Big Sean, we have Em, ICP, we have all the younger rappers that’s here like Tee Grizzley. I want them to understand that hip-hop is not just some thuggery stuff that we’re doing. We’ve put a lot of work into this. We used Motown as the blueprint to expand this to a national stage.”

The Hip-Hop History Tour of Detroit starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 11 at the Fisher Building. More information is available at distinctivelydetroit.com.

—Kahn Santori Davison

metrotimes.com | August 7-August 13, 2024 37

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CULTURE

Over 40 unique depictions of the iconic Black writer are currently on display at The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

Arts spotlight

Sabrina Nelson brings the spirit of James Baldwin to Detroit

By Layla McMurtrie

Detroit artist Sabrina

Nelson says that during a trip to Paris in 2016, she met the spirit of James Baldwin.

Since then, she has become deeply acquainted with the iconic writer and activist, and has drawn him over 100 times.

She often does it from memory, and at this point, she says she could easily do it with her eyes closed.

Currently, dozens of unique pieces — sketchbook drawings, detailed works on canvas, projected videos, collaborations with poets, and augmented reality experiences — are on display at Detroit’s Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

The show, titled Frontline Prophet: James Baldwin, is curated by long-time creative collaborators of Nelson, Ashara Ekundayo, and Omo Misha.

Since debuting in Baldwin’s birthplace of Harlem, New York in August 2023, the collection has traveled to New Orleans, Oakland, and Chicago before arriving in Nelson’s hometown of Detroit on Baldwin’s 100th birthday — August 2, 2024.

The journey to get here, however, has been a long one.

Around eight years ago, Nelson was invited by Detroit’s poet laureate jessica Care moore to create drawings of Bald-

win at the International James Baldwin Conference in Paris.

She had no idea how big of an impact the trip would have.

“I learned so much, and spiritually, I feel like [Baldwin] tapped me on the shoulder,” Nelson says. “When I started drawing his image, I felt something physically and spiritually that I had never felt before, and I just kind of left it there in Paris.”

Back in Detroit, when #Inktober came around in October — challenging artists to draw the same subject for 31 days — Nelson decided to join in on the fun with her students. She chose Baldwin as her muse, and instead of drawing him for just a month, she went on for 91 days.

“I could draw from reference in the beginning, but now if I sit down and just do a quick gesture of Baldwin, I know the essence of his eyes, his mouth, the gap in his tooth, the hair, the coiliness of the kinky hair, and I think about his brilliance and how to draw that,” Nelson says. “I know a lot of people can draw his likeness in the reality of realism, but to be able to have the essence of him in all of his colors and all of his layers, I think I got that.”

The artist describes Baldwin’s “essence” as layered, intellectual, sharp, lov-

40 August 7-August 13, 2024 | metrotimes.com

ing, family-oriented, and overall “super fly.” She also calls the writer, in an effort to describe him to young people, “the Kendrick Lamar of his time.”

“He’s not limited to one dimension,” Nelson says. “He was a man who grappled with his identity, who grappled with what it is to be an American, who grappled with what it is to be a Black American in this country, what it is to be a gay Black man, what it is to be a writer, a son of this country who didn’t treat him well. I just think many of us are like that, and we can identify with what he went through.”

She adds, “This work is really talking about remixing him, if you will, bringing him back. I am just doing the work as the messenger.”

At the local exhibit, viewers are able to bring Baldwin to life through the Black Terminus AR app. Holding a phone camera over art pieces on the wall prompts Baldwin’s voice and moving pictures for a modern multi-sensory experience.

The title of the show, Frontline Prophet, was thought up by Ekundayo, a Detroit- and Oakland-based curator who founded the international platform Artist as First Responder.

To Nelson, the name is fitting.

