Football player one step ahead with Aretha Franklin jersey tribute for cancer Game. C4
Michigan Chronicle
Vol. 82 – No. 3 | Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2018
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Yaker Family Donates $2.5M to Southwest Solutions
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By Patreice A. Massey Managing Editor
An extraordinary gift from Judith Yaker to Southwest Solutions will establish the Sam L. and Judith Yaker Fund to catalyze homeownership and revitalization in the Chadsey-Condon neighborhood in southwest Detroit. The $2.5M gift establishes an important legacy of the life and career of Sam Yaker, who developed quality affordable housing opportunities. Within an eight block area of the Chadsey-Condon neighborhood, Southwest Solutions has acquired the Newberry Homes project, 60 single-family houses that were low-income rental properties. Southwest Solutions intends to
Detroit police chief James Craig speaking at a press conference on the firing of former officer Sean Bostwick for racially-charged comments.
White Detroit police officer fired over a racially-charged Snapchat comment Southwest Solutions has acquired the Newberry Homes project and plans to update 60 single-family houses to encourage homeownership. renovate these houses and make them available for affordable homeownership. The Yaker Fund donation is vital in realizing this goal. The gift will principally go toward the rehab work and mortgage lending for 56 of the Newberry Homes. It will also be used to create a new neighborhood park, called the Sam L. and Judy G. Yaker Park and Pavilion, and provide support services to the homebuyers and others in the community. “Homeownership is the bedrock of stable neighborhoods, and the Yaker Fund donation will have a transformative effect in supporting the Newberry project and the attendant revitalization and investment in the area that the project will spur,” said Steve Ragan, Senior Vice President for Development and External Relations at Southwest Solutions. “Moreover, the gift will be regenerative as mortgages are paid into the Sam and Judith Yaker Mortgage Fund, which will be continually reinvested in community redevelopment,” Ragan added. “Indeed,
By Branden Hunter
been on probation, he would not have been immediately fired.
Sean Bostwick was on the Detroit Police Department for only two months and already has to wrangle up a new job. Bostwick, who is white, was fired by chief James Craig on Monday for racially-charged comments made over the weekend on social media while on duty at the 12th precinct.
The city of Detroit is close to 85 percent African-American and Bostwick’s comments could be taken as him referring to black residents in his patrol area as “zoo animals.” This view of black people as animals, essentially, is more than just a mean name to call someone. It has had violent, history altering, culture destroying effects upon people of the African continent.
Bostwick, 27, posted, “Another night to rangel up these zoo animals” on his Snap Chat just before his shift was about to begin on Sunday. He was suspended with pay immediately, once Craig learned about his behavior, and let go during a confirmation meeting with Craig and a union representative. “I’m shocked and appalled,” said Craig at a press conference. “He did express some remorse, but I certainly advised him, in a very strong way, that this has placed a stain, not just on our department, but on the entire organization.” Bostwick only two months out of the police academy and hired in June of 2017. Since Bostwick was a new hire, he was still on probation when the post went viral. And because he was still on probation, he could be fired more quickly, according to Craig. The police chief also stressed that, as a probationary officer, Bostwick never served without a partner. “When I look at the 800-plus new officers we’ve hired since I’ve arrived, I’m very proud of the work they are doing,”
See HOMEOWNERSHIP page A2
WHAT’S INSIDE
A screenshot of the post former officer Sean Bostwick made on Snap Chat that lead to his firing. said Craig. “The vast majority do tremendous work. We emphasize in the academy, integrity and servicing the community. This particular officer did not do that.” Craig said Monday would be Bostwick’s final day on DPD payroll and will no longer be an official Detroit police officer as of Tuesday, September 25. Bostwick’s probation was extended, through the recommendation of the commanding officer of the 12th precinct, due to concerns of adapting to training and low test scores. If Bostwick had not
“While he did express a great deal or remorse and said he didn’t mean it the way it came off, a comment of this nature, especially in a diverse city, is not welcomed,” said Craig. “Being a service organization, we have high expectations of our officers. How do we expect an officer to provide a high level of service when this is how you feel? Those who harbor those type of feelings are not welcome here.” Craig, who has been in law enforcement since 1977, said he would not recommend Bostwick be a police officer anywhere else. “I did wish him well in his future success and future endeavors, he just won’t do it in policing,” said Craig.
Report puts a price tag on repairs at every school in Detroit’s main district By Koby Levin
Touching Communities. Touching Lives.™ A PUBLICATION OF MGM GRAND DETROIT
Generally, when a new employee is going to be fired, it goes before a Probationary Evaluation Board (PEB), which makes and assessment and recommendation to Craig. But because of the egregious nature of Bostwick’s comments, Craig opted to not hold a PEB and to take swift action.
September • 2018
Employee Network Groups enrich lives at MGM Grand Detroit By Scott Talley Special to the Michigan Chronicle More than 20 years ago MGM Grand Detroit made a promise to our community to provide a world-class entertainment experience, while making a significant economic impact on our region to go along with being a leading corporate citizen. This vital promise could not have been realized without engaged and empowered team members, and that is exactly what makes MGM Grand Detroit’s Employee Network Groups (ENG) so valuable. While open to all team members, the MGM Grand Detroit ENGs (African American ENG, Women’s ENG, Veterans ENG, Hispanic and Latino Network Group, Lions Pride and Inspired Leaders ENG) provide team members with shared life experiences to connect and work together for the enrichment of the MGM Grand Detroit family and our community as a whole.
Members of MGM Grand Detroit’s African American Network Group visited the Wright Museum. Images and story about other ENGs appear on Page 3.
For the organizers of these groups, an extra commitment of time an energy is required, but it has become a labor of love for many including
Continue on page 3
Inside This Issue • MGM Grand Detroit’s Employee Network Group gives team members the power to empower their workplace and communities. • Detroit Jazz Festival played another sweet tune. • MGM Grand Detroit makes an impact through many special partnerships; and, more!
Fall back with some fall cocktails by Perfect 10 City.Life.Style. C1
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Kindergartners arriving at Nichols Elementary-Middle School this week for the first day of school were welcomed to a building that needs massive repairs totaling $5.6 million. That may seem like a lot, but it’s hardly out of the ordinary in Michigan’s largest school district, and it’s not nearly as much as the $29 million it would cost to bring Detroit’s storied Pershing High School up to modern standards. Even the district’s prized newer buildings, like the one that houses Cass Technical High School, need a lot of work. Only 14 years after it was built, Cass requires $7.4 million in repairs. News reports this week focused on problems with the district’s drinking water, which was shut off as a precautionary measure while the district develops a plan to upgrade aging plumbing systems. But a report obtained by Chalkbeat shows that plumbing is just one of many problems
Middle schoolers at Golightly Education Center. The 99-year-old building needs more than $5 million in repairs. PHOTO: Koby Levin caused by decades of delayed maintenance. A report released by Superintendent Nikolai Vitti in June
found that the district urgently needs to raise more than $500 million to fix its crumbling facilities — a conclusion that one board member called “tragically
awful.” The full document, which was obtained by Chalkbeat, attaches a price tag to every active
See REPAIRS page A2