“Thinking about the Civil Rights Movement where you had to use your platform for people to pay attention to things that were happening, James Baldwin was a first responder, and he was an active, active activist,” Nelson says. “He wasn’t writing behind the scenes. He was there. He did his own research. He asked, went on the streets, and asked people what was happening and what could we do about it, so it wasn’t just somebody who saw what was happening, but someone who came up with a plan to address

LAYLA MCMURTRIE

it. He was a doer. He was definitely a maverick and definitely a prophet.”

Describing herself and the show’s curators as “Detroit daughters,” Nelson is very proud, emotional, and ecstatic that the collection of work is finally being displayed in her hometown.

“It was worth the journey of the five cities before I got here,” Nelson says. “It’s just been a long journey coming, but to celebrate his 100th birthday is such a beautiful thing here in Detroit. He came here. He had a lover here. He had a place that he called his home here, and so we have a small piece of Baldwin in our community, and it’s nice to just bring that small piece back home.”

Over the coming months, events surrounding the exhibit will happen at The Wright and other spaces throughout the city. In conjunction with the show, Nelson plans to place tiny libraries in multiple Detroit neighborhoods, host events at local coffee shops and high schools, and hold a reading at Liquor Basket Gratiot — the art gallery inside a liquor store on the city’s east side.

The artist wants her work to be accessible to everyone. “Planting seeds” in those that come after her, through teaching and inspiring, is as important to Nelson as displaying her work.

“In my practice of art, I’m not just thinking about the physical pieces, the journey that I am on, I am taking folks with me. I am lifting folks up,” Nelson says. “I am celebrating those who are around me and who also influence and teach me. I think I’m very layered, very much like James Baldwin.”

For more information on Nelson and the exhibit, plus updates about events surrounding the show, visit thewright.org.

metrotimes.com | August 7-August 13, 2024 41

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FOOD

Halloween pop-up heading to Detroit It’s already August,

A $15 per hour minimum wage could be in Michigan’s future.

SHUTTERSTIOCK

Bites

State Supreme Court paves way for $15 wage Thanks to a Michigan Supreme

Court ruling last Wednesday, the state’s minimum wage is poised to rise from $10.33 per hour to $15 per hour in the next several years.

In a 4-3 ruling, the Democratic-majority state Supreme Court decided that the former Republican-controlled Legislature improperly blocked two ballot proposals in 2018 that would raise the minimum wage and expand sick leave for workers. But before the ballot initiatives were put before voters, lawmakers adopted the measures only to weaken the policies in the lame duck period after the election.

In her majority opinion, Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Welch wrote that this so-called “adopt-andamend” maneuver “unconstitutionally violated the people’s initiative rights.”

As a result, the court ordered the proposals to be reinstated as originally written, with a $2 minimum wage hike to go into effect on Feb. 21, 2025, increasing in the following years according to inflation to around $15 per hour in 2028.

The law will also phase out the lower wage for tipped workers in 2029.

One Fair Wage, a nonprofit representing restaurant workers that joined the lawsuit arguing that the “adopt-andamend” tactics were unconstitutional, celebrated the win.

“This is a great day for the more than 860,000 workers in Michigan who are getting a raise,” One Fair Wage president Saru Jayaraman said in a statement. “We have finally prevailed over the corporate interests who tried everything they could to prevent all workers, including restaurant workers, from being paid a full, fair wage with tips on top.”

Attorney General Dana Nessel also celebrated the decision.

“This is a landmark victory for Michigan voters and a resounding affirmation of the power of direct democracy,” Nessel said. “The Legislature cannot manipulate its power to undermine the will of the people. This ruling sends a clear message that elected officials cannot disregard the voices of their constituents. I am glad to see the Court recognize and respect that the people reserved for themselves the power of initiative, a crucial tool meant to shape the laws that govern them.”

Unsurprisingly, the news was not celebrated by the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association lobbying group, which warned that such wage increases will hobble an already fragile industry.

“Today’s tone-deaf ruling by the Michigan Supreme Court strikes a likely existential blow to Michigan’s restaurant industry,” MRLA president and CEO Justin Winslow, President & CEO said in a statement. “As our recent in-

44 August 7-August 13, 2024 | metrotimes.com

which means Halloween is basically (sort of) around the corner.

With the holiday season comes unique pop-up bars to spice up your drinking time with friends, and this year, acclaimed Halloween pop-up Black Lagoon is making its Detroit debut.

The experience will be at The Skip from October 1 through November 5.

Created by bar industry veterans Erin Hayes and Kelsey Ramage, the annual event “blends the macabre with a splash of goth and metal.”

The pair started Black Lagoon after a successful pop-up at the cult favorite New Orleans dive bar, The Dungeon. Officially launching in Toronto in October 2021, the pop-up quickly gained a devoted following of cocktail and Halloween lovers.

Now in its fourth year, Black Lagoon has expanded to 35 cities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Once again, the pop-up is getting ready to serve up creepy and creative libations alongside eerie vibes.

This year’s pop-up will feature a curated cocktail menu with Halloween-themed drinks from sponsor brands like Lot 40 Rye, Fords Gin, Mezcal Union, Giffard Liqueurs, The House of Lustau, Mr. Black Cold Brew Liqueur, and Bitter Queens Bitters.

The full lineup of signature Halloween inspired cocktails and spooky decor is coming soon. To stay updated and for more information on Black Lagoon, visit blacklagoonpopup.com and follow @ blacklagoonpopup on Instagram.

—Layla McMurtrie

dustry operations survey illustrated, 40% of full-service restaurants in Michigan are already unprofitable, meaning this decision is likely to force more than one in five of them to close permanently, eliminating up to 60,000 jobs along the way.”

Winslow urged the state Legislature to pass a compromise solution “that prevents this impending catastrophe before it is implemented.”

He added, “The future of Michigan’s restaurant industry and the stability of Michigan’s overall economy hangs in the balance.”

—Lee DeVito

The Morrie in Royal Oak closes The Morrie has been a be-

loved neighborhood gathering place in downtown Royal Oak since opening in 2016, known for its American fare and regular live music events. Following last Sunday’s service, however, the restaurant has shut its doors.

Fortunately, the building won’t be unused for long, as it is set to become the new home of modern Latin and sushi fusion restaurant Blind Owl, expected to open in September.

Aaron F. Belen, owner of the Morrie and AFB Hospitality Group, is shifting his focus to his real estate development business, according to a press release.

“The Morrie has been very popular since opening in 2016, but we’re now ready to pass the torch to Blind Owl’s Nicolas Andreasson,” Belen said in a statement. “Since purchasing the building in 2015, Blind Owl will be my first tenant in the space, and I look forward to supporting their success.”

Belen also owned a Morrie location in Birmingham, which has also closed and is currently being redeveloped, according to Downtown News Magazine.

Blind Owl’s owner, Nicolas Andreasson, born in Romania and having migrated from Sweden to Michigan in 1996, focuses on international fusion cuisine. The new restaurant’s menu will truly have something for everyone, featuring items like street tacos, shawarma nachos, lamb braised Birria, fettuccine Alfredo, an extensive selection of sushi rolls, and American comfort foods like chicken wings, cheeseburgers, and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Blind Owl will also offer a full bar with various cocktail, liquor, and wine options, as well as a wide selection of draft beers. Every Thursday, the restaurant will host Ladies Night with half-off glasses and bottles of wine, house margaritas, $2 domestic beers, and $5 drafts. Plus, live music will be featured every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night.

This will be Blind Owl’s second location, with the first located at 36310 Main St. in downtown New Baltimore.

“We’ve been looking to expand for a while, and this was the perfect spot,” Andreasson said. “Our goal is to be recognized as the premier destination in Royal Oak for culinary innovation with the freshest ingredients, unparalleled hospitality, and vibrant social gatherings — where every guest feels welcomed, indulged and eager to return.”

—Layla McMurtrie

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CULTURE Savage Love Big Ask

Q: I’m a 26-year-old cisgender woman

who works from home. I’m going on the second business trip of my career later this month. The first time, I had a hotel room to myself. This time, I’ll be sharing a room with one other person. Thing is, I snore. Not an insane amount, but I’m definitely a snorer.

Should I tell my roommate before going to sleep on the first night so they can prepare?

Maybe buy some earplugs or something if needed? Or am I overthinking this? I don’t think it’s see-a-doctor level snoring, and I don’t know if I could get to a doctor and cut down my snoring time in just a few weeks anyway. I just don’t want to mess up someone’s sleep for the event we’re running dusk until dawn for four days straight. What are your thoughts?

—Seeking Notes On Respectful Etiquette

A:

I don’t think this is a Savage Love question.

There are advice columnists and podcasters out there who specialize in matters of etiquette (Miss Manners, Awesome Etiquette), SNORE, and advice columnists and podcasters out there who specialize in workplace issues (Ask a Manager, Work Friend). Perhaps you meant to send your question to one of them?

Actually, you probably did send your question to one of them. Email has made it easy for people to send their questions to more than one advice columnist, which is why you sometimes see the same question appear in different advice columns at roughly the same time. I recently responded to a question from a frustrated straight male sub that Dr. Nerd Love responded to a few days later. I’m not suggesting our readers are doing anything wrong by sending their letters to more than one advice columnist — I have no right to expect exclusivity from anyone, given my body of work — but it’s a little weird when I receive a question that was clearly meant for (and doubtless already sent to) a very different kind of advice columnist.

But I appreciate everyone who sends me a question, SNORE, even when I suspect it was copied and pasted from a letter meant for someone else, so here’s some advice for you: Tell the person you’re bunking with about your snoring before the trip so they can get buy some earplugs and/or make a case to your bosses for private rooms. As a courtesy, SNORE, you should also pack

some earplugs. That way you’ll be able to offer them to your roommate if they assumed your snoring couldn’t be that bad and it turned out to be that bad. And don’t pack those useless little foam things, SNORE, but some of those silicone plugs you’re not supposed to roll up and jam into your ear canals, even though that’s literally what everyone who uses them does. Good luck!

Q: My very good friend is a gay man with

extreme sexual interests involving domination, submission, and body modifications.

He identifies as a sadist, but he is not a sociopath. He is a very nice person who only wishes to hurt people who enjoy receiving pain from him. He worries he will never meet his “dream sub” because he wants to partner with a man who is willing to undergo a “nulloplasty” and become his personal “nullo.” (A “nullo” is a cisgender man who has had his penis and his testicles surgically removed.) I suggested he could expand his pool of potential partners by dating trans gay men who haven’t had bottom surgery. A trans man who loved him might be willing to role play being his personal “nullo.” He would not consider it. While he agrees that trans men are men and many trans men are his type, his dream sub is cis man willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for him and “give up” his genitals, and this rules out men who never had male genitalia in the first place. He just turned thirty and he longs for a committed relationship. I think he might have more luck finding someone if was at least open to the idea of dating one of the many gay trans men active in the large kink community in the city where he lives. Am I correct?

—The Ultimate Sacrifice

A: Now that’s a Savage Love question.

There’s not much data on this question — here’s the handful of studies I found about men who wanna be nullos — but I’m guessing there are more gay trans men on this planet who might be willing to indulge your friend’s fantasies during role play than there are cis gay men willing to have their cocks and balls surgically removed to give their boyfriend a thrill. Even controlling for differing population sizes — there are a lot more cis gay men than there are trans gay men — I’m guessing there are fewer gay cis men willing to “sacrifice” their cocks and balls than trans gay men willing to indulge a fucking freak in fucked up dirty talk.

And if your friend is as “nice” a sadist as you claim, TUS, he won’t romance cis gay men who don’t wannabe nullos and then spring this on them after they’ve an emotional investment in him. And he won’t spring this on trans gay men either, TUS, since asking a trans man to pretend he once had the genitals he wishes he was

48 August 7-August 13, 2024 | metrotimes.com

born with removed could be highly triggering. So, whether your friend dates cis gay men or trans gay men, he needs to bear in mind that what he’s asking — from the universe, from a a future potential partner (in reality or during role play) — is huge.

Now, there are cis men out there who want, for their own reasons, to undergo the nullification process. But the wannabe nullo population is a tiny one, TUS, and it’s not all cis gay men. And even if your friend were to find a gay cis man who wanted to be a nullo, surely that’s not the only thing your friend wants out of (or off of) the man that he marries. Presumably the guy of his dreams would also be someone he was attracted to emotionally, someone who wanted the same things from life (generally, not just sexually), because relationships, while enhanced by sexual fantasies, are more than sexual fantasies.

Look, there’s no settling down without settling for, as I like to say, and no one with a long-term partner gets everything they want. If I were to sit down at my little desk and compose a little list of things a gay man might have to compromise and settle for, TUS, “A guy who wasn’t willing to cut off his cock and balls for me,” would be right at top. When it comes to extreme kinks like your friend’s kink, the best someone can hope for is a partner willing to engage in a little role play. Role playing a scenario this extreme is going to be a challenge for most people, TUS, so if your friend finds a guy — cis or trans — who’s willing to pretend he’s a nullo for him, your friend should regard that not just as a win, but as a miracle.

P.S. A cis gay man can just easily indulge your friend’s fantasy during role play as a trans gay man. Cis men can tuck it, as all those queens on RuPaul’s Drag Race have been demonstrating to us for years, and as that one Olympic pole vaulter learned this weekend.

Q: I’ve been in a painful push/pull “rela-

tionship” with a man since last fall. We met on Feeld with the intention of him joining me and my husband in an MFM threesome. This other man went from seeming super into it and GGG to backing out of the MFM plans and stating he wanted me all for himself, something he knew wasn’t part of mine and my husband’s agreement.

My first response was to say no and that’s not cool, but after a few weeks of private texting I was incredibly turned on and agreed to a one-on-one meetup, which I told my husband about. All we did at that first meeting was kiss but I was 100% down to fuck him after that. My husband and I had several heart-felt talks and revamped our ENM agreement to allow for me to be with this man. But every time we’ve made plans to get together, he goes MIA or comes up with some last-minute excuse about why we can’t meet. It makes me feeling hurt and disappointed, I tell myself I’m done with

him, and disconnect and try to move on.

Inevitably, however, he or I break to freeze by reaching out, the steamy sexting starts back up, we make plans to meet and he inevitably cancels them. We’ve only seen each other in person a few times over the last nine months and never gotten further than a hot make out session before he withdraws. I am a beautiful, strong, professional — I’m a therapist! — with so many resources and a happy marriage and yet all of my tools, insight, and training can’t keep me away from this boy. Please help! How can I kick this bad habit? Or better yet, how can I get him to follow through? The sexual chemistry between us is so intense it’s almost scary, and I think the sex — if we ever have it — will be epic! Help!

—Confusing Himbo Endangering My Sanity

A: This dude is never gonna fuck you.

I don’t know why this dude is never gonna fuck you, CHEMS, but it was clear to me after reading your letter — and should certainly be clear to you by now — that you’re never gonna get what you want from him. Meanwhile, it looks like he’s getting everything he wants from you: your time, your attention, and your desperation. This whole thing is a power trip for him. He approached you on Feeld when you were looking for a third and got you to meet up with him alone, which wasn’t on offer, and then got you to risk blowing up your marriage by asking your husband to renegotiate your open agreement. All he wanted from you at the start… and all he wants still… is to see how badly you want him.

If you enjoy this particular kind of agony — if frustration and orgasm denial are your thing — you could keep sexting with this guy and meeting up once in a while for a hot make-out session. (And here’s hoping those meet ups inspire you to go home and fuck the shit out of your husband.) But to avoid being driven insane, CHEMS, you’re going to have to bring your expectations into alignment with what he’s offering and work at keeping your expectations in check. So, before you text him back — certainly before you meet up with him again — you need to remind yourself that this man would’ve fucked you already if he actually ever intended to fuck you at all.

Sadly, once your expectations are in check — once you don’t want more from him than the sexts and make-out sessions — he’ll most likely lose interest in you. It’s your desperation and frustration he enjoys and once he senses you aren’t quite so desperate anymore, CHEMS, there won’t be anything in sexting or the make-out sessions for him anymore.

Got problems? Yes, you do! Email your question for the column to mailbox@savage. love! Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/askdan! Podcasts, columns, and more at Savage.Love.

metrotimes.com | August 7-August 13, 2024 49

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CULTURE Free Will Astrology

By Rob Brezsny ARIES: March 21 – April 19 Legend tells us that the first person to drink tea was Chinese Emperor Shennong in 2737 BCE. As he lounged outdoors, tree leaves fell into his cup of water and accidentally created an infusion. Good for him that he was willing to sample that accidental offering. It took many centuries, but eventually tea drinking spread throughout the world.

And yet the first tea bag, an icon of convenience, didn’t become available until 1904. I don’t expect you will have to wait anywhere near that long to move from your promising new discoveries to the highly practical use of those discoveries. In fact, it could happen quickly. The coming weeks will be a favorable time to ripen your novel ideas, stellar insights, and breakthrough innovations.

TAURUS: April 20 – May 20 I hope that in the coming months, Taurus, you will be refining your skills with joy and vigor. I hope

Preseason football already, try to refrain from losing your mind over a game that doesn’t F#*€king matter… yes I can make that a double….You’re welcome, enjoy.

ICE

COLD BEER

you will devote yourself to becoming even more masterful at activities you already do well. I hope you will attend lovingly to details and regard discipline as a high art — as if doing so is the most important gift you can give to life.

To inspire you in these noble quests, I offer you a quote by stage magician Harry Blackstone Jr.: “Practice until it becomes boring, then practice until it becomes beautiful.”

GEMINI: May 21 – June 20 Wohlweh is a German word that means “good pain” or “pleasurable pain.” It might refer to the feeling you have while scratching a mosquito bite or rubbing your eyes when they’re itchy from allergies. But my favorite use of the word occurs when describing a deep-tissue massage that may be a bit harrowing even as it soothes you and provides healing. That’s a great metaphor for the kind of wohlweh I expect for you in the coming days.

Here’s a tip: The less you resist the strenuous “therapy,” the better you will feel.

CANCER: June 21 – July 22 I earn my living as a writer now, but for many years I had to work odd jobs to keep from starving. One of the most challenging was tapping the sap of Vermont maple trees during the frigid weather of February. Few trees produce more than three gallons of sap per day, and it takes 40 to 50 gallons to create a single gallon of maple syrup.

It was hard work that required a great deal of patience. According to my analysis, you Cancerians are in a metaphorically comparable situation these days. To get the good results you want, you may have to generate a lot of raw material — and that could take a while.

Still, I believe that in the end, you will think the strenuous effort has been well worth it.

LEO: July 23 – August 22 I love the fact that Antarctica doesn’t belong to anyone. Thirty nations have research stations there, but none of them control what happens.

Antarctica has no government! It has a few laws that almost everyone obeys, like a ban on the introduction of nonindigenous plants and animals. But mostly, it’s untouched and untamed.

Much of its geology is uncharted. Inspired by this singular land, I’d love for you to enjoy a phase of wild sovereignty and autonomy in the coming weeks.

What can you do to express yourself

54 August 7-August 13, 2024 | metrotimes.com

with maximum freedom, answering primarily to the sacred laws of your own ardent nature?

VIRGO: August 23 – Sept. 22 Babylonia was an ancient empire located in what’s now Syria, Iraq, and Iran. Among its citizens, there was a common belief that insomnia was the result of intrusive visitations by ancestral spirits. Their urge to communicate made it hard for their descendants to sleep. One supposed cure was to take dead relatives’ skulls into bed, lick them, and hold them close. I don’t recommend this practice to you, Virgo.

But I do advise you to consult with the spirits of deceased family members in the coming weeks. I suspect they have a lot to tell you. At the very least, I hope you will explore how you might benefit from studying and pondering your ancestors’ lives.

LIBRA: Sept. 23 – Oct. 22 Libran tennis player Naomi Osaka is one of the highest-paid women athletes ever. She is also a staunch political activist. That blend of qualities is uncommon. Why do I bring this to your attention? Because now is an excellent time to synergize your pragmatic devotion to financial success with idealistic work on behalf of noble causes. Doing both of these activities with extra intensity will place you in alignment with cosmic rhythms — even more so if you can manage to coordinate them.

SCORPIO: Oct. 23 – Nov. 21: Scorpio actor Sally Field told a story about an agent who worked for her early in her career. In those formative years, all her roles were on TV. But she aspired to expand her repertoire.

“You aren’t good enough for movies,” the agent told her. She fired him, and soon she was starring in films. Let’s make this a teaching story for you, Scorpio. In the coming months, you will be wise to surround yourself with influences that support and encourage you. If anyone persistently underestimates you, they should not play a prominent role in your life’s beautiful drama.

SAGITTARIUS: Nov. 22 – Dec. 21 One Sagittarius I know is building a giant sculpture of a humpback whale. Another Sagittarius is adding a woodshop studio onto her house so she can fulfill her dream of crafting and selling fine furniture. Of my other Sagittarius acquaintances, one is writing an epic narrative poem in Greek, another is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Northern California to the Columbia River in northern Oregon, and another has embarked on a long-postponed

pilgrimage to Nigeria, the place of her ancestors’ origin. Yes, many Sagittarians I know are thinking expansively, daring spicy challenges, and attempting fun feats. Are you contemplating comparable adventures? Now is an excellent time for them.

CAPRICORN: Dec. 22 – Jan. 19 When I opened my fortune cookie, I found a message that read, “If you would just shut up, you could hear God’s voice.” In response, I laughed, then got very quiet. I ruminated on how, yes, I express myself a lot. I’m constantly and enthusiastically riffing on ideas that are exciting to me. So I took the fortune cookie oracle to heart. I stopped talking and writing for two days. I retreated into a quiescent stillness and listened to other humans, animals, and the natural world.

Forty-five hours into the experiment, I did indeed hear God’s voice. She said, “Thanks for making space to hear me.

I love you and want you to thrive.” She expounded further, providing me with three interesting clues that have proved to be helpful in practical ways. In accordance with your astrological omens, Capricorn, I invite you to do what I did.

AQUARIUS: Jan. 20 – Feb. 18 Scientists at the University of California devised a cheap and fast method for unboiling an egg. Their effort wasn’t frivolous. They were working with principles that could be valuable in treating certain cancers. Now I’m inviting you to experiment with metaphorical equivalents of unboiling eggs, Aquarius. You are in a phase when you will have extra power to undo results you’re bored with or unsatisfied with. Your key words of power will be reversal, unfastening, unlocking, and disentangling.

PISCES: Feb.19 – March 20 Every week, I imbibe all the honey from an eight-ounce jar, mostly in my cups of hot tea. To create that treat for me, bees made a million visits to flowers, collecting nectar. I am very grateful. The work that I do has similarities to what the bees do. I’m constantly gathering oracular ideas, meditating on the astrological signs, and contemplating what inspirational messages my readers need to hear. This horoscope may not be the result of a million thoughts, but the number is large. What’s the equivalent in your life, Pisces? What creative gathering and processing do you do? Now is a good time to revise, refine, and deepen your relationship with it.

Homework: Can you boost your willpower just by deciding you want to?

Try it.

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